A project meeting was held in the Netherlands from 18 to 20 February 2025 to mark the first year of the CURIOSOIL project, which aims to awaken curiosity for a deeper understanding of the soil.
The meeting was attended by project partners from various European countries, including the Faculty of Environmental Protection, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Borut Vrščaj and Asst. Katja Črnec. The meeting took place at Wageningen University, which is one of the best universities in the world and has been voted the best university in the Netherlands for 20 years in a row. The student campus was also the most appropriate location for the project meeting, as the site is also the base of the »World Soil Museum«, which exhibits 80 soil monoliths from all over the world, with many more in the archives.
The partners’ meeting was mainly aimed at exchanging experiences and information on the progress of the work so far and planning the implementation of the tasks to be carried out in the upcoming year. Among other things, new teaching methods and teaching tools were designed. The partners were also given a demonstration of the operation of an artificial intelligence hologram called »Lexie«, which is being developed and adapted for future teaching support purposes.
On the third and final day of the meeting, a multisensory workshop was organised, which was also open to the public and attended by a total of 30 interested participants. The workshop allowed the perception of the soil with different senses such as sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. One of the activity stations was led by two of our colleagues, using paint and wax made from soil for drawing and creative purposes. At the end of the event, the participants confirmed that this type of experience is invaluable in understanding and creating a connection with the soil.
