Out and about: Sebastian Ruin knows what outdoor exercising does for us

Record of reported species: Styria wins the global City Nature Challenge

Observers in Styria recorded 4,660 different animals, plants and fungi as part of the international City Nature Challenge between 24 and 27 April 2026. This saw the region take first place in the "species" category. Ostrava in the Czech Republic made the most observations, with just under 140,000, whilst the San Francisco Bay Area had the highest number of participants, namely 3,019.

Europe Day: Strengthening international expertise with Arqus

On 9 May, the spotlight will be on Europe. At the University of Graz, European cooperation is also a tangible part of everyday student life – not least through the Arqus university alliance. Master’s and PhD students can currently register for the Arqus micro-credential in ‘Advanced Creative Thinking and Communication’.

A substantial community: the key role of soil crusts in the earth system

They are often overshadowed by the plant world: lichens, fungi, mosses and bacteria, which form unique communities on rocks and trees or as soil crusts. Bettina Weber from the University of Graz is bringing this biological alliance into the research spotlight. Her research shows that these communities form an essential part of the Earth’s critical zone and play a key role in the interactions between land and atmosphere. Bettina Weber was honoured by the European Geosciences Union for her groundbreaking research at the beginning of May.