NEWS
Students from the Faculty of Physical Chemistry and Singidunum University completed an internship at the “Vinča” Institute for Nuclear Sciences
In July 2025, students from Faculty of Physical Chemistry and Singidunum University carried out a professional intership at the “Vinča” Institute of Nuclear Sciences. During their intership, they engaged in research activities as part of the Predict-Er project, acquiring practical knowlege in erosion research and sustainable land management.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
Mind the Gully:
Tackling Erosion with Science and Data
Tackling Erosion with Science and Data
On 25 June 2025, Dr. Snezana Dragovic participated in the “One-Day Gully Erosion Webinar”, organized by the EUSO Technical Working Group on Soil Erosion. The webinar highlighted ongoing research on gully erosion processes, monitoring, and modelling at local, European, and global scales. It also emphasized the need for field-based data, a combined modeling approach using both physically based and predictive tools for land management applications, and the integration of gully erosion data to develop more effective, site-specific conservation practices. These research needs are fully aligned with the goals set by Predict-Er, reinforcing the importance of integrated, data-driven approaches to sustainable land management.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
Regional Training Course in Banja Luka:
Soil Water Management
Soil Water Management
Dr. Milena Gocić participated in the Regional Training Course on Combining Remote Sensing and Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensors for Soil Water Management organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within the regional technical cooperation project “Improving Efficiency in Water and Soil Management” (RER5028). The course aimed to transfer theoretical and practical knowledge about cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS) formeasuring soil moisture content. Participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Croatia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Serbia were introduced to innovative techniques and approaches aimed at improving soil fertility, optimizing soil water use, and proposing measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. During the practical sessions, demonstrations were held on the application of remote sensing technologies and statistical tools for analysing soil moisture data collected via CRNS sensors and generation of soil moisture maps based on available data. The acquired knowledge, hands-on experience, and established connections with colleagues from the region will directly contribute to the implementation of Predict-Er’s activities and strengthen collaboration with related research groups.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
From Science to Solutions:
5th EUSO Stakeholder Forum
5th EUSO Stakeholder Forum
On 12 June 2025, Dr. Snezana Dragovic participated in the ” 5th EUSO Stakeholder Forum”, organized by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The forum was dedicated to promoting healty soils and increasing EU competitiveness bz presenting case studies from the private sector, including business models related to carbon farming, remediation of contaminated sites, the food chain, and biotechnology. The experiences of diverse stakeholders provided valuable insights highly relevant to applzing Predict-Er’s results in the context of sustainable soil management.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
New equipment provided
by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia
by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia
We are excited to announce that our research capacities have been significantly enhanced with the acquisition of the Agrowing Alpha 7RIV Sextuple Multispectral Camera, funded trought the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia trought the PRISMA program.
This imaging system, bult upon Sony Alpha 7R IV platform, features Agrowing’s patented optical design to support up to 14 customized narrow band. This configuration delivers one of the most advanced and versatile multispectral imaging solutions currently availabale on the market.
This camera enables the acquisition of high-resolution, radiometrically calibrated data, which is essential for wide range of applications such as vegetation health analysis, precision agriculture, land cover classification, and enviromental monitoring. Its integration into our UAV-based research platform will significantly enhance the efficiency and quality of Predict-Er’s multispectral data collection workflows.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia for their continued support.
For more details about this innovative sensor, please visit manufacturer’s web site.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
Supervisory visit of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia
As part of the regular monitoring of the progress of our Predict-Er project, a supervisory visit was carried out by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia. On this occasion, the Science Fund and World Bank experts within the SAIGE project, prof. Dr. Andjelka Mihajlov, an expert on environmental protection and ethical issues, and Dr. Siniša Radulović, an expert on ethical issues, visited the Predict-Er research team at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences “Vinča”, University of Belgrade, where the members of the supervisory team got informed with the previous activities and achived results.
We are pleased that the Science Fund recognized our team’s dedication to realizing the project goals. You can find details about this visit on the Science Fund’s Instagram profile, where photos and impressions from the field are published.
We want to thank the Science Fund for its support and constructive suggestions, which will contribute to the project’s continued success.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
Approved topic of doctoral dissertation
The Scientific Council of Natural Sciences of the University of Belgrade (September 19, 2024) accepted the topic of the doctoral dissertation of our PhD student, Aleksandar Cupic, entitled “Mapping and quantifying soil erosion in the Malčanska River Basin using a combination of remote sensing methods and 137Cs activity spectrometry”. Dr. Marko Daković, associate professor of the Faculty of Physical Chemistry, and Dr. Snežana Dragović, principal research fellow of the “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences, were appointed as dissertation mentors.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
New equipment provided
by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia
We are pleased to inform you that the research equipment of Project Predict-Er has been upgraded with new TB65 batteries for the DJI M300 drone. Thanks to these batteries, the duration od our field recordings has been extended. This will have a direct impact on increasing the speed od data collection, as the longer flight time allows continous recordings of wider areas without the need for frequent landings to recharge the batteries. The equipment was provided by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, within the PRISMA program.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
The importance of healthy soil for food availability in Serbia – The role of scientific data in evidence-based decision-making
On June 14, 2024, our team member Prof. Ranko Dragović attended the conference “The importance of healthy soil for food availability in Serbia – The role of scientific data in evidence-based decision-making,” organized by the United Nations Food Agriculture Organization, held in Belgrade. During the discussion, Prof. Dragović presented the innovative goals of the Predict-Er project and the importance of predicting erosion using a combination of traditional and modern methods and tools. He emphasized the importance of creating a new map of soil erosion in Serbia on a larger scale as the existing map, used since 1985, does not correspond to the real situation in several locations.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
New equipment provided
by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia
by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia
We are pleased to inform you that our research team has been enriched with the Hesai RESEPI XT32M2X UAV LiDAR system from Inertial Labs, provided by the Science Fund Of the Republic of Serbia, within the PRISMA program. This advanced technology will greatly improve our ability to collect high-precision point clouds, which will have a key impact on the further development of our project in the areas of modeling and analysis of digital terrain models.
We would like to thank the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia for its support.
You can find more details about equipment on the manufacturers website.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
TRACING 2024: Emerging strategies of sediment and contaminant tracing in catchments and river systems
Our PhD student attended a workshop “TRACING 2024: Emerging strategies of sediment and contaminant tracing in catchments and river systems” in France, March 3 – 7, 2024 where he presented our project and exchanged experience in latest research and innovations in the field of sediment fingerprinting.
#Predict-Er, #prisma, #fondzanauku
