We've been running these workshops for more than a decade and although they've changed over time and depending on the venue, they've all been a real success. People have enjoyed them, learnt a fair bit about isotopes and learned to incorporate stable isotopes in their work. I keep meeting researchers who have attended these teaching workshops and stayed in the field. By imprisoning a tight group of students and teachers together for a week, the maximum amount of knowledge has diffused between them, as well as them all having a fair bit of fun.

by Hilary Stuart-Williams, Organiser

I had an excellent time at SIBS 2026. I entered the workshop as an absolute beginner, and came out with a comprehensive overview of stable isotope concepts and their diverse applications (and a slighly sore brain). The opportunity to learn amongst such a passionate group of people was invaluable. I would absolutely recommend this workshop to anyone wanting to learn more about stable isotopes!

by Laura Bailey, Attendee — SIBS 2026 Camden

Chasing the Storm

During SIBS 2020, a surprise hailstorm hit Canberra with golf ball–sized hail. Instead of running for cover, we grabbed our vials! Soon we were sampling hailstones to analyse how isotope ratios vary from surface to core — pure scientific curiosity in action!

SIBS was such an important learning experience! Building a background in isotopes science is something I have wanted and needed for my career, but it's not something that's widely taught in Ecology; there just aren't any courses in most undergraduate or Master's degrees. What makes SIBS so unique is having over a week where everyone - attendees, instructors, organizers - are entirely focused on isotopes, so you can make those big knowledge gains and come up with new ideas in such a short time. As an added bonus, the people are all amazing and are building such a robust professional community!

by Lauren Hitt, Attendee — SIBS 2026 Camden