On August 20 – 28, 2021, the State Scientific Instition “Institute of Experimental Botany named after V.F. Kuprevich of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus” together with the Educational Institution “Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank” and the Branch “Institute of Geology” of the Republican Unitary Enterprise “Scientific and Production Center for Geology” with the information support of the Russian Botanical Society holds the XVII International Scientific Conference “Diatoms: morphology, biology, taxonomy, floristry, ecology, paleogeography, biostratigraphy”.

The purpose of the event in the discussion by scientists in a circle of qualified specialists from different countries of the research results, exchange of experience and the search of new ideas in the light of the consolidation of scientific achievements in diatomology and related fields of taxonomy, forestry, geobotany, monitoring, hydrobiology, ecology, paleography, biostratigraphy, geology, methodology and methods of teaching botanical disciplines.

The results of the conference will be:
- greater integration of science, production and educational through the establishment of links and the establishment of relations between famous scientists and young researchers in the field of studying diatoms and related fields of botany, nature protection, geology, paleontology the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, Universities of the republic, foreign scientific and educational institutions;
- development of exchange of experience, activation of internships for research workers, expansion of opportunities for obtaining grants within the framework of various competitions.
As a result of the conference, a collection of its materials will be published.

As a part of the conference, scientific and methodological seminars will be held;
- The method of graphical analysis of taxonomic proportions in assessing long-term transformation in lake ecosystems (Leading Researcher at the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Geographical Sciences Razumovsky L.V.);
- The principle of unification of bioindication methods in the reconstruction of regional climatic events in the late Holocene (Leading Researcher at the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Geographical Sciences Razumovsky L.V.);
- Methods for improving biological illustrations (senior researcher of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution of the Federal Research Center “Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas named after A.O. Kovalevsky the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Candidate of Biological Sciences Lyakh A.M.)

More than 70 participants from 65 research institutions, higher educational institutions, reserves and other organizations of nine countries: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuanian, Israel, Hungary, Syria, Turkey, Uzbekistan have registered to participate in the conference.

The scientific program of the conference provides for work in plenary sessions, scientific and methodological seminars and poster sessions.

Venue: State Scientific Instition “Institute of Experimental Botany named after V.F. Kuprevich of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus” (Akademicheskaya st., 27, Minsk)