Between 9th – 21st February 2024 I had the exciting opportunity to attend the Cities on Volcanoes 12 Conference in Antigua, Guatemala, partly supported by a travel grant from the European Association of Geochemistry. Cities on Volcanoes is one of my favourite conferences, with it being uniquely interdisciplinary and drawing together researchers from across the physical and social sciences. Themes range from physical volcanology to technical advances in sampling equipment, to hazard maps and even the perception of volcanoes in films and art! Under the unifying theme of ‘volcanoes’ and the risk they present to society, the conference undoubtedly fosters many exciting discussions and new collaborations. For example, I attended a pre-conference workshop on the use of drones in volcanology, which covered everything from videography, photogrammetry to gas sampling using UAS, as well as technical discussions on drone technology.

Moreover, throughout the conference many of the speakers themselves came from indigenous or volcanically-impacted communities. It was especially powerful to listen to the experiences of people who have lived through volcanic disasters, such as the 2018 eruption of Fuego, and will undoubtedly inform my future research and involvement in volcanic risk reduction and communication. The conference was also the first bi-lingual COV, which not only increased accessibility but also created the opportunity for much broader discussions around volcanic risk and perceptions. In particular, one of my favourite sessions was a round-table discussion on the role of faith and spirituality in volcanic risk perception. It was fascinating to hear how many perceptions and stories overlapped between indigenous communities in Guatemala, Mexico, and New Zealand.

After the conference I attended one of the official fieldtrips to climb Acatenango volcano. The hike was incredibly difficult – ascending 1600m in elevation up to 4000 masl – but the views of Fuego volcano erupting were phenomenal! We stayed at Acatenango basecamp overnight and were lucky enough to see several paroxysm events (from a safe distance!). This was an incredible end to the trip, and a fantastic bonding opportunity with the friends I had made throughout the conference too. Overall, attending the conference was an amazing experience – connecting with other researchers, exploring future collaborations, and of course seeing Fuego and Pacaya volcanoes! I would encourage anyone to attend the next Cities on Volcanoes. Thank you so much to the European Association for their support!