The International Shark Conference (“Shark International Conference”) chose Valencia in 2022 as the venue for its flagship event, held every four years. This is the largest international shark conference in the world, bringing together the world’s leading shark experts for a week of activities, lectures and exhibitions.
Valencia, located on the Mediterranean Sea, has a long cultural and geographical relationship with marine life. It is also home to Europe’s largest aquarium: The Oceanogràfic of Valencia.
Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) was part of the Shark International Conference thanks to its new academic hub, GAIAS Europe, located in Valencia. GAIAS Europe connects liberal arts, research and education excellence.
The Shark International Conference was attended virtually and in person by scientists from around the world. Scientists from Ecuador, such as Diana Pazmiño, Alex Hearn and Juan José Guadalupe, experts in sharks and marine ecology, who also work in the Galápagos Islands, where USFQ has another academic extension, came to GAIAS Europe.
A focus of this conference was the importance of collaborative and global work to address the challenges of marine conservation and the protection of vulnerable species.
GAIAS Europe is precisely one such link through which new opportunities open up for collaboration between students, teachers and researchers from around the world to address contemporary challenges. It is a space for students who want to have an international experience and expand their network, while taking advantage of the benefits of being part of a liberal arts-based academic community such as USFQ.
But also, at GAIAS Europe we seek to become the meeting and coordination point for researchers from all over the world to carry out research projects and promote conservation, technology and industrial development.
Learn more about GAIAS Europe by USFQ in our networks:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GAIASEuropa
Our web: https://gaiaseuropa.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaiasbyusfq/
For more information: gaiaseuropa@usfq.edu.ec
