With keynote speeches, national and international presentations, and discussions, the Third Colombian Paleontology Congress, organized by the School of Geology at the Industrial University of Santander (UIS), officially began. The event, which will run until Friday, September 5, is being held in the Aula Máxima de Ciencias and the Guillermo Camacho Caro and Luis Eduardo Lobo auditoriums on the central campus.
“We are very pleased to host this congress, where we welcome international experts from Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and several Colombians affiliated with universities abroad, such as the United States and Canada. It is truly gratifying for us to participate in these broad, free initiatives that allow young people to get involved,” said Francisco Velandia, director of the UIS School of Geology.
The opening presentation was given by one of our own, Dr. Edwin Cadena, a graduate of the UIS School of Geology and current professor at the Universidad del Rosario, who highlighted the evolution of the event and expressed his joy at returning to his alma mater.
“I think this third edition is very solid, with a dramatic increase in the number of participating students. There are also several experts from abroad, which shows that this initiative is gaining momentum, not only in Colombia but also internationally,” said Cadena.
One of the most applauded moments was the presentation by Professor Javier Luque, a researcher at the University of Cambridge (England), who addressed the origin and evolution of crabs based on fossil records. The academic praised the organization of the conference, noting that he has participated in previous editions and has witnessed its remarkable evolution.
“This third meeting in Bucaramanga is spectacular. The academic level is very high and contributes to the dissemination of knowledge in paleontology and the analysis of biological and geological sciences. I applaud the logistics of the conference because I know from experience that it is not easy to organize an event of this magnitude,” said Luque.
Attendees also expressed their satisfaction with the quality of the first day and their expectations for the upcoming activities.
“I found it to be a very enriching conference. I was able to meet academics from other countries who shared different realities with us, which allowed us to broaden our vision of paleontology. In addition, the agenda was varied, with topics on vertebrates, invertebrates, among others,” said Henrique Luiz Rieger, a student in the Master’s program in Zoology at the State University of São Paulo (Brazil).
“I am very happy to be here and to be able to share with renowned paleontologists from Colombia and around the world. We have learned firsthand about some fossil discoveries and, most valuable of all, we have had the opportunity to interact with them to learn more,” added Juan Ramírez, ambassador of the Guardians of Paleontology Club of Colombia.
The second day of the conference will take place tomorrow starting at 8:00 a.m. with new talks and presentations that promise to maintain the high academic and scientific level of this event.
