The Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) held the second edition of the “Oceans Fair” in front of the Faculty of Marine Sciences, located on the Guayacán Campus, Coquimbo.
The event, which is part of the commemoration of World Oceans Day, brought together more than 150 students from various colleges and schools in the region, including Komvux, Valentín Letelier, San José María Escrivá de Balaguer, Mario Muñoz Silva, Tomasa Olivares Caamaño and Manuel de Salas.
SCIENTIFIC SAMPLE
The fair, organized by academics, researchers and students from the UCN Faculty of Marine Sciences, had as its main objective to inform and educate about the deoxygenation of the oceans and the importance of dissolved oxygen in seawater. Through videos and an interactive scientific display, students were able to explore different modules that addressed this problem, as well as the faculty’s research projects.
Dr. Marcel Ramos Quezada, academic at the Department of Marine Biology and member of the organizing team, highlighted that this initiative responds to UNESCO’s call to raise awareness about the deoxygenation of the oceans, a critical aspect of climate change. “We are interested in this problem because, although it is not the most visible, the ocean is losing oxygen in some areas. Generally we talk about storm surges, rising sea levels and temperatures, but not about this particular problem,” explained Dr. Ramos.
INNOVATION AND EDUCATION
David Yáñez Jaramillo, head of the Marine Botany Laboratory, highlighted the importance of macroalgae in the production of oxygen and their role as bioremediators in marine ecosystems. “Today at the Ocean Fair, we address the decrease in oxygen in the water columns, affecting both marine species and those intended for cultivation. We show the benefits of algae in ecosystems,” said Yáñez.
Enrique Andrés Tursky Pradel, a second-year Marine Biology student, valued the fair as a key training experience for his future career. “This fair is very important because it allows me to learn about algae and the instruments used to study water and marine animals,” Tursky said.
IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY
The activity had an enthusiastic participation of boys and girls from various educational establishments. Isidora Rojel Díaz, one of the attendees, shared her experience: “Animals make me nervous, but it was all positive. The lady was very kind, I would like to return since everything was very interesting and my entire class loved it.”
Without a doubt, this fair not only managed to inform and educate about the importance of dissolved oxygen in the seas and environmental challenges, but also demonstrated the commitment of researchers and the regional educational community in preserving our oceans for future years. generations.
