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A panel discussion will take place on April 15th on the topic of "Bridging Science and Governance", including speakers from the Universidad de la Costa (CUC, Colombia). The event will take place in the Levis Faculty Center room 210 at 3pm. Hosted by the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity. See the following:

Representatives from Universidad de la Costa (CUC) will present this roundtable discussion “Bridging Science and Governance” exploring the policy and practice experiences from the Colombian Caribbean where ancestral knowledge and scientific methods have been integrated to restore ecosystems and strengthen local adaptive capacities to climate change.

Presenters:

Ana Cristina de la Parra Guerra Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology and Professor at Universidad de la Costa (CUC). Her research in aquatic ecology and emerging contaminants provides critical data for environmental policy and ecotoxicological risk management in coastal ecosystems. As part of the ‘Orquídeas’ program, she bridges the gap between environmental science and public policy, advocating for gender-inclusive approaches in territorial governance and building socio-environmental resilience through applied scientific evidence.

Ana Carolina Torregroza Espinosa Ph.D. in Marine Science and Dean of Natural and Exact Sciences at Universidad de la Costa (CUC). She leads interdisciplinary academic and extension processes that integrate biodiversity conservation with public policy for environmental management and peacebuilding. Her work focuses on scaling community-based ancestral knowledge into regional governance models, using applied research on coastal ecosystems to inform sustainable development policies and equitable growth frameworks in the Colombian Caribbean.

Dariana Cecilia Zapata Lozada Project manager at Universidad de la Costa (CUC), specialized in the governance of science, technology, and innovation (CTeI) initiatives. She coordinates complex projects co-financed by the General System of Royalties (SGR) and MinCiencias, focusing on translating scientific research into public policy instruments. Her work promotes sustainable productive transformation and engagement by fostering strategic alliances between academia, government, and vulnerable communities in the Colombian Caribbean to empower women and youth through applied knowledge transfer.

This event is part of the Women's Resources Center Ecofeminism Series

This event made possible through support from the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity, Illinois International Programs; LAS Inclusive Excellence Funding; Center for Global Studies; Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies; and the Women’s Resources Center