The University of Granada hosts the first part of the Arqus Twinning on Climate Transition Pathways with Vilnius University

On 11 and 12 November, the University of Granada (UGR) hosted the first part of this Twinning, entitled “Climate Transition Pathways: Granada and Vilnius Experience”, coordinated by Juan Luis Guerrero Rascado, Professor at the Department of Applied Physics. This activity is part of the Twinning 2.0 programme, an Arqus initiative which aims to strengthen thematic cooperation between staff and students of member universities through joint learning and teaching activities based on short-term mobility programmes.

The Twinning programme promotes international exchanges between two groups from two Arqus Alliance universities. Each group, consisting of a teacher and 3-5 students, visits the institution of the other group to carry out a joint programme and share mutual learning experiences.

In this first part, the group from Vilnius University visited Granada, where they started their stay at the Andalusian Interuniversity Institute for Earth System Research (IISTA-CEAMA). During the visit, research was presented on climate trends in Lithuania, aerosol particle exchange in semi-arid ecosystems in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the role of NGOs in climate governance. There was also a tour of the Institute’s facilities to learn about its advanced atmospheric research methodologies.

The second day included a visit to the Faculty of Science, where participants attended hands-on sessions on traditional aerobiological sampling techniques and pollen analysis at the Biological Air Quality Unit, as well as the most innovative sensors on the market for automated pollen sampling. Back at the IISTA-CEAMA facilities, the participants attended a practical session on launching a weather balloon, a traditional technique used by meteorological services around the world to characterise the atmosphere.

The second part of this programme will take place from 9 to 13 December 2024, when UGR students, accompanied by Professor Juan Luis Guerrero, will visit Vilnius University to continue this mutual learning and exchange programme.

This Twinning programme underlines the Arqus Alliance’s commitment to international cooperation and shared learning on global issues such as climate change.