The 13th European Wildlife Disease Association Conference will take place from August 27-31, 2018 in Larissa, Greece. The EWDA Wildlife Health Surveillance Network meeting (August 26, 2018) and the annual meeting of ECZM (August 26-27, 2018) will take place in parallel.
To benefit from the gathering of wildlife professionals from all over Europe and beyond, the EWDA Student Chapter is organising a Pre-Conference Student Event on Sunday August 26th, 2018.
Combining these events will provide students with the opportunity to not only get to know peers, but to connect with leading scientists before the conference starts. We aim to assist the students in shaping their career path and update their knowledge in the field of wildlife diseases with the specific focus on how this knowledge can lead to a tangible outcome that can be measured.
The Sunday morning will start with an intoduction to EWDA and scientific lectures. After lunch interactive panel discussions and practical sessions will take place.
We will wrap up with a brainstorming session where student participants will be asked to provide input about what they wish to get out of EWDA Student membership and how these needs can be met better.
The day’s content can be further discussed during the cultural evening, whilst enjoying delicious food from all over Europe.
Thank you for your interest. Please do not hesitate to contact us for additional information. We are looking forward to seeing you in Greece!
The official EWDA dinner will take place in the restaurant “Rivaz (ex Aquarium)”, in the city of Volos. Registered banquet participants will meet in Larissa- at the point the organizers will announce – at around 18:00 and will be transferred by bus to the banquet venue at Volos. A bus ride is organized as well in order to return them back in Larissa at around 23:30. Participants are kindly asked to request their tickets at the Conference registration desk.
Rivaz is settled in a historical site of Volos at Anavrou Square. It has been renovated lately and has a capacity of receipting about 400 persons. A huge terrace over the beach offers an amazing view of the Aegean Sea. Dinner and beverages have been carefully selected to satisfy every taste. Welcome drink (greek tsipouro), a variety of appetizers, main dishes (meat and vegan choices), salads and side plates, fruits and desserts, as well as drinks and beverages will be offered to make your experience worth remembering.
EWDA Conference dinner will be the ideal way to socialize with your colleagues in a relaxed environment and close the conference works in the most delightful way.
We will be pleased to meet you there. Please make sure you do not forget to make your reservation on the registration page of the Conference.
The Meteora is a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodoxmonasteries. The six monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area. It is located near the town of Kalambaka at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains. Meteora is included on the UNESCOWorld Heritage List under criteria I, II, IV, V and VII. The name means “lofty”, “elevated”, and is etymologically related to meteor.
Our excursion is scheduled to include a guided visit to the two of the six remaining monasteries of Meteora, the St. Stephen’s and the Varlaam Monasteries. We will enter the monasteries and at the same time make a trip in time, going back to the centuries to learn the story of the first hermits and monks who arrived at the area that was going to evolve to the monastic community of Meteora, as is known nowadays. We will learn how the monasteries were established and why monks chose to settle at this place, where they would have to climb these steep rocks and use ropes and baskets to move around.
The Monastery of St. Stephen has a small church built in the 16th century and decorated in 1545. This monastery rests on the plain rather than on a cliff. It was shelled by the Nazis during World War II who believed it was harboring insurgents and was abandoned. The monastery was given over to nuns in 1961 and they have reconstructed it into a flourishing nunnery, with 28 nuns in residence in 2015.
The Monastery of Varlaam is the second largest monastery in the Meteora complex, and in 2015 had the largest number of monks (seven) of the male monasteries. It was built in 1541 and embellished in 1548. The old refectory is used as a museum while north of the church is the parekklesion of the Three Bishops, built in 1627 and decorated in 1637.
Next step is the Museum of Natural History of Meteora and Mushroom Museum, in the city of Kalambaka. As you can guess, there are two museums housed in one building (1100 m2) that host two permanent collections:
The first one is about animals and contains approximately 350 species of mammals and birds, while the second one is about mushrooms and contains approximately 250 species of mushrooms. The collection of animals consists of high quality embalmed birds and mammals, made by Europe’s best taxidermists, while some of them are very rare. The mushroom collection consists of handmade mushroom sculptures that maintain the similarity of colors, shapes and size.. The sculptures were created one by one by high skilled sculptors of the wider local region.
Beyond the quality of the exhibits, we will enjoy a rather pioneering presentation of them, a theatrical scenery we would say, as animals and mushrooms are presented into dioramas, which depict exactly the natural terrain where they live and grow into (i.e. woods, wetlands etc.).
Besides the cultural interest of the sites described previously, there is a great scientific interest as well, since the area is hosting the largest Neophron percnopterus population in Greece.
Before getting back to Larissa, we will have the time to rest and enjoy our lunch in the surrounding area under the Meteora rocks. Moreover, a unique display of cooking pasta with truffle mushroom will take place especially for us.
