25th PACON Int'l Held at Zhejiang University

The 25th Pacific Congress on Marine Science and Technology-PACON, co-hosted by the Ocean College of Zhejiang University and the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was held on Zhoushan Campus on March 28-29. The conference attracted 200-plus experts and researchers from 10 nations, including China, America, Russia, Japan, Korea and Indonesia.

PACON International is an organization comprised of marine scientists, engineers, industrialists, and policy-makers dedicated to sharing state-of-the-art marine science and technology and the appropriate applications of this technology. Its principle goal is to provide information to all participating nations to promote the environmentally sound utilization of ocean resources and to advance knowledge in the various disciplines. The organization provides an international forum for nations and islands of the Pacific to exchange information, ideas and technology.

It is the second time that PACON International has been held in mainland China. “PACON International has been held in more than 10 nations. There is fierce competition for the host of the conference. The Ocean College of Zhejiang University has invested tremendous efforts to ensure a successful conference,” Tang Danling, President of PACON International and a researcher of CAS’s South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, said, “I hope that new ideas and technologies will be instrumental to the disciplinary development of the Ocean College and the marine economic development of Zhoushan City.”

PACON 2017 is themed on “Cooperation Across the Pacific in the Time of Global Change”. 11 experts, including Prof. Patricia Gilbert from the University of Maryland, Dr. Vyacheslav B. Lobanov from the Pacific Oceanological Institute of Far Eastern Branch in Russia, Prof. Sun Song of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr. Stefano Vignudelli from the National Research Council of Italy, were invited to deliver keynote speeches. The conference also has 10 sessions related to various areas in marine science and technology, such as marine resources, marine ecological disasters, marine engineering and marine law.

Zhu Shiqiang, Vice Party Chief of Zhejiang University, attended the conference. He introduced to the participants the development of Zhejiang University and the Ocean College and extended his heartfelt gratitude for PACON’s trust. He said that Zhejiang University is currently giving much prominence to marine sciences and is willing to collaborate with elite scholars both at home and abroad and explore cutting-edge issues in the domains of marine sciences and technology. He advocated that scientists should condense a bunch of major issues in marine sciences, promote the development of marine sciences in the Pacific region, make PACON a long-term and sustainable exchange activity, and expand humanistic and cultural exchanges. Participants responded positively to this proposal.

The 26th PACON International will be scheduled to take place at Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2019.