Biologists receive visit from Crown Princess Victoria
Crown Princess Victoria in conversation with Bethanie Carney Almroth, Associate Professor of Ecotoxicology, during her visit to the Zoology building.
Plastics and chemicals in the oceans, those were issues discussed when Crown Princess Victoria, together with the County Governor, visited the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences on Wednesday, January 30.
Among the people she met were Bethanie Carney Almroth, Associate Professor of Ecotoxicology, and Henrik Aronsson, Head of Department and Professor of Plant Molecular Biology.
The visit originated with a meeting between Crown Princess Victoria and Bethanie Carney Almroth in connection with the Sustainable Development Goals Forum in New York 2017, hosted by Sweden and Fiji.
– Myself and a colleague had arranged an ancillary event about plastic in the oceans, which the Crown Princess attended. Then we met again last summer when I participated on a panel at the Volvo Ocean Race. At the time, the Crown Princess suggested that we should continue our conversation over lunch, but we did not have the time.
Instead, Bethanie Carney Almroth has been in contact with the Crown Princess’s marshal of the court over the past six months to arrange an on-site visit. Two weeks ago, she found out that it would indeed take place.
– It was quite a rush to complete all the preparations in time Many people have been involved to make the visit as successful as possible, and we have also cleaned and scrubbed every nook and cranny of the department.
Discussed environmental problems and solutions
The Crown Princess visited the laboratory in the Zoology building, studied cells under a microscope and learned more about different species of fish. This was followed by an hour-long discussion about environmental problems and possible solutions with researchers from the University of Gothenburg.
– Of course it is wonderful to receive a visit from the Crown Princess, but it is also significant; it is an opportunity to highlight the role of the University of Gothenburg in important matters, such as concerning plastics and toxins in the oceans, explains Bethanie Carney Almroth. And the fact that the Crown Princess is interested in environmental issues, which she can bring to the table in the forums in which she participates, is of course very significant. But County Governor Anders Danielsson was also very involved and asked if he could come back with more questions.
In the afternoon, the Crown Princess also took the opportunity to pay a visit to the Agency for Marine and Water Management.
Photography: Johan Wingborg