Invited lecture at COST AFFECT-EVO Training School 2

Prof. Dr. Andrei D. Mihalca was invited to lecture at the COST AFFECT-EVO Training School 2, entitled "Co-learning through multiple perspectives: Communication about animal affects in educational contexts". The training school took place at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between 20–21 April 2026.

The event brought together researchers and lecturers interested in animal affective states, human–animal communication, education, animal welfare, animal-assisted activities, and multispecies perspectives. The programme included lectures, interactive sessions, workshops, focus-group discussions, and practical activities designed to explore how animal emotions and affective states can be communicated in educational contexts.

Prof. Dr. Mihalca delivered the lecture "Using photography to communicate about animals – Art and Veterinary Medicine" on 21 April 2026. His presentation focused on the role of photography as a communication tool at the interface between science, art, veterinary medicine, and public engagement. The lecture addressed how visual narratives can help convey information about animals, their behaviour, their emotional states, and their interactions with humans.

The training school also included contributions from Dr. Alina Rusu, Dr. Rebecca Nordquist, Dr. Helen Lewis, Michael Kisley, Marco Adda, and Irina Frasin, covering topics such as communication with multispecies communities, safe and joyful communication with dogs in schools, animal welfare in educational settings, beliefs about animal emotions, zoosomatics, and ethological and philosophical perspectives on multispecies togetherness.

The event was coordinated by Dr. Alina Rusu from USAMV Cluj-Napoca, Dr. Rebecca Nordquist from Utrecht University, and Dr. Helen Lewis from Swansea University.