When a team of Boise State’s raptor researchers arrived in the United Arab Emirates, they stepped into a place where birds of prey were not just studied – they were deeply woven into the culture. Falcons covered billboards and perched on gloved hands in the streets, representing a long-standing connection between the people and their environment. Over the next eight days, the delegation immersed themselves in a landscape where conservation and tradition were inseparable.
“As a scientist, there’s this energy you get from going to a scientific conference, where you get to nerd out with your people while being introduced to new ideas,” said Stephanie Galla, Boise State assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Raptor Research Center. “Going to the UAE and meeting so many amazing scientists to talk about raptors was like going to a conference times ten. I think that’s what the United Arab Emirates Cultural Diplomacy Department was hoping for when they invited people on this trip. I don’t think there was an agenda, it was just an opportunity for people with shared values to come and dream about raptors together.”
Galla, along with fellow faculty member Julie Heath, biology professor and director at the Raptor Research Center, and Ecology, Evolution and Behavior doctoral students Carolina Granthon and Michael Henderson, were selected as part of a delegation of raptor researchers invited to the UAE for a collaborative exchange of raptor knowledge.
Their journey took them across Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where they visited leading conservation organizations, including the Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation. They also explored cultural landmarks such as Louvre Abu Dhabi and Seaworld Abu Dhabi, deepening their understanding of the UAE’s environmental and historical legacy.
For Galla, one of the most exciting stops was the International Fund for Houbara Conservation – one of the largest conservation breeding facilities in the world.
“My background is in conservation genetics and how to use pedigrees to better understand birds in a changing world. Being able to see a facility that has released over half a million birds into the wild is pretty amazing,” she said.
The delegation also met with Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the royal family and leader in climate change and sustainability. Meetings over tea and dates reflected the UAE’s tradition of hospitality, creating a welcoming space for collaboration between the country’s agencies and U.S. researchers.
For Henderson, the openness to collaboration was one of the most striking aspects of the trip.
“Every agency and organization we went to, we were trying to find places where goals align and how we can collaborate. I’m hopeful that we will have continued collaboration there,” he said.
That spirit of partnership extended to Boise State’s role in the delegation, reaffirming the university’s reputation as a leader in raptor research and education.
“Boise State is famous for the fact that we are a center for science on birds of prey and student training. When they went to find people in the U.S. who would be good delegates, they came to us, The Peregrine Fund and our other partners,” Heath said. “It was a very cohesive group representing a holistic perspective about raptors and we were glad to represent the education and academic side.”
For second year doctoral student Granthon, this experience was beyond anything she had imagined.
“I got to share my research with a member of the royal family, and that felt surreal,” she said. “It was a unique learning experience to be part of this delegation and have a seat at the table in conversations about global raptor issues and collaborative solutions.”
As they returned to Idaho, the team brought back new ideas and the knowledge that their research at Boise State is part of something much bigger: a global effort to protect and understand birds of prey.