The 4th edition of "Treize Minutes Jeunes Chercheur-euses": A look back at a flagship event for the popularization of science
On Tuesday November 26, 2024, the "Treize Minutes Jeunes Chercheur-euses" event captivated the public at Aix-Marseille Université's Faculté de Médecine La Timone. This 2024 edition enabled six young researchers to share their work in 13 minutes, offering an exciting and accessible overview of scientific research in a variety of fields. We were delighted to help fund this event, alongside other partners, to support the dissemination of research and enable these young talents to present their projects to the general public.
The event in brief :
Date: Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Venue: Amphithéâtre Toga, Faculté de Médecine La Timone, Marseille
Target audience: General public, students, high-school pupils, science enthusiasts
The two highlights
Itinéraires vers la Recherche" forum (3:30 to 5pm)
The afternoon kicked off with the " Itinéraires vers la Recherche" forum, an opportunity for participants to discover the careers of young PhD students. The forum, held in the main hall of the Faculty of Medicine, gave visitors the chance to talk directly to a dozen PhD students in the sciences. Each researcher presented his or her thesis topic in an original and entertaining way, using an object emblematic of his or her research work. This interactive approach aroused curiosity and discussion, encouraging the audience to guess the link between the object and the thesis topic. It was a great opportunity to make Research more concrete and accessible, while enabling participants to discover innovative projects in a variety of fields. The forum also provided an insight into the backgrounds and motivations of young researchers, while offering a glimpse into the challenges and issues they face in their day-to-day work.
Evening of scientific talks (6pm to 8:30pm)
The evening continued with a series of six exciting lectures, where each researcher was given 13 minutes to share the essence of their research work. These lectures covered a wide range of scientific fields, offering the audience a glimpse of the diversity and richness of the research carried out at Aix-Marseille Université. Topics covered included such fascinating subjects as biotechnology, economics, history, psychology, biophysics and many others. Each presentation was an invitation to plunge into the world of Research, made accessible and captivating thanks to the researchers' ability to popularize their work. The presentations highlighted current scientific innovations, raised interest in often complex subjects, and demonstrated the direct impact that research can have on our daily lives. The public had the opportunity to discover cutting-edge Research projects, and to better understand how scientific discoveries shape our world.
The 2024 researchers
Aliénor Bisantis
Gender inequalities in the academic world (Economics)
A PhD student at the Aix-Marseille School of Economics, Aliénor explores gender inequalities in academia.
Since 2022, she has been studying gender inequalities in the academic world. Her work explores how gender biases influence researchers' careers, access to funding and the publication of research work. Aliénor uses quantitative methods to analyze the data linked to these inequalities, and suggests ways of promoting greater equity in the university. Her talk shed essential light on the challenges faced by women and gender minorities in an academic environment still largely dominated by unequal dynamics.
Lucas Duvert
Laser-assisted bioprinting (Biotechnology)
PhD students in biotechnology
Lucas is working on an innovative topic: laser-assisted bioprinting of muscle stem cells, with the aim of contributing to restorative medicine. His project aims to develop methods for recreating damaged muscle tissue using cutting-edge technologies. Bioprinting could revolutionize the way severe muscle injuries are treated, enabling tissue regeneration at a personalized and precise level. Lucas shared his advances on this promising technology, sparking great interest in its potential applications in tomorrow's medicine.
Léa Binaut
Parental and co-parental experiences of former foster children (Psychology)
A PhD student at the Laboratoire de Psychologie Clinique, de Psychopathologie et de Psychanalyse (LACPP), Léa Binaut is interested in the challenges faced by former foster children when they become parents. Her thesis, directed by Evelyne Bouteyre, focuses on the parental and co-parental experiences of these individuals, analyzing the characteristics and Resources mobilized in their roles as parents and spouses. Léa seeks to understand how their life course, marked by placements in foster care or institutions, influences the way they raise their own children and maintain relationships. Her intervention shed light on a little-explored dimension of the experiences of former foster children, shedding new light on mental health and resilience mechanisms in psychology.
Clémentine Achard-Baccati
Enhancing the value of plants from the Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon (Pharmacognosy)
Doctoral student at the Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie Marine et Continentale (IMBE) since 2022. Her Research work focuses on the valorization of plants from the biodiversity of the Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon, through ethnopharmacology, for the development of bioactive eco-extracts. Under the direction of Béatrice Baghdikian and Elnur Garayev, she is exploring the therapeutic properties of these plants and their potential for combating certain pathologies. The aim is to create natural and ecological extracts with pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, while respecting the environment. Her talk illustrated the importance of biodiversity and traditional knowledge in the development of new natural treatments.
Victor Natalizio
French naval intelligence in the Mediterranean (History)
A PhD student in history at the Centre Méditerranéen de Sociologie, Science Politique et Histoire (MESOPOLHIS) laboratory, Victor Natalizio is conducting research into French naval intelligence in the Mediterranean between 1962 and 1981. Her work, directed by Nicolas Badalassi, seeks to analyze the secret and strategic history of French naval intelligence operations during this period. Through military archives and eyewitness accounts, it explores how the information gathered influenced France's political and military decisions in the Mediterranean, particularly during the Cold War. His presentation uncovered a little-known aspect of French military history, revealing the crucial impact of intelligence on Internationally relations and security.
Marie Dessard
Innate immunity and therapies for pancreatic cancer (Immunology and Biophysics)
Doctoral student at the Marseille-Luminy Immunology Center (CIML) and the Adhesion Inflammation Laboratory (LAI). Since 2022, she has been studying the role of cholesterol and phospholipids in regulating the mechanosensitivity of T lymphocytes, an essential component of the immune response. Her thesis project, co-supervised by Yannick Hamon and Pierre-Henri Puech, explores how these molecules influence the behavior of T lymphocytes in mechanical environments, such as those encountered during tumor training or in inflammatory tissues. Marie presented her research into how these mechanisms could be used to better understand certain pathologies and pave the way for new targeted therapies. Her talk was a real journey to the heart of the complex interactions between the immune system and the mechanical properties of cells.
Live radio coverage from the Timone campus
During the forum, Radio Grenouille covered the Treize Minutes Jeunes Chercheur-euses event live from Aix-Marseille Université's Timone campus. The program, hosted by Léna Rivière and produced by Alex-Papi Simonini, gave several PhD students the opportunity to share their research work and their passion for science.
The guests on the show were :
- Margot Cassayre, event organizer
- Olivier Chabrol, event companion
- Aliénor Bisantis, PhD student in economics, on gender inequalities in academia
- Montaine Lion, PhD student in neuroscience, on mood disorders
- Léa Binaut, PhD student in psychology, on the parental and co-parental experiences of former foster children
- Fanny, PhD student in biology, on innate immunity and the development of new therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.
The podcast of this program, entitled "Plateau Radio | Treize Minutes Jeunes Chercheur-euses", is available online for those who were unable to attend live.
👉 Listen to it here: Plateau Radio podcast.
In addition, the audio capsules of the six evening presentations, entitled "Chroniques Treize Minutes Jeunes Chercheur-euses | {Prénom Nom de l'orateur-rice}", are available on all podcast platforms, including Radio Grenouille.
👉 Find them here: Chronicles on Radio Grenouille.
Many thanks to Radio Grenouille for their presence and invaluable collaboration in putting the spotlight on young researchers!
