"The world of Dory the antibody" is the popularized title of Margaux Mignolet's thesis. This neuroscience researcher is part of the Unité de Recherche en Physiologie Moléculaire (URPhyM) at the Faculty of Medicine. She works under the supervision of Professor Charles Nicaise and is also a member of the NARILIS Institute. She studies pathogenic autoantibodies in patients with post-acute neurological sequelae of COVID-19.

"Many people still suffer from persistent symptoms after COVID (e.g. memory disorders, fatigue, pain,...). This condition is called long COVID. The mechanism is still unknown. One hypothesis is that patients have antibodies that attack their nervous system, inducing an autoimmune disease. The aim of my thesis is to determine whether patients have these antibodies. This will enable better patient care", explains Margaux Mignolet.

On Wednesday May 21, 2025, she brilliantly succeeded in popularizing her research topic and captivating the audience using clear, simple language, at the national inter-university final of the MT 180 competition. The aim of the competition is to inform the general public about the richness and interest of scientific research, while developing the communication skills of doctoral students. Each participant (doctoral student or doctor who graduated in the previous academic year) presents a clear, concise and convincing three-minute popular presentation in French on his or her thesis. All with the support of a single slide!

And Margaux Mignolet managed to convince the jury, as she won first prize in the competition!

A fine accolade for this enthusiast of the human body and medicine. "I've always been fascinated by how our bodies work, and I've always wanted to understand how diseases work and how to cure them. So I studied biomedical sciences in Namur to be able to work in research," she confides. "I never expected to win this prize! The fourteen other participants presented topics that were each more exciting than the last, and the pitches were really well written. I'm very happy to have won this prize, with Petra by my side, and to have been able to experience this competition alongside Thomas and Petra."

Doctoral students from UNamur shone particularly brightly in this competition, with second prize going to Petra Manja, a microbiology researcher at the Research Unit in Microorganism Biology (URBM) of the Faculty of Science (NARILIS Institute). She is a member of Prof. Régis Hallez's research group. Her thesis aims to understand the persistence mechanisms of the E. coli uropathogenic bacterium.

"Uropathogenic E. coli is one of the bacteria that causes cystitis. Treatment of cystitis is difficult, not least because of its persistence. When the bacteria are treated with antibiotics, the majority of the population dies, except for a small population that goes dormant and thus avoids treatment. Studies have shown that a molecule called alarmone plays a role in this form of persistence. The aim of my research is to find out more about this role. To understand it, I'm interested in the protein that produces alarmone, called SpoT. The idea is to find a regulator of SpoT that will be activated when bacteria are treated with antibiotics. This regulator will in turn activate SpoT which leads to alarmone production and bacterial dormancy," she explains. "I really enjoyed this experience, I learned how to popularize my work to make it accessible to the general public. It's also for them that we do science", she reacts.

Her presentation was entitled: "Dormir pour ne pas mourir".

Thomas Rouma, also a researcher at URBM (Faculty of Science) and the NARILIS Institute, and whose doctoral thesis is co-directed by Professors Eric Muraille and Xavier De Bolle, is studying the protective immune response against lung infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii in mice.

His presentation was entitled: "How to get rid of a freeloader!"

Congratulations to Margaux, Petra and Thomas, who rose to the challenge of presenting their thesis in 180 seconds!

The project's ambition is to make science accessible to as many people as possible, especially high school students. The aim is clear: to demystify complex scientific concepts while offering young people a fascinating gateway to the world of research.

The idea behind "It's not Rocket Science" is simple but ambitious: each student duo must design a 2-minute popular science video that explains a space-related scientific concept or phenomenon. From a pool of 300 videos, the most convincing are selected to take part in a competition organized during Printemps des Sciences. High school students are invited to vote for the best video.

The objectives of this project are multiple: (1) to practice English in a concrete way , (2) to offer secondary school students a glimpse of what is achieved at university , (3) to discover interdisciplinarity and (4) to inspire young people to study science - why not at UNamur?

To meet this challenge, the finalist students are supported in the production of their videos by the team of English and subject teachers, by Confluent des Savoirs - UNamur's science popularization service - and by the Audio-Visual Service.

The competition's prize-giving event was marked by a highlight: a live audio connection with Donald Pettit, American astronaut, currently aboard the International Space Station. This privileged moment of exchange enabled the students and secondary school pupils in attendance to ask questions of the astronaut orbiting the Earth and learn more about life on board, the astronauts' journey and the challenges they face on a daily basis.

Following this exchange, the winners of the 2025 edition were presented with prizes donated by project partner EuroSpace Centre. Among the 7 finalist videos, the one made by Ella Cishahayo and Angelina Severino, students in biomedical sciences, won the competition.

The evening closed with a talk by Julie Henry, STEAM Project Manager at UNamur, on the challenge of attracting girls to scientific fields.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Le Printemps des Sciences is coordinated in the Province of Namur by the Confluent des Savoirs, the outreach, popularization and research dissemination service of the University of Namur. This year, the Confluent des Savoirs team has also taken the lead in the national coordination of the 2025 edition of Printemps des Sciences.

At UNamur, the university community (researchers, PhD students, laboratory technicians, students, etc.) once again mobilized extensively to arouse the curiosity of pupils and the general public in science and technology. Their commitment made it possible to discover the wealth of scientific studies and professions through a wide range of activities.

The Printemps des Sciences kicked off on March 19 at UNamur, with an inaugural conference on the theme of "Water, a common good to be preserved". This was an opportunity to bring together experts from all fields (environment, hydrology and philosophy) to discuss the challenges facing this essential resource: pollution, collective management, disruption of the water cycle, land use planning, etc. A fascinating debate that highlighted the importance of building a society that is more respectful of its common resources.

Over 5 days, more than 2,000 primary and secondary school students roamed the corridors of the university to take part in the 40 or so activities proposed by the various departments and laboratories. The latter vied with each other in creativity to offer interactive and fun activities, enabling young people to see science in a different way, outside the classroom.

Highlights included a plunge into the heart of nuclear physics, the exploration of fascinating organisms under the microscope, events combining sporting and mathematical challenges, and an unusual encounter with hens in an aviary set up in the science courtyard.

While numerous activities are on offer for schools, the general public has not been forgotten either. A number of activities have been organized for young and old who are curious about science. These included a "Chill & Sciences" scientific café on the theme of global warming as seen through the prism of Arctic thawing, a workshop on electronics and a visit to the Antoine Thomas Astronomical Observatory. The Printemps des Sciences event coincided with the observation of a partial eclipse of the Sun on the morning of Saturday March 29. A rare spectacle that left the public in awe!

The Printemps des Sciences is also an opportunity to offer the public other activities to raise awareness and disseminate science in line with the event's objectives:

• The Mapathon: A humanitarian mapping rendezvous

In a few hours and in a convivial atmosphere, UNamur's Geography Department introduced the volunteers present to contribute to a little-known dimension of humanitarian aid: the mapping of vulnerable areas. The maps produced open up new access routes for humanitarian aid, for Médecins Sans Frontières and the Red Cross in particular.

• Ma Thèse en 180 secondes : Un concours de vulgarisation pour les doctorants

In 3 minutes and not one more, PhD students present their thesis topic popularized with clarity and efficiency to captivate the audience. In 2025, 10 PhD students took part in the competition and three winners were selected to represent UNamur at the inter-university final to be held in May at UMons.

If science and technology intrigue, they sometimes suffer from deep-seated stereotypes. Austere, disconnected, reserved for an elite? So many preconceived ideas that Printemps des Sciences is helping to deconstruct by opening the doors of laboratories and research institutes.

Jérôme Daquin, Professor in the Department of Mathematics: "An event like Printemps des Sciences helps to show that mathematics is concrete, that it can be applied in everyday life and, above all, that it can be done in a fun way. It's not something austere and disconnected from reality, quite the opposite."

Boris Hespeels, researcher in the Department of Biology: "Often we see the scientist in his ivory tower, hyper serious. And what makes us here is that we're having fun. And we're also having fun sharing it. We want to show that doing research, doing science, is a really cool thing to do."

The researchers we interviewed are unanimous: without underestimating the challenges encountered on a daily basis, the science streams promise potential for fulfillment for each and every one.

Régis Falque, Assistant and doctoral student in EMCP (Faculty Economics Management Communication Politics): "The scientific profession offers opportunities for discovery that are second to none. [...] It's a wonderful adventure. It's not easy, it takes time and investment, but it's a wonderful adventure."

Boris Hespeels, researcher in the Department of Biology: "[Science] is not something you do alone. [...] I think that's also the message, we need everyone, we need all profiles."

To young people who might still be hesitant about taking the plunge:"The advice is just, go for it, go for it. There's no risk in going into science. It's a buoyant field at the moment, we're heading that way." sums up Tamara Puttemans, a laboratory technician in the Biology Department.

The Printemps des Sciences is a unifying event that also brings together numerous scientific and socio-cultural partners from Namur outside the university.

Computer Museum NAM-IP, Musée des arts anciens - TreM.a and the Société archéologique de Namur, Espace muséal d'Andenne, NID Namur - Ville de Namur, Le Delta, KIKK asbl, Le Pavillon, Empreintes asbl, ARC Namur, CIDJ, Culture In Vivo, Balteau, Inasep, Jan De Nul, Union royale belge des amateurs-émetteurs (UBA), Ose la Science, La Leçon Verte, Vent Sauvage, Repair Together, UTAN, Iles de Paix, Nature&sens, Eurospace Society, Cercle Astronomique Mosan, Mars Society Belgium.

180 seconds to present their thesis topic clearly and concisely to a varied audience (including several high school classes): this was the challenge taken up by the 10 candidates in this new edition of the MT180 UNamur competition. Introduced by Carine Michiels, Vice-Rector for Research and Libraries, and presented by Aline Wilmet, this 2025 edition brought together 10 candidates from the Faculties of Science, Medicine, Philosophy and Arts, who once again distinguished themselves in this popularization exercise: Petra Manja (microbiology), Laëtitia Riss (philosophy of history), Nicolas Gros (heritage sciences), Jenny Ha (organic chemistry), Audrey Verhaeghe (microbiology), Margaux Mignolet (neuroscience), Lindsay Sprimont (neuroscience), Marine Ote (microbiology), Thomas Rouma (immunology) and Bastien Tirtiaux (microbiology).

This year, it was once again difficult to decide between our candidates, whose performances were always of a very high standard. They were evaluated by a jury made up of personalities from within and outside UNamur, drawn from the worlds of research, teaching and scientific communication.

• Géraldine Tran - Editor-in-Chief of Athéna, the popular science magazine of the Walloon Public Service
• François-Xavier Fiévez - Pedagogue and didactician at UNamur, actor and improviser, Vice-rector for social, student, gender, sports and cultural affairs
• Charlotte Benedetti - Director of Pavillon de Namur, KIKK asbl's exhibition, experimentation and innovation center. This venue dedicated to digital cultures breaks down the barriers between disciplines, simultaneously embracing art, science and technology.
• Nathan Uyttendaele - Mathematician, popularizer and YouTube videographer of the Chat Sceptique channel, former candidate in the MT180 competition and holder of a science popularization prize from the FNRS Fond Wernaers

The public prize was awarded to Petra Manja for her pitch "Dormir pour ne pas mourir". The second jury prize was awarded to Thomas Rouma for his pitch "Comment se débarrasser d'un pique-assiette?!". Thefirst jury prize was awarded to Margaux Mignolet for her pitch "Dory's world the antibody"!

In order to prepare them optimally for the demands of the competition and those of their thesis or conference defense, candidates have benefited from training in popularized communication, in the construction of a structured pitch, as well as in public speaking enabling them to master natural body language and manage the stress provoked by such an exercise. This training course is organized by Aline Wilmet, scientific mediator at Confluent des Savoirs and scientific communication coach, and by Jacques Neefs, actor, director and teacher at the Brussels Conservatory. The training, which is spread over three months as part of MT180, is also available in a short format (from 1h to 2 days' training) for the university community and also offered on an inter-university basis.

Aline Wilmet describes the training experienced by candidates:

"Each year, Le Confluent des Savoirs offers in-depth training to prepare candidates for clear and concise communication. Our aim is to give young researchers the opportunity to practice a difficult communication exercise that is communicating to the general public. It's all about communicating a clear, concrete message, rooted in everyday life, or using storytelling that appeals to emotions, shared experience or the daily grind of research... There's no magic formula. You have to adapt your message without distorting your research. It's a meticulous job to choose the message that will strike a chord with the audience, while conveying in a clear and accessible way the objectives, challenges and working methods of the researchers involved in their doctoral thesis. Obviously, it's not possible to cover all the subtleties of a multi-faceted research project in just three minutes. But for me, the challenge goes far beyond the competition: it's an exercise in communication, a first step that opens the door to other popularization activities: a journalist interview, taking part in a conference, a meeting with the public, a workshop at the Printemps des Sciences, a popularized article, etc. Who better to talk about your research than your doctoral thesis? Who better to talk about your research than a researcher? Having myself taken part in the competition with my thesis during the 2nd edition in 2015, the exercise enabled me to approach my subject differently, to give it more value because I realized that it could be of interest to a wider audience than just specialists. It's rewarding, it's motivating, it's challenging, you learn and share lots of things. It's a great human adventure, and one that's valued as part of doctoral training!"