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Located in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is an island with a rich natural heritage and multiple cultural influences. For over 15 years, researchers from the University of Namur have been working with a number of Madagascan universities and institutes on a variety of themes, including environmental preservation, water management and institutional capacity building. Focus on some of these projects.

In late November, the Mont-Saint-Guibert-based company Cellistic® donated equipment it no longer used to UNamur. By enabling the university to give this equipment a second life, Cellistic is making an important gesture in support of the development of university research.

The Lab of Environmental Change and Community Ecology (LEEE) is directed by Professor Frédéric De Laender. It is one of 4 laboratories belonging to the Environmental and Evolutionary Biology Research Unit (URBE) within the Biology Department. The LEEE is also a member of the Institute of Life, Earth and Environment (ILEE).

Space has become a major economic and strategic issue. As a member of the European UNIVERSEH Alliance, UNamur explores this space theme in its various departments, from physics to geology, via mathematics, computer science or philosophy. Without forgetting to address the general public, who still dream of the stars...

Understanding a scientific textIdentifying the characteristics of scientific textMobilizing reading strategiesSelecting and restituting informationIdentifying and ensuring the organization of a textUnderstanding the meaning of textual organizersRelating visual information to the textWriting a formal e-mailIdentifying the characteristics of formal e-mailTake into account the communication situationUse verbal tenses correctlyRespect grammatical marksProncture a text correctlyScientific writingDescribe a seen or experienced situationProblematize and analyze the situation describedUnderstand and respond to an instruction or questionDecode an instruction or questionAdapt your response to the communication context

The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) is an innovative course format promoted and financed by Erasmus+ funds to promote international mobility and pedagogical innovation. This type of program, combining a virtual component with short-term physical mobility (minimum 5 days), enables teachers and students to explore new teaching and learning methods while gaining international experience. At the University of Namur, the Summer School in Molecular Microbiology, organized from July 1 to 5, 2024, in the form of a BIP, is a successful example.

How does a river work? How do river overflows occur? What can be done to protect our territories from these risks? At UNamur, geography students followed an innovative teaching activity, using a 3D augmented reality sandbox, to learn about this issue. What are the aims of this tool? Simulate and analyze natural phenomena. A unique and immersive experience to better understand environmental dynamics and climate risks, carried out in collaboration with the non-profit organization Contrat de Rivière Ourthe.

For several years now, researchers have been striving to make their laboratories "greener". A series of actions have been implemented, funded by the CaNDLE 2023 call for projects have been supported by the Department of Biology at the initiative of Alison Forrester and Frédéric Silvestre, the project leaders, as well as by Campus Infrastructure Management Services (SIGeC) and Prevention Services (SerP). In March 2025, a Green Day was held to provide information on the project's progress, and to motivate people to join the initiative.  

A practical training course in computational quantum chemistry was organized from May 26 to 30, 2025 as part of an ERASMUS+ collaboration between the University of Sfax and the University of Namur. This inter-university training course for PhD students in chemistry and physics from the Tunisian University brought together more than 20 students.

High-Sensitivity Birefringence Mapping Using Near-Circularly Polarized Light I will describe several techniques for mapping a two-dimensional birefringence distribution, which can be classified according to the optical schemes and principles of work:Illumination geometry (transmitted light/reflected light)Image acquisition (sequential acquisition/simultaneous acquisition)Polarization control (electrically controlled variable retardance/mechanical rotation).This classification facilitates a comparative analysis of the capabilities and limitations in these methods for birefringence characterization. Polychromatic polarizing microscopy (PPM) provides unique capabilities to alternative methods. It leverages vector interference to generate vivid, full-spectrum colors at extremely low retardances, down to < 10 nm. PPM is a significant departure from conventional polarizing microscopes that rely on Newton interference, which requires retardances above 400 nm for color formation. Furthermore, PPM's color output directly reflects the orientation of the birefringent material, a feature absent in conventional microscopy where color is solely determined by retardance.Joint seminar of ILEE & NISM!The seminar is open to external people too, no need to register. More info

Abstract Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment and is currently administered to approximately half of all cancer patients. However, the cytotoxic effects of ionizing radiation on normal tissues represent a major limitation, as they restrict the dose that can be safely delivered to patients and, consequently, reduce the likelihood of effective tumor control. In this context, delivering radiation at ultra-high dose rates (UHDR, > 40 Gy/s) is gaining increasing attention due to its potential to spare healthy tissues surrounding the tumor and to prevent radiation-induced side effects, as compared to conventional dose rates (CONV, on the order of Gy/min).The mechanism underlying this protective effect-termed the FLASH effect-remains elusive, driving intensive research to elucidate the biological processes triggered by this type of irradiation.In vitro models offer a valuable tool to support this research, allowing for the efficient screening of various beam parameters and biological responses in a time- and cost-effective manner. In this study, multicellular tumor spheroids and normal cells were exposed to proton irradiation at UHDR to evaluate its efficacy in controlling tumor growth and its cytotoxic impact on healthy tissues, respectively.We report that UHDR and CONV irradiation induced a comparable growth delay in 3D tumor spheroids, suggesting similar efficacy in tumor control. In normal cells, both dose rates induced similar levels of senescence; however, UHDR irradiation led to lower apoptosis induction at clinically relevant doses and early time points post-irradiation.Taken together, these findings further highlight the potential of UHDR irradiation to modulate the response of normal tissues while maintaining comparable tumor control.JuryProf. Thomas BALLIGAND (UNamur), PresidentProf. Stéphane LUCAS (UNamur), SecretaryProf. Carine MICHIELS (UNamur)Dr Sébastien PENNINCKX (Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles)Prof. Cristian FERNANDEZ (University of Bern)Dr Rudi LABARBE (IBA)

Five years after its inauguration, the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Namur has been enriched by a new set of instruments unique in Belgium: a Schmidt astrograph of the Rowe-Ackermann type, 28 cm in diameter, equipped with a 62-megapixel full-format color camera. These exceptional instruments will offer the public an immersive educational experience unrivalled in the Walloon Region.