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Drawing inspiration from nature to innovate

Prof. Olivier Deparis and Dr Sébastien Mouchet (University of Namur, NISM Institute, Department of Physics) have published a book on the theme of physical optics and environmental biology. On the path of Jean-Pol Vigneron’s research, this “avant-garde” book according to Artech House, opens the door to bioinspired applications in the fields of optics, energy and the environment. Explanation.
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Belgium-Tunisia collaboration: geological and ecological challenges

On Thursday 29 September 2022, the Vice-Rector for International Relations, the International Relations Service and the Department of Geology received Professor Fakher Jamoussi (Tunisia) as part of the "Tunisia on the move - 2022" project. For more than twenty years, the teams of Professors Johan Yans and Fakher Jamoussi have been weaving scientific, didactic and human collaborations aiming at enhancing the fabulous subsoil of Tunisia.
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A publication on light observation in Nature Communications

What is a perfect fluid? It is a theoretical model of a fluid that allows us to assume that the fluid is not viscous, that it does not conduct heat, that it is incompressible and does not create vortices. It is therefore an approximation of reality that simplifies theoretical predictions of fluid flows. For the first time, an international team has experimentally demonstrated this same behaviour for light immersed in a medium of low refractive index.
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From the Namur snail to the Galapagos snail, there is only one step!

An international team of researchers, including Prof Frederik De Laender, from the University of Namur, publish in Nature Communications. The editor highlights that the authors use theoretical models and field data to show how eco-evolutionary processes can force species to develop more similar characteristic traits in more species-rich communities to avoid competition. Which goes against what we intuitively perceive.
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The long-term effects of pollution in our rivers, oceans and lakes

From 11 to 13 May 2022, a hundred or so scientists and actors from the economic and cultural world gathered at UNamur to discuss the issue of water pollution. The aim? To share and enrich knowledge, but also to alert and inform about its long-term effects on fauna, flora and human beings. Scientific sessions, workshops and a conference for the public were on the programme for these three days.
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An innovative and multifunctional coating developed at the UNamur

This is a technical and scientific feat that has just been patented at the UNamur. Researchers from the Laboratory of Analysis by Nuclear Reactions (LARN), the Department of Physics of UNamur (NISM Institute) and the spin-off Innovative Coating Solutions (ICS) have succeeded in developing a carbon-based coating with innovative properties that can be used in a wide range of fields, including fuel cells, decoration, and mechanical parts for automobiles.
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A quality research environment through the Namur Research College

At the beginning of each academic year, the Board of Trustees grants Namur Research College (NARC) Fellowship status to researchers who demonstrate a high level of research achievement and who have recently received a prestigious award or funding. A look back at the fellowship of Professor Frederik De Laender.
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Michaël Lobet, the physicist of the invisible who twists light

Let's go and discover the qualified researchers of UNamur, winners of the funding granted by the FNRS in 2022. Today, we meet Michaël Lobet, currently a lecturer at UNamur, who will begin his new mandate as a qualified FNRS researcher at the NISM Institute next fall. The subject of his research: twisted optics for the manipulation of slow photons or how to create light traps. Explanations.
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« Let's take nature’s values into account »

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published a report (August 2022) which lists and assesses the different values we place on nature. This is a huge task carried out over three years by experts from all over the world, including Nicolas Dendoncker, professor at the Department of geography and member of the ILEE Institute at the UNamur.
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In Einstein’s footsteps and beyond

An international team of physicists led by Dr Michaël Lobet, lecturer at UNamur, re-examines the foundations of quantum physics from the point of view of momentum in the prestigious journal Nature Light Science & Applications. The researchers investigated what happens when this momentum is reduced to zero. Some interesting things happen! Explanations.
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Women in science: a UNamur PhD student in geography wins award

Jelena Luyts has been awarded a prize for her research on climate migration in Senegal.
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Understanding epigenetics to preserve biodiversity

Do you know the rivulus? It is a small fish that lives in the Caribbean and has some amazing characteristics. It is indeed capable of self-fertilisation! But in this case, what happens to genetic diversity, which is essential for the evolution of a species? Welcome in the mangroves of Florida and Belize to find an answer.
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