Research institut

Institute of Life, Earth and Environment

Welcome to ILEE, the Institute of Life, Earth and Environment at the University of Namur, committed to addressing pressing environmental issues.We bring together a team of experts from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to work collaboratively using innovative technologies and rigorous scientific methods to make meaningful contributions to the field of environmental science. 

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Research institut

Namur Institute of Language, Text and Transmediality

Bringing together linguists and literary scholars, UNamur's Institute of Language, Text and Transmediality provides a platform for interdisciplinary diachronic and synchronic research into the multiple ways in which different types of verbal and multimodal communicative practices manifest themselves in, give shape to, are regulated by and reflect culture and society.

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Article

"School and Deafness" by M. Ghesquière and L. Meurant wins an award

On 30 November 2022, Magaly Ghesquière and Laurence Meurant (UNamur), co-authors of the book "School and Deafness” (in French “Ecole et Surdité - Une expérience d'enseignement bilingue et inclusif", received the prize for the best book for Teaching and Continuing Education from the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. This is another fine award that complements the recent release of the first bilingual sign language-French contextual dictionary searchable in sign language.
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Article

Geologists discover that pterosaurs had feathers

A pterosaur from Brazil that preserved melanosomes in its feathers provides insight into the function of primitive feathers. An international team of palaeontologists and geologists, including UNamur (Dr Aude Cincotta and Prof. Johan Yans), has demonstrated that pterosaurs, the flying cousins of dinosaurs, had feathers and were able to control their colour.
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Article

Fluorescence: A Closer Look at Insects’ Transparent Wings

In a new study published in February 2023 in the Journal of Luminescence, an international team of scientists led by Sébastien Mouchet of UNamur has revealed previously unknown fluorescent properties of the transparent wings of certain insects. This research demonstrates that valuable information can be obtained using state-of-the-art optical characterization techniques. Here’s how it works.
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Article

World first: a French-Sign language dictionary

A bilingual French-sign language dictionary (LSFB), which can be queried in both languages, thanks to cutting-edge technology (facial recognition) and access to a vast database compiling more than 4,500 signs, words and expressions.
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Research fields

ILEE combines a broad range of basic, applied and social science skills that focus on three key areas of study, including historical perspectives and extensive partnerships with the global South.
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Characterization and management of natural resources

The availability of natural resources for future generations can only be ensured through prudent use.
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Human-Environment Interactions

Through a variety of chemical, biological and physical factors, humans are modifying ecosystems, often with negative results. Environmental changes, in turn, affect the dynamics of human populations.
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Biodiversity and evolutionary adaptation

For four billion years, life on earth has been evolving and transforming in response to environmental change, resulting in fluctuating biological diversity. Ecosystems provide humanity with a wide range of free services that must be managed responsibly.
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Environmental history

Since arriving on Earth, man has begun to influence and modify his environment.
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Cooperation with developing countries

ILEE collaborates with partners located in the countries of the South: Africa, Central and South America and Southeast Asia.
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