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For future students Preparatory coursesTo get your first year of study off to a good start, the University of Namur is offering preparatory courses in mathematics and physics during the last two weeks of August. These courses, centered on the basic concepts covered in secondary education, cover:in mathematics: algebra and logic, analysis, complex numbers, trigonometry and geometry;in physics: mechanics and electricity.A university work methodology seminar is also offered, to quickly familiarize you with the new learning context and develop new, effective study techniques. Discover the preparatory course program For first-year students Operation TremplinOptional remedial sessions are organized by the physics teaching unit. Depending on your requests, these are planned into the timetable from week to week. The content of these sessions varies according to your needs: subject re-explanations, question-and-answer sessions, completion of additional exercises, correction of formative assessments, ...Physics and chemistry workshopsThis scheme is not just for students with difficulties: it is aimed at all Block 1 students in chemical sciences, physics and mathematics. They have a very specific aim: to teach you to "think better in physics". The aim is to introduce you to the communication codes in force in the academic world. For example, to better perceive the expectations of teachers in charge of courses so as to respond to them in a more appropriate way during written exams, etc.Math workshopsMath workshops concern students in block1 math and physics. These optional workshops are scheduled at the beginning of the term in the students' timetable; they take place for 2h/week throughout the academic year. During these workshops, students can either work on their maths lessons with the help of an assistant present in the room, or be offered activities to help them better understand their maths lessons (illustrating a concept, solving an exercise in detail, working on a demonstration, correcting tests and exams, etc.). Students can suggest topics for workshops via a forum on the WebCampus platform. The workshop schedule is announced week by week, with an indication of the proposed formula (answers to personal questions / activity on a defined topic).All detailed information is available on the Virtual Student Office (BVE). The didactic cell in physics ContactsLaurent Zanotto | laurent.zanotto@unamur.beFernande Frising | fernande.frising@unamur.be Image Les études en Faculté des sciences See content Image Etudier à l'UNamur See content Image Vie du campus See content

For future students Preparatory coursesTo get your first year of study off to a good start, the University of Namur is offering preparatory courses in physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and English during the last two weeks of August. Of these, physics and chemistry are compulsory, and you can choose two other subjects from mathematics, biology and English. In addition to the four disciplines taken, three activities are organized:seminars on the methodology of university work;a presentation of the first-year English course;a guided tour of the university site, the Faculty and the library.Students from blocks 2 and 3 will also show you around the university campus, your Faculty and the extra-academic activities organized in Namur. Discover the preparatory course program The didactic cell in veterinary medicine ContactClaire Diederich | enseignement.medvet@unamur.be Image Les études en Faculté des sciences See content Image Etudier à l'UNamur See content Image Vie du campus See content

The Faculty of Science demonstrates cutting-edge, rich, dynamic and interdisciplinary research developed through the research units and laboratories of the various departments.

In the sciences, the international dimension is essential! It's possible to explore beyond the borders of the Université de Namur to do an internship or take a course, or to work in a laboratory at another university in the country. The institution has established cooperation agreements with other universities and initiated numerous international research projects that encourage exchanges and researcher mobility.

A life well lived!

Abstract Since its emergence in 1996, the Asian H5 Goose/Guangdong (Gs/Gd) lineage has circulated widely in poultry in southern China, spilling over to wild birds by 2002. Wild bird infections facilitated global dissemination via migratory waterfowl and repeated spillback into poultry, challenging the view that HPAI primarily arises from LPAI mutation. Subclade 2.3.4.4b emerged in Asia in 2013, reached Europe in 2016, caused recurrent epizootics, diversified into multiple genotypes, became dominant in wild birds, and shows zoonotic potential.This thesis investigates critical knowledge gaps regarding H5Nx subclade 2.3.4.4b in poultry: (1) early within-flock spread after punctual introduction in chickens, particularly during the first European epizootics; (2) influence of pre-existing immunity on silent circulation; (3) limitations in diagnostic throughput during epizootic peaks; (4) potential of environmental surveillance, including air and dust sampling; and (5) impact on egg contamination and the reproductive tract, relevant for food safety and zoonotic risk.Four main objectives were addressed: (1) development of an experimental model simulating punctual introductions and spread, comparing 2017 and 2020 strains and assessing pre-existing immunity; (2) enhancement of diagnostic capacity via alternative sampling, semi-automated RNA extraction, and high-throughput processing; (3) evaluation of air and dust sampling for virus monitoring under experimental and field conditions; and (4) assessment of egg contamination risk. Alternative sampling and environmental monitoring were also applied to Newcastle disease virus as a comparative notifiable pathogen. Jury Prof. Catherine LINARD (UNamur), ChairProf. Benoît MUYLKENS (UNamur), SecretaryDr. Damien COUPEAU (UNamur)Dr. Jean-Luc GUÉRIN (INRAE & ENVT)Dr. Cyril BARBEZANGE (ECDC)Dr. Steven VAN BORM (Sciensano)Dr. Mieke STEENSELS (Sciensano)Dr. Bénédicte LAMBRECHT (Sciensano)

JuryProf. Nicolas DENDONCKER (UNamur), ChairProf. Sabine HENRY (UNamur), SecretaryProf. Frédéric SILVESTRE (UNamur)Dr. Sébastien DUJARDIN (UNamur)Prof. Kara PELLOWE (Stockholm University)Prof. Romain GLELE KAKAI (University of Abomey Calavi)Prof. Patrick KESTEMONT (UNamur)Prof. Eli THORE (UNamur)AbstractMangroves play an important role in environmental conservation and livelihood provision yet remain one of the most threatened ecosystems on earth. This doctoral study assesses pathways to enhance coastal sustainability in the Anthropocene, by promoting the sustainable use of mangroves and strengthening their social-ecological resilience through an interdisciplinary approach. The thesis is structured into four specific objectives: assessing the role of traditional beliefs and local deities in promoting the sustainable use of mangroves, analyzing the synergies between legal frameworks and traditional beliefs in enhancing the social-ecological resilience of mangroves, developing a novel interdisciplinary framework to evaluate the social-ecological resilience of mangroves, and operationalizing the proposed framework in Benin's mangroves, West Africa.  We collected field data using ethnobiological surveys, drone image analysis and document review, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, plant and fish inventories across three coastal communities in Benin. The study draws insights from the seven principles of resilience to analyze mangrove sustainability. The interdisciplinary methodology of this study links plant biology, fisheries sciences, and human geography to analyze mangroves as complex social-ecological systems. Findings of the thesis show that traditional beliefs and local deities play a significant role in regulating the use of mangrove resources, while the overlapping of formal and informal institutions offer opportunities to enhance their social-ecological resilience. The novel proposed framework called Mangrove Social Ecological Resilience Appraisal (MaSERA) outlines variables and indicators tailored to mangroves to assess their social-ecological resilience. Its application in Benin highlights its potential in identifying factors that enable or erode mangrove resilience, for informed decision making. The study argues that promoting the sustainable use of mangroves and enhancing their social-ecological resilience represent dual imperatives for achieving coastal sustainability in the Anthropocene. It contributes to the growing body of knowledge on mangrove conservation and provides actionable insights for integrated coastal zone management.

For its inaugural conference, the SPiN (Science & Philosophy in Namur) center will be joined by Claire Rommelaere, a lawyer and researcher at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Namur, and Aude Bandini, a philosopher of science at the University of Montreal, to take a critical look at the theme of "distrust of science." The urgency of addressing this issue is clear in our era, where, despite an overall stable level of trust in science, the parameters of public debate are frequently blurred by misinformation.Having had the opportunity to observe philosophers of science in their natural habitat for nearly fifteen years, Claire Rommelaere will share her thoughts on whether or not we should trust those who think about science.For her part, Aude Bandini will address a major problem that we all face at a time when the mass of available knowledge is such that it is impossible to acquire it on our own. Indeed, the socially distributed nature of knowledge generally leaves us no choice but to rely on the authority of experts, even on very important issues (such as health). However, when we rely on others in this way and follow recommendations that, due to our ignorance, we have no means of evaluating, we place ourselves in a relationship of "epistemic dependence" that conflicts with our aspirations for intellectual autonomy and forces us to ask ourselves a question whose answer may prove unbearable: is intellectual autonomy nothing more than a myth?Conference hosted by journalist Maïté Warland.Program:5:30-6:30 p.m. | Drinks at Quai 22 (Rue du Séminaire 22, 5000 Namur)6:30 p.m. | Claire RommelaereDistrust of philosophers of science7:00 p.m. | Aude Bandini Intellectualautonomy in the face of scientific authority: a headache for social epistemologyRegistration deadline: April 16.Free of charge. Register

A plant does not seem to have much in common with animals. Yet naturalists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries attempted to study plants as if they were animals: they set out, for example, to find an equivalent to the circulatory or respiratory systems. Why did they feel the need to resort to analogical reasoning? What results did they obtain? And more generally, what is the value of this type of reasoning?On the agendaTuesday, May 5, 202612:15 PM – Welcome and light lunch1:30 PM – Introductory remarksThibault De Meyer (University of Namur): Why Analogy?2:15 PM – Session 1: Theory and Practice - Cristiana Oghina-Pavie (University of Angers): The analogy of pragmatic knowledge: actions and transactions in 19th-century horticulture and Quentin Hiernaux (FNRS / Free University of Brussels): The plant-animal analogy employed by A.-P. de Candolle’s physiology in addressing the issue of the sensitivity of living beings3:45 PM – Coffee break4:15 PM – Plenary Session 1 - Thierry Hoquet (University of Paris Nanterre): Is the plant/animal analogy valid?5:45 PM – End of the first day7:00 PM – Conference dinnerWednesday, May 6, 20269:00 AM – Welcome9:15 AM – Session 2: Relationships and Boundaries of the Living - Dario Galvão (University of Namur): Analogy and the Faculties of the Living: Animal Reason and Plant Sensibility in the Enlightenment and Ugo Batini (University of Poitiers): Understanding Humanity Through Plants: Analogy and the Metaphysics of the Living in Schopenhauer10:45 AM – Coffee break11:15 AM – Plenary Lecture 2 – Pascal Duris (University of Bordeaux): Plants as Humans. Analogy in Linnaeus and the Linneans12:45 PM – Lunch break2:00 PM – Toward New Disciplines - Vera Staetmanns (Ruhr University Bochum): Do Plants Think? Analogy in the Plant Psychology of Raoul Heinrich Francé (1874–1943) and Matthieu Amat (University of Rouen Normandy): Analogy and Homology: Transfers from the Life Sciences to the Cultural Sciences in the 19th Century3:30 PM – Coffee break4:00 PM – Plenary Session 3 - Aliènor Bertrand (CNRS / ENS de Lyon): “Les œufs du vent” and Their Descendants5:30 PM – Closing of the conference5:45 PM – End of the dayContact: Dario Galvao - dario.galvao@unamur.be

Abstract Wood combustion has historically provided essential heat and remains a crucial renewable energy source today. However, residential batch combustion inherently emits significant pollutants, including CO, VOCs, and PM. Since primary optimization measures cannot completely eliminate these emissions, secondary post-combustion remediation is necessary.To address this, the University of Namur and Stûv collaborated to evaluate the integration of a monolithic oxidation catalyst into an 8 kW residential wood stove.The initial study demonstrated exceptional abatement, reducing CO by 87%, PM by 66%, and highly toxic PAHs by over 90%. Crucially, in vitro assays on human lung cells proved that this chemical reduction directly translates to a 50% decrease in overall emission cytotoxicity.Subsequent mechanistic investigations using advanced speciation (PTR-TOF-MS) mapped the partial oxidation of non-methane VOCs. This revealed that the catalyst’s overall conversion efficiency is primarily limited by mass transfer rather than chemical kinetics.Finally, to overcome the inherent variability of batch combustion, a precise simultaneous direct-comparison methodology was developed. This novel approach confirmed the overall study’s findings, providing a robust and accurate framework for evaluating residential abatement technologies. Jury Prof. Catherine MICHAUX (UNamur), ChairProf. Bao-Lian SU (UNamur), SecretaryProf. Damien DEBECKER (UCLouvain)Prof. Hervé JEANMART (UCLouvain)Dr. Thomas DUQUESNE (Stüv)

Practical information:💶 Admission: Free🧑 Target audience: All ages📅 Date: Friday, May 22🕙 Hours: 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM (continuous) (Except for Observatory tours by reservation)📍 Location: Cour de médecine - 3 Rue Joseph Grafé, NamurOn the programLe Confluent des Savoirs, UNamur’s research outreach and public engagement service, invites you to experience an exceptional evening at the heart of the university. Step inside spaces usually off-limits to the public and be amazed by the wealth of activities on offer.Explore the zoology collections and discover the animal world through fascinating specimens and observations. Then take to the skies with tours of the Antoine Thomas Astronomical Observatory—available by reservation only—for a deep dive into the mysteries of the heavens.At the Moretus Plantin University Library (BUMP), let yourself be swept up in a captivating scavenger hunt, following in the footsteps of two iconic figures from Namur folklore: a fun adventure blending puzzles and exploration.Also travel back in time by meeting researchers who reveal the secrets of medieval parchments. Between history and the exact sciences, discover how scientific analysis today makes it possible to identify the animal origin of these precious writing materials.Finally, delve into the heart of today’s environmental challenges with the exhibition “Sentinels in Troubled Waters.” This cross-border research project (ORION) highlights the study and modeling of water quality in the Meuse River basin in the face of human pressures and the challenges of climate change.A unique evening to explore, understand, and marvel… to the rhythm of science.Whether you’re curious, passionate, or simply looking for a unique experience, the Nuit Blanche at UNamur promises a journey rich in discoveries, accessible to all.  Book your tickets for tours of the Observatory Vente de posters au format A3 lors de la Nuit Blanche à l'UNamur

Ethics is practiced in hospitals. But ethics is also practiced in care and support facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as in pharmaceutical companies, research centers, and universities.We “practice ethics” in groups whose scope may be local, regional, national, continental, or international. We “practice ethics” by organizing conferences, conventions, meetings, roundtables, workshops, symposia, think tanks, and so on.But what exactly “do we do” in these settings? Is there really anything in common among all these groups, these settings, these collectives? It is not desirable to strive for a single model that would ignore the specific characteristics of the environments in which this activity takes place.But it is interesting and undoubtedly necessary to seek to better understand and define what each group does in this regard. What's on 9:00 a.m. Introduction9:30 a.m. Sharing of experiencesDarius Makindu - Kinshasa School of Public Health (DRC)Yannick Courtin, Jérôme Bouvy, Laurence Gillard - GHdC TeamHerimampita Rarivomanantsoa - University of Antananarivo (Madagascar)Nicky Sacré, Véronique Weber - La Maison Sainte-Joséphine (MR-MRS) in Theux and Résidence Bon-Air (MR-MRS) in Petit-RechainAlain Loute - UCLouvain, ELMAC research group on “places of connection” in mental health11:00 AM Break11:30 a.m. Discussion of the presentations12:30 PM Lunch1:15 PM Theatrical interlude: Compagnie Nicomaque2:00 PM Sharing of experiencesMarius Kedoté - Regional Institute of Public Health, BeninBruno Krug, Étienne Gourdin, Marie-Laure Cornet - Team from the UCL Namur Godinne University HospitalPatrick Robert, Tonino D’Arcangelo - La Galice (non-profit organization)Sami Richa - Saint Joseph University of Beirut, LebanonChristian Byk - UNESCO, Paris3:30 PM Break4:00 PM Discussion of the presentations5:00 PM Conclusions of the day5:30 PM End of the day In practice To ensure we can provide you with the best possible experience, we kindly ask for a contribution of €30, to be paid into UNamur’s BNP Paribas Fortis account at Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000 Namur (IBAN BE10 2500 0740 2704; Swift/BIC: GEBABEBB), with the following reference: “Last name, first name of the registered person CPO 4-16670-00 ETHICS Workshop Sept 26.”Contact personsLaurent RAVEZ - coordinator: laurent.ravez@unamur.beVéronique OROSE - Secretariat: veronique.orose@unamur.beRegistration is required. Sign me up Organizing Committee Catherine Bert (UNamur, Research Associate, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society; Director of the Health Division at the Léonard de Vinci University College)Charlotte Costenoble (UNamur, Assistant, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society, Faculty of Sciences)Vincent Darche (UNamur, Research Associate, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society; Surgeon, CHRSM Meuse Campus)Albert Fox (UNamur, Research Associate, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society)Geneviève Guillaume (UNamur, Researcher, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society)Bruno Krug (UCLouvain, Clinical Professor, Chief of Clinic, Nuclear Medicine, CHU UCL Namur, Godinne Site)Sébastien Loix (UNamur, Research Associate, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society; Intensive Care Physician, HELORA Jolimont)Alain Loute (UCLouvain, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Health and Society Research, Higher Institute of Philosophy)Darius Makindu (UNIKIN, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Kinshasa, DRC)César Meuris (ULB, Associate Professor; Robert Schuman University College, Director of the Ressort Center)Véronique Orose (UNamur, Secretary, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society, ESPHIN Institute, Faculty of Sciences)Laurent Ravez (UNamur, Full Professor, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society)Sami Richa (Saint Joseph University, Professor, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Beirut, Lebanon)Claire Rommelaere (UNamur, Researcher, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society)