To have the best seats in the 500-seat amphitheater on the campus of the University of Poitiers, some arrived very early for the first conference of the year. the Inter-ages University of Poitiersthis September 19. “I took the same place as last year”, laughs retired Paulette, accompanied by her friend Verra, “we come with friends, there are 5 of us today”. She has been participating in this conference program for almost 20 years for fun. “Over the year, we will follow literature, history, science,” explains Paulette, “we have no obligations, we do not have a thesis and then we follow what we pleases.”
University of Poitiers
On the program for the year, registrants can follow conferences on history, medicine, philosophy, and many other fields. Speakers from the 14 institutes or faculties of the University of Poitiers participate, with necessarily a necessary adaptation of the content proposed for the general public. “They adapt to us”says Verra, “but hey, since we’ve been coming, we’ve known them and we know that there are some to whom we should run!”. However, for Jacques, 78 years old, also retired, the whole point of these meetings is to discover unsuspected interests. “I was very interested in pottery that exists in churches linked to Gregorian chants”he emphasizes, “that’s also what listening to lectures on subjects you would never be interested in.”
University of Poitiers
Share science with as many people as possible
The program has existed since 1979 and this year again, it attracts crowds. According to university estimates, nearly 700 students are expected to join the university again this year. The 500-seat amphitheaters sometimes have difficulty accommodating science enthusiasts. This success is a satisfaction for Samuel Moreau, head of the inter-ages university. “It is one of the university’s missions to make the world of research known to the general public” he details, “This is the exercise that is required of speakers to be able to make the results of their research audible to the general public. They must adapt their speech so that it is understandable. Many appreciate this contact.”
University of Poitiers
The theme of this year’s conferences is “Place for women”, to discover the work of Poitevin researchers or simply the role of women in science. For those who wish to participate in this program, the cost of registration is 126 euros per year. It’s free for students and staff of the University of Poitiers. Otherwise, some readings are posted online on the Youtube page @poitiersuniv.
