“UdeM students win Science POP competition and advance to national final”

On April 19, the first competition was held Science POP at the University of Montreal. During this institutional selection, organized by UdeM’s Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (ESP), 5 candidates took part in the science promotion challenge and 12 in the science popularization challenge, two of the three components of the competition..

At the end of these challenges, which consisted of a presentation before a jury, two winners were chosen to represent the University at the national final of the competition on May 27 and 28 at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute.

Clara Ziane, a doctoral student in the sciences of physical activity, won the challenge of scientific promotion as well as the public prize thanks to her presentation “Music at the service of walking”.

Hadjer Dahel, a doctoral student in pharmacology and epidemiology, won the science popularization challenge with her presentation “Drugs to lose your mind”.

Finally, Soraya Paquereau-Gaboreau, a doctoral student in neuroscience, won the audience award for the popularization challenge. The title of his presentation was “New technologies to unlock the secrets of the brain!”

For the scientific promotion challenge, the jury was made up of Caroline Apollon, Director of Philanthropic Development − Institutional Affairs at the UdeM Alumni and Donor Network, Michel Morin, Project Manager at the UdeM ESP, Ludmila Rozmiret, Director of Philanthropic Development at UdeM’s Faculty of Medicine, and Béatrice St-Cyr-Leroux, Writer at UdeMNouvelles.

The jury for the science popularization challenge was made up of Louis-Pierre Auger, doctoral candidate in rehabilitation sciences and lecturer in science popularization in the Les saisons des ESP program at UdeM, Michael Bruccoleri, doctoral candidate in experimental medicine at the McGill University, and Diane Rodier, Assistant to the Director and Associate Vice-Rector of the ESP Scholarships Office at UdeM.

Louise Demers, director and associate vice-rector for graduate and postdoctoral studies, acted as mistress of ceremonies for both parts of the competition.

What is “Science POP”?

The competition Science POP is a pan-Quebec scientific communication initiative proposed by the Montreal Clinical Research Institute and supported by the Quebec Research Fund – Health, with the objective of promoting dialogue between science and society.

This activity is part of the overall vision of research establishments and granting agencies to put science at the service of society. In this spirit, this competition aims to arouse scientific curiosity in Quebec society and to encourage the training of the next generation of students beyond the laboratory experience: to transmit their knowledge, to promote research, to be an agent of change.