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Research takes centre stage at world's largest French-language multidisciplinary congress

Concordians participate in strong numbers at 80th edition of the congress of the Association francophone pour le savoir
May 16, 2012
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When an academic conference celebrates its 80th birthday, its staying power must be for good reason. Last week, the Association francophone pour le savoir (Acfas) came to Montreal’s Palais des congrès to present the largest French-language multidisciplinary congress in the world.

More than 5,000 delegates attended the five-day event, taking in a program that covered all research disciplines.With 3,500 symposia, 170 conferences, 1,000 presentations of new research, and special events open to the public, Acfas was the ideal venue for Concordia professors to present work on subjects ranging from river formation to Latin American culture. 

For Daniel Salée, professor in Concordia’s School of Community and Public Affairs, Acfas provided the ideal venue for examining the social, political and institutional implications of modern life for Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. Acfas also gave Chantal Maillé from the Simone de Beauvoir Institute an opportunity to participate in a colloquium on feminism and other social movements. 

The multidisciplinary nature of the conference also gave Concordians the chance to present their research in the hard sciences. Vincent Martin, associate professor in the Department of Biology, Acfas hosted a round-table discussion on cell and molecular biology while Marie-Jean Meurs collaborated with colleagues to deliver a poster presentation on second-generation biofuels.

A special highlight at this year’s congress was the Three-Minute Thesis competition, known in French as Votre soutenance en 180 secondes. The fast-paced competition gave graduate students the opportunity to give a concise and engaging presentation of their research project in just three minutes. This was a competition that got its Montreal start right here at Concordia and saw two of our own competing alongside their peers from across the country.

In total, 66 Concordians participated in Acfas through poster sessions, round-table discussions, presentations of academic papers, and conference organization. For Graham Carr, Concordia's interim vice-president, research and graduate studies, this is evidence of Concordia’s deepening involvement with Quebec’s francophone academic community.

"The congrès de l'Acfas is a key event in the rhythm and life of Quebec's academic community. Many Concordia researchers have been active participants in the Acfas congress throughout their careers and the conference is also an important point of professional departure for graduate students,” says Carr. “Although Concordia's institutional engagement with Acfas is comparatively recent, we're keen to deepen our relationships both with the organization and the conference as we strive to cast a wider spotlight on our research profile here in Québec and abroad."

Related links:
•    “Three minutes to win it” – NOW April 17, 2012
•    Association francophone pour le savoir  



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