Amazonia, the heart of Mother Earth
The film takes viewers on a sensory journey to the heart of life in the Amazon. Spectacular images and mesmerizing sounds reveal the majesty and power of the Amazon, the heart of Mother Earth. Your guides? The indigenous Guardians of the living world. They invite you to join them in protecting a vital heritage.Their story resonates with each of us and calls us to reflect on our responsibility towards future generations.The screening will be followed by a panel discussion in the presence of two indigenous Amazonian chiefs, director Gert-Peter Bruch and Esmeralda de Belgique, director.
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Preparing the ground. Gestures, supports and discourses of exploratory work in literature and film
The colloquium will be held on Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at the University of Namur (Belgium). Proposals for papers (programmatic title and abstract of 500 signs, followed by a biobibliography) can be sent by November 15, 2024 to Jean-Benoit.Gabriel@unamur.be and Denis.Saint-Amand@unamur.be.
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Seminar by Prof. Nicolas Rouhier, titular of the 2024-2025 Francqui International Chair
Ecology of living organisms" seminars - Aux racines de l'Humain
It's obvious to anyone paying attention to the paths taken by a growing number of 21st century thinkers: these paths lead to the living! Whether it's called "ecophilosophy", "ecoanthropology", "ecosophy", or "ecopolitics", this thinking about the living is occupying a growing place not only in the media and publications of all kinds, but also in concrete actions in a variety of fields.Program 2024-2025 | At the Roots of the HumanTo introduce the subjectIf we were to take stock of the history of mankind, one trend would certainly stand out: that of a utilitarian relationship with the non-human that continues to grow, and consequently that of a widening gap between the human and the rest.Humanity, however, has its roots in a living environment that cultivates many other relationships than those we currently privilege, which are dominated by instrumental rationality. Sounding out these forgotten relational universes without which it is increasingly difficult to think about the human is one aim of this seminar, which this year will invite you to encounter the plant.On December 13 2024 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm (intervention, discussions and convivial moment). Quentin HIERNAUX will introduce plant philosophy and tell us about Humboldt's "Tableau physique des Andes" and his equinoctial geography of plants.Next datesOn February 28, 2025 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm (intervention, discussions and convivial moment), Jean-Baptiste VUILLEROD will address the following theme: Naturphilosophie du végétal : Goethe, Schelling, Humboldt.OnApril 11, 2025from 2:00 to 4:00 pm (intervention, discussions and convivial moment), Roland CAZALIS will share with us his biologist's point of view on the plant world.
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Ecology of living organisms" seminars - Aux racines de l'Humain
It's obvious to anyone paying attention to the paths taken by a growing number of 21st century thinkers: these paths lead to the living! Whether it's called "ecophilosophy", "ecoanthropology", "ecosophy", or "ecopolitics", this thinking about the living is occupying a growing place not only in the media and publications of all kinds, but also in concrete actions in a variety of fields.Program 2024-2025 | At the Roots of the HumanTo introduce the subjectIf we were to take stock of the history of mankind, one trend would certainly stand out: that of a utilitarian relationship with the non-human that continues to grow, and consequently that of a widening gap between the human and the rest.Humanity, however, has its roots in a living environment that cultivates many other relationships than those we currently privilege, which are dominated by instrumental rationality. Sounding out these forgotten relational universes without which it is increasingly difficult to think about the human is one of the aims of this seminar, which this year will invite you to encounter the plant.Next dateOnApril 11, 2025from 2:00 to 4:00 pm (talk, discussions and convivial moment), Roland CAZALIS will share with us his biologist's point of view on the plant world.
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Ecology of living organisms" seminars - Aux racines de l'Humain
It's obvious to anyone paying attention to the paths taken by a growing number of 21st century thinkers: these paths lead to the living! Whether it's called "ecophilosophy", "ecoanthropology", "ecosophy", or "ecopolitics", this thinking about the living is occupying a growing place not only in the media and publications of all kinds, but also in concrete actions in a variety of fields.Program 2024-2025 | At the Roots of the HumanTo introduce the subjectIf we were to take stock of the history of mankind, one trend would certainly stand out: that of a utilitarian relationship with the non-human that continues to grow, and consequently that of a widening gap between the human and the rest.Humanity, however, has its roots in a living environment that cultivates many other relationships than those we currently privilege, which are dominated by instrumental rationality. Sounding out these forgotten relational universes without which it is increasingly difficult to think about the human is one aim of this seminar, which this year will invite you to encounter the plant.
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Public defense of doctoral thesis in computer science: Ahmed ALMANSOORI
The design of collective decision-making mechanisms for robot swarms engaged in tasks that require consensus among the robots is a challenging problem in swarm robotics. The complexity of this design problem increases with the number of options and the number of cues that robots have to consider to make a decision. The research work presented in this thesis addresses this challenge by exploring the potential of evolutionary robotics (ER) as a design tool for synthesising neural network controllers that underpin the robots' decision-making process. The main objective is to design individual mechanisms that support the emergence of robust, scalable, and effective collective decision-making strategies while avoiding common assumptions made in previous research. These assumptions include pre-defined correlations between environmental features and robot behaviour or the use of specific opinion formation mechanisms, such as the voter or majority rule, to update opinions.The thesis focuses on two fundamental collective decision-making scenarios: the collective perception scenario and the site selection scenario. The first scenario involves robots collectively identifying the most prevalent element in the environment, represented by the colour covering the largest portion of the arena floor. The second scenario requires the robots to collectively choose the best site among several options based on their quality.
The Faculty of Computer Science at UNamur invites you to Ahmed ALMANSOORI's PhD Thesis "On the Evolution of Mechanisms for Collective Decision-making in a Swarm of Robots". Directed by Prof. Elio TUCI.In front of a jury composed of:Prof. Wim VANHOOF, President, University of NamurProf. Elio TUCI, Promoter, University of NamurProf. Patrick HEYMANS, Internal Member, University of NamurProf. Muhanad HAYDER MOHAMMED MOHAMMED, Internal Member, University of NamurProf. Yara KHALUF, External Member, Wageningen University (Netherlands)You are cordially invited to a drink, which will follow the public defense.For good organization, please give your answer by Thursday, October 10 by means of this link.Contact: Notaro Amelie - amelie.notaro@unamur.be
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From the repaired human to the augmented human?
Human beings have always sought to surpass the limits of their bodies. The first prosthetic foot appeared in Egypt in 600 BC. The 13th century saw the appearance of spectacles in Italy. The 17th century saw the development of various "scopes" to enhance vision of the infinitely small and the infinitely large. In the industrial sector, the 19th and 20th centuries saw the development of mechanization and then automation, with the aim of making gestures formerly performed by human hands alone faster and more precise... Not to mention all the progress accumulated over the centuries in medicine and surgery, which are also aimed at repairing or surpassing the natural limits of the human body. We agree that the field is very vast and is part of the long history of mankind... It is therefore important to target what we are talking about when we invoke the terms 'Augmented Man' and to distinguish it, despite the continuity of the project, from the innovations of the past. As philosopher Emmanuelle Perrin-Huisman (2018) points out, to speak of augmentation is first and foremost to take a quantitative rather than a qualitative viewpoint. Augmenting Man, she tells us, "is wanting to increase his longevity, his performance, his power, his power over nature and others." Then, to speak of augmented Man in the 21st century is to target augmentations that rely on nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, computer and cognitive sciences (NBIC) and their increasingly advanced convergence in projects to surpass Man's physical, cognitive or emotional limits. Finally, it also means questioning the imaginaries of immortality and technological Darwinism that are part of transhumanist currents of thought heralding the gradual emergence of a post-human individual.
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Observatoire Antoine Thomas: Observing evenings
Come and discover the Observatoire Astronomique Antoine Thomas, an observatory built on the very site where the Jesuit fathers established their own observation, training and research dome in the 19th century. Located in downtown Namur, in the heart of the university, our observatory is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments, for both night-time and daytime observation, with one of Belgium's largest solar telescopes. A visit to the observatory allows you to discover how astronomy is practiced today and to observe the beauty of our starry sky. Join the list of future visitors today! Each month, we'll be offering a one-hour evening to discover the wonders of the night sky. The dates of the evenings will be communicated to those registered according to weather conditions. To subscribe to the contact list, please fill in the form available on our website. Practical information:Guided tour and observations From 10 years old 20:00 to 21:00 and 21:00 to 22:00 Faculty of Medicine - Place du Palais de Justice, Namur Free - On registration The observatory is not accessible to people with reduced mobility This activity is organized with the support of Wallonie Recherche.
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Preselections for the eloquence tournament
Each contestant will attempt to qualify for the tournament final, speaking on a free topic for a maximum of 6 minutes. This event is open to the public. Free entry.
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Tournoi d'éloquence - final of the 2025 edition
Come and watch the students selected for the finals, vote for the public prize and extend the evening with a drink.This event is open to the public. Free admission.
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Midi Genre: AI, threat or opportunity for women?
Julie Henry is a doctoral student in computer science and STEAM project leader. Her work focuses, among other things, on gender stereotypes and their influence on career orientation, particularly with regard to STEM professions. Antoinette Rouvroy holds a PhD in legal sciences from the European University Institute (Florence, 2006) and is a qualified FNRS researcher at the Centre de Recherche en Information, Droit et Société (CRIDS). Since 2000, she has been interested in the relationship between law, modes of construction and risk, science and technology, and neoliberal governmentality.The Midi will be moderated by François-Xavier Fiévez, Vice-Rector in charge of Gender. In parallel with this discussion, an exhibition by Plan International entitled #Dream4Girls, pinpointing some big dreams for the future of girls generated by AI, will be accessible in the Quai 22 exhibition hall.This free event is open to the public (registration required).Registrations: https://www.billetweb.fr/midi-genre-ia-menace-ou-opportunite-pour-les-femmes
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