The Department of Physics welcomes a delegation from CERN
In May 2025, the Department of Physics welcomed two special visitors: Serge Mathot and François Briard from Namur, both alumni of UNamur and members of CERN. Several activities were on the program, ranging from a visit to the particle accelerator, to science popularization and thematic seminars, particularly in heritage sciences. The aim? To identify areas or activities in which UNamur and CERN could strengthen their collaboration.
See content
Axel Tixhon, scientific guarantor of a historic augmented reality project
This is a first in Wallonia! The Citadelle de Dinant now offers an augmented reality tour that plunges visitors right into the heart of its history. At the helm: the French company Histovery, specializing in heritage reconstructions, with scientific support from Axel Tixhon, professor in the History Department at UNamur.
See content
René Preys: the archaeologist who examines Egyptian menus
What exactly did the ancient Egyptians eat? How did they prepare and preserve their food? What was their nutritional value? René Preys, an Egyptologist at UNamur, is currently involved in this astonishing research. This expert is a major figure in Belgian Egyptology. Interview.
See content
The physicochemistry of parchment and inks - experimental and historical approaches.
will take place from September 2 to 6, 2024 at the Gîte du domaine d'Haugimont (owned by the University of Namur) and will deal with medieval manuscripts in their material and historical aspects (parchment and ink manufacture). The event is aimed at historians, archaeologists and researchers in the physical and chemical sciences. Participation is free for doctoral students attached to FNRS doctoral schools in the disciplines concerned. At the crossroads of archaeology, history and the exact sciences, this colloquium-workshop will give the floor to three speakers (a physicist, a chemist and a historian) who will present the interdisciplinary research they are conducting together in this field. Workshops on parchment reproduction, inks and writing materials will be held each day.More information on the event .
See content
The "Même pas peur! between education, experience and commitment
The wolf, long banished from our lands, has made a remarkable comeback in Wallonia since 2016. This mysterious being, now protected, arouses as much fascination as fear. Through an exhibition, held as part of the Cultural Project course, third-year history bachelor students have traced the history of the wolf. From April 11 to 27, 2024, the exhibition entitled "Même pas peur! Une évolution de l'image du loup à travers les siècles" invited audiences to plunge into the heart of a historical exploration.
See content
Seminar: Gathering the views of small children and informing them to engage their participation. Cross-disciplinary and cross-border perspectives
This seminar is aimed at researchers as well as (future) childcare professionals - educators, carers, childcare workers - who wish to question this issue and equip themselves to better listen to and include young children. Thanks to an interdisciplinary, cross-border approach, experts from the fields of psychology, pedagogy, law and the human sciences will share their knowledge and experience. This time of exchange will provide a better understanding of how to foster children's information and participation by adapting to their abilities and needs.
Registrations
Read more
See content
FNRS 2024 calls: Focus on the PaTHs Institute
Two researchers from the Institut Patrimoines, Transmissions, Héritages (PaTHs) have just been awarded funding from the F.R.S - FNRS following calls whose results were published in December 2024. The PaTHs institute is a federation of research centers and groups that have sprung up in and around the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. The institute is distinguished by its emphasis on critical analysis of the "traces" of the past (written, material, monumental, landscape, visual, sound...), to the point of placing the "trace" itself at the heart of scientific questioning.
See content
FNRS 2024 calls: Thinking about work after legal retirement age
Nathalie Burnay, professor in the EMCP Faculty and member of the TRANSITIONS Institute, has just been awarded PDR funding from the F.R.S-FNRS for her BRIDGE-EXT project. In collaboration with the Haute Ecole de Travail Social de Lausanne, she will focus on the situations and reasons that contribute to the continuation of professional activity after the legal retirement age.
See content
Local elections 2024: workshop-conference
An analysis of voter turnout in October 2024This analysis presents a comparison of voter turnout in Wallonia, Brussels and Flanders. On the one hand, the report identifies the profiles and political attitudes of voters who abstained (representative survey of the Belgian population). On the other hand, the report presents the evolution of abstention and electoral participation according to institutional and political contexts in Wallonia. Particular attention is paid to the increase in blank and invalid votes in Wallonia.Analysis of the effects of electoral reforms since 2018This analysis presents the effects linked to the adoption of gender quotas in communal executives, as well as the effects of the end of the devolutive effect of the top box in Wallonia. These electoral reforms may have had limited effects in some communes (mainly due to a "learning" effect of the new electoral rules). Our report analyzes the effects observed in 2024 and the factors explaining the differences observed between Wallonia's communes.Analysis of the restructuring of the electoral offer in 2024While 2018 had seen a significant increase in the number of lists present at communal polls (notably so-called "citizen" and far-right lists), in October 2024, the number of lists in competition fell significantly. An analysis of official figures describes the evolution of the number and type of lists according to the institutional and political configurations of Wallonia's communes. It focuses in particular on the evolution of typically "local" lists, a Walloon characteristic within European democracies.
Practical information
L'ArsenalRue Bruno, 11 - 5000 NamurL'Arsenal is a 10-minute walk from Namur train station and the Parliament of Wallonia. Adjacent parking is available free of charge (Rue de l'Arsenal 13, 5000 Namur)Registration required (places are limited - registration deadline: March 3)
Program
9:00-13:00: Conference workshop9:00-9:30: welcome and coffee9:30-9:35: presentation of the project by the inter-university consortium9:35-11:40 : presentation of reports and Q&A Analysis of the restructuring of the electoral offer in 2024 Analysis of electoral participation in 2024 Analysis of the effects of electoral reforms in 202411:40-11:50 : closing remarks12:00-13:00: closing lunchContact person For information requests: laura.uyttendaele@unamur.be and jeremy.dodeigne@unamur.be
SPW Interior and Social Action
See content
Prestigious FNRS MIS funding for Arthur Borriello
Arthur Borriello, professor in the EMCP Faculty and member of the TRANSITIONS Institute, has just been awarded a Mandat d'Impulsion Scientifique (MIS), prestigious funding from the F.R.S-FNRS. Through a comparison of 4 countries, this research project aims to understand why and how social democratic parties have adapted to the socio-political changes of the last ten years. Explanations.
See content
Taking into account the family situation of members of parliament: a major challenge for the future
Reconciling family life and a political career in the European Parliament poses major challenges, particularly for MEPs with young children. This is demonstrated by Elena Frech, researcher at the University of Namur, in her recent research on work-life balance in European institutions.
See content
The archives of the Middle Ages under the microscope of Jean-François Nieus
Jean-François Nieus, F.R.S-FNRS research fellow at UNamur for nearly 20 years, readily describes himself as a "document hunter." Fascinated by the mysteries of the Middle Ages, he explores a period still marked by gray areas and clichés. His main field of study? The documentary practices of the aristocracy of northern France and the former southern Netherlands, which shed light on the political, social, and cultural mechanisms at work between the 11th and 13th centuries.
See content