In the picture, from left to right: (top) Pierre Louette, Director of the Physics Department; François Briard, Head of the Science Portal Group (CERN); Julien Colaux, IBA specialist, physics researcher; Boris Hespeels, biology researcher; Alexandre Mayer, physics researcher; Anne-Catherine Heuskin, physics and biophysics researcher. (bottom) André Füzfa, astrophysicist and mathematics researcher; Serge Mathot, Applied Physicist (CERN) and Michaël Lobet, physics researcher.

The love affair between CERN and UNamur goes back a long way. CERN's accelerator complex and experimental program are very different and much larger than those of UNamur's Physics Department, but the fields in which the two institutions work have much in common.

In addition, both guests have a personal history with UNamur. The Physics Department was pleased to welcome Serge Mathot, Referent Applied Physicist (CERN) and alumni of the UNamur Physics Department (1992), as well as François Briard, Group Leader Science Portal (CERN), and alumni of the UNamur Faculty of Computer Science (1994).

The activities began with a meeting between the guests, Rector Annick Castiaux, Vice-Rector for Research Carine Michiels, Physics Department Director Pierre Louette and several other members of the Physics and Biology Department. After a general presentation of the University, the participants pointed out the missions shared by both institutions: research and the transfer of technology and knowledge, service to society, scientific popularization and education and training.

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Physics lunch - CERN presentation

The physics lunch is the monthly meeting between students and members of the physics department and a professional, alumni or not, coming to explain his or her background and what he or she does on a daily basis as a physicist.

During this meeting, attended by around 80 people, François Briard and Serge Mathot presented CERN, the world's largest laboratory for particle physics. CERN's mission is to understand the most elementary particles and the laws of our universe.

At the end of the seminar, the students came away with stars in their eyes. Indeed, opportunities for internships or even first jobs at CERN are possible for physicists but also in many other fields.

Some internship programs at CERN are particularly well suited to the needs of young Belgian students.

The vast majority of physicists working with CERN (over 13,000) are in fact sent to CERN for varying periods of time by their employing national research institutes. CERN offers an exceptional opportunity to develop international experience under excellent conditions, in an environment that is unique in the world! What an inspiration for our young students!

The projet d'Action Recherche Concertée (ARC) PHOENIX aims to renew our understanding of medieval parchments and ancient coins. Artificial intelligence will be exploited to analyze the data generated by material characterization.

This joint study between the Department of Physics and the Namur Institute of Structured Matter (NISM) and the Department of History and the Institut Patrimoines, Transmissions, Héritages (PaTHs) will address questions relating to the production chain and use of these objects and materials in past societies.

At the same time, Serge Mathot presented a seminar in heritage science attended by some 50 people. In particular, he presented his research and the brand-new ELISA accelerator: a miniaturized gas pedal capable of delivering a 2 MeV proton beam used to perform real measurements at the Science Portal.

Having the opportunity to exchange views with François Briard, Group Leader of the CERN Science Portal is a rare opportunity. Comparing outreach activities has opened up new avenues, discovering and sharing approaches, assessing what works and what doesn't, depending on the target audience. A highly satisfying enrichment for the members present from Confluent des Savoirs (CDS), the University of Namur's research outreach and dissemination service.

Professor Anne-Catherine Heuskin and Dr. Boris Hespeels are currently working on the BEBLOB project, a Belspo project with ESA support, as part of the UNIVERSEH (European Space University for Earth and Humanity) alliance. They are particularly interested in its astonishing ability to withstand high doses of radiation.

Anne-Catherine Heuskin also works in radiobiology. Particles are used to irradiate cancerous cells in order to destroy their genetic material and prevent them from proliferating: this is the basis of radiotherapy and proton therapy.

The meeting confirmed the willingness of FaSEF and UNamur to get involved in coordinating the Belgian National Teacher Programme in French-speaking Belgium, which CERN intends to relaunch in 2026. Consideration was also given to other avenues for teacher training, such as CERN's forthcoming involvement in the "Salle des Pros", the training venue for the various players involved in teacher training at UNamur.

The TRAKK is Namur's creative hub supported by 3 complementary partners in the field: BEP, KIKK, and UNamur. In addition to the venue, François Briard was able to visit the ProtoLab , which bridges the gap between ideas and industry by being a decentralized research and development hub accessible to SMEs and project leaders by offering advanced support in prototyping products or services.

Graduating in law and information technology management (DGTIC) in 1994 after his bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science in 1993, François Briard works at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, the world's largest particle physics laboratory.

During his school career, which was 100% at UNamur, he was vice-president of the Régionale namuroise and student delegate during his years as a candidate in economic and social sciences, computer science option.

Thanks to the multidisciplinary training provided at UNamur, he was able to seize several opportunities to redirect his career at CERN, where he was an information systems engineer from 1994 and then, from 2014, redirected his career until he became Group Leader of the Science Portal, which is CERN's general public communications center.

Serge Mathot obtained his doctorate in applied sciences from UNamur in 1992, following his bachelor's degree in physical sciences in 1985.

He then carried out a post-doctorate at the Joint Research Center (EU science hub) in Geel, which aims to bring together multidisciplinary skills to develop new measurement methods and tools such as reference materials.

He perfected his expertise in physical metallurgy before joining CERN in 1995 as a Referent Applied Physicist. He has worked on numerous research projects (CLOUD, MACHINA, ELISA...) and developed numerous parts for the manufacture of CERN's gas pedals.

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world's largest and most prestigious scientific laboratories. Its vocation is fundamental physics, the discovery of the constituents and laws of the Universe. It uses highly complex scientific instruments to probe the ultimate constituents of matter: the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists understand the laws of Nature.

The instruments used at CERN are particle gas pedals and detectors. Gas pedals carry beams of particles at high energies to collide with other beams or fixed targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

Founded in 1954, CERN is located on either side of the French-Swiss border, near Geneva. It was one of the first organizations on a European scale and today has 25 member states, including Belgium.

The three scientific experiments were selected from 29 projects for "their scientific value, technical feasibility and budgetary compatibility", states the public service of Federal Science Policy (Belspo).

Historically, Belgium has built up notable expertise and influence within the European Space Agency (ESA). Today, UNamur finds itself at the heart of an experiment that will be deployed during Belgian astronaut Raphaël Liegéois's stay aboard the ISS in 2026. The BeBlob project, conducted at the interface of biology and physics, aims to study Physarum polycephalum, commonly known as a "blob".

Boris Hespeels is a researcher at the ILEE Institute and the Beblob project leader alongside Anne-Catherine Heuskin, a researcher at the Narilis Institute. "We're also interested in its amazing ability to dry out completely and survive extreme stresses, including the vacuum of space, extreme temperatures or even high doses of radiation causing massive DNA damage," the two Namur researchers continue.

Building on their experience gained on previous ISS missions with other biological models, UNamur teams have developed a new miniaturized "vessel" for carrying different blob samples. In orbit, the astronaut will rehydrate the samples, which will then have to adapt to their new environment. The objectives are twofold: firstly, to assess the effects of the orbital environment on blob metabolism; secondly, to study DNA repair in samples previously irradiated on Earth by massive doses. Scientists will analyze how this organism repairs its genome in microgravity, and determine whether this process is altered by spaceflight.

This work should make it possible to identify key players in cell protection and repair under extreme conditions. Combined with the many experiments carried out at UNamur, they could ultimately lead to the development of new molecules capable of protecting astronauts, preserving fragile biological samples or even limiting the side effects of radiotherapy by protecting patients' healthy cells.

Discover the other scientific experiments selected to be carried out on board the International Space Station (ISS) during astronaut Raphaël Liégeois's mission in 2026

UNIVERSEH (European Space University for Earth and Humanity) is part of the "European Universities" initiative promoted by the European Commission. Its ambition is to develop a space to meet the societal, social and environmental challenges arising from European space policy.

This article was produced for the "Eureka" section of Omalius magazine #36, March 2025.

Capable of generating ion beams consisting of any stable element with energies of up to 16 Mega electron-Volt (MeV), the particle gas pedal enables the analysis (IBA) and modification (IBMM) of thin films of many materials. Stimulated by the critical need for new functional materials, the development of these techniques has accelerated in the 21st century. They are essential in many areas of fundamental research, and are also used in applied research, through industrial partnerships.

Tijani Tabarrant's role is essential to ensure the smooth running of this complex equipment. He is responsible for its maintenance to ensure continuity in research. At the same time, he makes a significant contribution to the research by designing and developing various vacuum chambers, which are crucial to our experiments. To carry out these projects, he works closely with the mechanical workshop, whose expertise and resources are indispensable.

The strength of IBMM (Ion Beam Modification of Materials) is its ability to modify the electronic, optical, mechanical or magnetic properties of various materials in a controlled way. This is known as "functionalizing materials".

IBA (Ion Beam Analysis) is a family of non-invasive, highly versatile analysis techniques for studying the chemical composition of materials. It has played a leading role for decades in nuclear astrophysics, materials science, life sciences and even heritage and archaeological sciences.

In microelectronics, ion implantation, essential for doping semiconductors, is a key stage in the manufacture of electronic chips. The IBA makes it possible to analyze the presence of these dopants, as well as that of hydrogen, an element that can influence the lifespan of electronic components.

In nuclear energy, ion beam irradiation makes it possible to simulate the effects of radiative damage on materials used for nuclear fuel cladding or radioactive waste storage. In this way, their long-term durability can be assessed.

In the aerospace field, ion beam irradiation is used to test the resistance of space materials to cosmic radiation, improving the design of satellites and spacecraft.

For hydrogen production and storage, the IBA helps design anti-diffusion coatings. Hydrogen is a tiny atom that diffuses easily through materials. Hydrogen storage is a key issue for the energy transition.

In everyday life, telephone screens, windscreens and even windows benefit from surface treatments that modulate their opacity, as well as their anti-scratch, anti-reflective or anti-smudge properties. These effects are achieved through the synthesis and optimization of thin surface layers, in collaboration with the glass industry. The IBA enables the characterization of these thin films, which helps in the development of new functionalities.

One of ALTAïS's terminal stations is dedicated to studying the response of cells to radiation (protons, helium, carbon).

Thus, researchers can carry out studies on:

• the generation of radioresistant cancer cells and the development of strategies to re-sensitize them,
• the involvement of mitochondria in resistance to radiotherapy;
• the influence of membrane lipid composition on the response to radiotherapy treatment

They are studying the FLASH effect - very high dose rate irradiation - on a worm C. elegans. The FLASH effect not only maintains tumor control but also spares healthy tissue, which is of key importance in tumor treatment.

They are also reprogramming immune system cells with gold nanoparticles and ionizing radiation (X-ray or proton).

At UNamur's Department of Physics, Professor Guy Demortier, was one of the pioneers in the use of IBAs to characterize ancient objects or fossils. These analyses help to determine the manufacturing methods and provenance of the materials used to make historical artefacts, as is the case at the AGLAE laboratory, based in the Louvre museum, which carries out this type of analysis on a daily basis. Analysis of the coloration of natural geological objects (e.g. speleothems) also provides its share of information about the evolution of the climate and environment of a particular geological area.

With the recent arrival of Professor Julien Colaux, a new impetus has been gained and is part of a broader perspective.

The ALTAïS gas pedal is part of the state-of-the-art equipment of the SIAM (Synthesis, Irradiation and Analysis of Materials) technology platform.

Researchers from the NISM Institutes, NARILIS and ILEE use it daily to push back the boundaries of the unknown. The Department also hosts practical work activities by physics and biology students.

Building on their long experience in functional (nano)materials, microelectronics, photovoltaics, batteries, life sciences and heritage sciences, the multidisciplinary teams of researchers are key players in the understanding of matter in the fundamental sense, physical interactions on the atomic scale and the development of new technologies applied to today's global challenges.

They're all around us, and have fascinated us for centuries. As children, we lean over them to watch them move between our fingers in our gardens, which become jungles. As adults, they still fascinate us, thwarting the traps we try to set for them in our kitchens, which they always invade where we least expect them.

They are ants, and more specifically the species Lasius niger, which we frequently find in our gardens.

"I was leaving my house one summer day in 2022 when I realized that a discreet but very real phenomenon was taking place in front of my house: the streets of my Namur neighborhood were invaded by young queen and male ants taking off for their unique nuptial flight. This flight is at the origin of the fertilization of the queens, which, once back on earth, start a colony in a cavity, our walls or even our rubbish", recounts Boris Hespeels, a researcher at the Unité de Recherche en Biologie Environnementale et Evolutive (URBE) at UNamur. After collecting around a hundred individuals, the scientist, who also conducts research into the resistance of other living organisms in extreme environments (rotifers - read our article on this subject), returned to his laboratory with the desire to test a popular culture myth: the extreme resistance of these insects in particular to numerous stresses, such as radiation from nuclear bombs.

In the enthusiasm, a collaboration was formed between researchers from the Departments of Biology and Physics. After some brainstorming, an experimental protocol was devised, leading to a concrete, fully supervised and secure experiment (read elsewhere). Today, four UNamur researchers have published the first study to assess the radioresistance of black ants Lasius niger to massive doses of X-rays. Published in the Belgian scientific journal Belgian Journal of Zoology, it reveals how Lasius niger manages to survive more than 11 weeks after receiving massive doses of X-rays (up to 250 Gray(Gy), whereas human cells generally do not resist beyond 10 Gy). However, the researchers also discovered that from a certain dose of irradiation onwards, the females were rendered sterile, despite surviving.

The results were compared with the few data previously obtained from radiation experiments in the fight against invasive ant species. While the mechanisms of protection and damage repair in ants are still unknown, this study confirms that ants' radioresistance, as well as their subterranean lifestyle, give them a resistant species status in the event of radioactive fallout.

This experiment was carried out by the researchers using an approach independent of any project or funding, thus experimenting with an approach known as Crash-and-Learn ("Failure and Learning"). This work demonstrates the possibilities opened up by carrying out scientific projects outside pre-established frameworks, leaving plenty of room for spontaneous collaboration and the uninterested pleasure of doing research. This approach, which complements the traditional routes linked to funding and guidelines defined sometimes years before the project is carried out, questions the meaning and practice of the researcher's craft.

The conduct of this experiment in no way precludes the researchers' sensitivity to the preservation of biodiversity and respect for living things. No harm was done to the local ecosystem or to animal and human populations. The ants used in this study were irradiated under strictly secure laboratory conditions, with no risk of contamination or dissemination in the wild. The species used, Lasius niger, is a common one, and experimental conditions were strictly limited to the laboratory. In line with the principles of the 3Rs (Reduce, Replace, Refine), the number of exposed individuals was reduced to the strict minimum necessary to guarantee reliable scientific results. In addition, ant stress was limited as much as possible throughout the experiment, which required the use of live individuals.