International Day of Women and Girls in Science in Marrakech with the IRD

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On 11 February 2025, on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, IRD in Morocco organised a meeting at the Lycée français Victor-Hugo in Marrakech. Using the ‘speed-searching’ format, 60 second-year students spoke with 11 speakers, including two IRD researchers from LEMAR posted to Morocco, Laure Pecquerie and Marie Bonnin, as well as with their partners from the University of Cadi Ayyad and their students, in order to discover the diversity of their scientific disciplines.

A researcher from the University Hassan II in Casablanca spoke at the end of the meeting on the topic of gender stereotypes and their impact on educational guidance. The students and members of the Moustaqbel association, which supports young women from rural areas of Morocco in pursuing higher education, were also present. The day was conducive to enriching discussions on the representation of women in science.

This meeting is part of the Éclaireuses project, which aims to change the way young people view the research environment and contribute to a better representation of women in science. Supported by the IRD’s commitment to gender equality and recognised by the UN Women’s Generation Equality label, the Éclaireuses project is back for a second edition between 11 February and 13 March 2025. In total, more than 400 young people from eight countries – Benin, Brazil, Madagascar, Morocco, Ecuador, France, Peru and Vietnam – will have the opportunity to talk to women working in research.

‘The unsuspected history of the oyster”: Stéphane Pouvreau guest on La Terre au carré

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Our colleague Stéphane POUVREAU was guest on ‘La Terre au Carré’, the famous radio broadcast on France Inter on 4 February, alongside Catherine Dupont (archaeomalacologist at the CNRS).

Conducted by Mathieu VIDARD, the broadcast, entitled ‘L’histoire insoupçonnée de l’huître(The unsuspected history of the oyster), looked back at the eventful history of this shellfish that is so emblematic of gastronomy.

Present on Earth for over 150 million years, the oyster has left its mark on human history, from prehistory to the present day. Hunter-gatherers were already enjoying this mollusc 8,000 years ago. In Antiquity, it became a luxury food prized by the Romans, who innovated in oyster farming. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, oysters epitomised refinement, appreciated by monarchs such as Louis XIV and Louis XVIII. However, the oyster often came close to extinction, falling victim to over-fishing and disease. The 20th century saw the flat oyster decimated, gradually replaced by imported varieties, mainly the Japanese oyster we eat today.

Today, restoration programmes such as REHPAR, run by Stéphane, are trying to preserve this emblematic species in te bay of Brest. A handful of oyster farmers in Quiberon Bay are still producing the traditional flat oyster, the guardian of a threatened maritime heritage.

listen to the podcast on the France Inter website

CEPA 7 : animal ecophysiology conference in Brest

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Biodiversity is facing a major environmental crisis. It is therefore urgent to identify the impact of environmental constraints on the ecological and physiological functioning of animal species, but also the adaptations implemented by these organisms to respond to environmental changes.
Animal ecophysiology is a crucial discipline at this level, integrating the mechanisms underlying metabolism, energetics, behaviour, reproduction, communication and many other animal functions, from the gene to the population.
In France, every two years, a large community of ecophysiologists, bringing together researchers from various backgrounds, organises the Animal Ecophysiology Symposium, CEPA. This symposium provides an opportunity to communicate new results from basic and applied research in the field to a community that is both scientific and professional. This large community encourages the sharing of knowledge and scientific advances while strengthening the spirit of cohesion in research.
After Lyon (2013), La Rochelle (2015), Strasbourg (2017), Rennes (2019), Montpellier (2021) and Tours (2023), this conference will take place for the first time at the other end of the world, in Brest. It will enable as many researchers and students as possible to present their latest results and reflections.
This 7th edition will take place from 28 to 30 October 2025, in the amphitheatre of the Pôle numérique Brest Iroise in Plouzané.

Key dates to come :

  • Deadline for abstract submission: before 15 June 2025
  • Early bird registration deadline: 15 August 2025
  • Late bird registration deadline: 15 September 2025


Find all the practical information and the programme on the conference website.



CEPA 7 would like to thank its partners

15th conference of the French Association of Halieutics in Brest

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15e-congres-AFH

The 15th conference of the French Association of Halieutics, will take place at the end of June in Brest, on the theme “Fisheries systems facing crises“.

Workshops will be held on 27 (at IUEM in Plouzané) and 28 June 2022 (at Pôle numérique du Bouguen, in Brest).

The conference itself will be held from 29 June to 1 July 2022, also at the Pôle numérique du Bouguen in Brest.

The programme can be downloaded here, and the registration file here.

Link to the AFH website (take the opportunity to join AFH!).