From Music to Medicine and Beyond: Expanding and Enriching Collaborations with UNAM
Nathalie Drach-Temam, president of Sorbonne University, was in Mexico this month along with Guillaume Fiquet, vice president for international partnerships, to spearhead a number of collaborations that have been underway between the two universities. Summer schools, concerts and dual degrees have been enriched and expanded, especially in the areas of science and engineering, global health and, of course, the arts, music and heritage.
Renewal and reinforcement of dual degrees
The visit included meetings between the university heads to renew the Dual Degree Program of the Master's Degree in Vision Sciences for an additional five years. The representatives also reviewed the progress of the UNAM-Sorbonne joint Chair of Excellence; discussed strategies to strengthen the undergraduate and graduate student mobility program, as well as bilateral collaborations in health and other joint graduate programs.
Drach-Temam also met with the French Ambassador to Mexico to discuss scientific diplomacy and the university’s role in the partnership with UNAM.
Annual summer schools
Numerous joint summer schools are taking place through June to September either in Mexico City or Paris, including summer schools on: Chemistry-Catalysis, "Cardboard Harps"; Artificial Intelligence "Digital Humanities" and in Art History and Heritage Science "Inventing, Analyzing and Restoring Color."
The Chemistry-Catalysis summer school was particularly popular, drawing 80 in-person participants and another 70 attending online. Corinne Aubert, CNRS research director at Sorbonne University and organizer of the school said, “The summer school was a real success, with many students coming to listen to the lectures and ask questions during the poster sessions. A number of scientific collaborations are in the pipeline, as are student trips and exchanges.”
The “Verano PUMA” summer in France, an intensive French program, will be held at the Sorbonne University Faculty of Arts and Humanities, from July 3 to 21, and will be attended by 65 UNAM students. These intensive classes are designed to facilitate mobility for UNAM students coming to Paris.
A musical ending to the visit
The Sorbonne University delegation closed its visit with a joint performance by COSU, UNAM and Indiana university musicians of A Sea Symphony, by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The performance brought together 139 artists to the 2000-seat Nezahualcóyotl Hall, with the audience at 90 percent capacity.
Sorbonne University and UNAM are striding ahead in their numerous collaborations, united by shared values, common commitments, and an already proud history of cooperation.
