On July 27th, 2016, after five days of exciting seminars, workshops and debates on the latest science and technology development in Manchester, Toulouse officially became the new European City of Science

On this day, Manchester passed on the torch to Toulouse for the organisation of EuroScience Open Forum 2018, during a beautiful closing ceremony.

Among the 4,500 participants attending ESOF 2016, our team of Ph.D. Candidates Ambassadors for ESOF Toulouse 2018 was accompanying Toulouse champion Anne Cambon-Thomsen and taking inspiration from ESOF Manchester to bring back new ideas.

Over the course of the five days, we tried to make the most of this unique experience. We attended several conferences and explored the exhibition showcasing the very best of European research, innovation, and technology. We also met scientists, policy makers, and journalists, as well as exchanged about ESOF Manchester and our respective expectations for ESOF 2018 in Toulouse. Finally, we enjoyed the events of Science in the City, a free festival that took place all over Manchester City.

To honour our role of PhD Candidate Ambassadors, we actively encouraged participants to come to Toulouse in 2018 through theatrical performances. These performances were also a moment of sharing during which we could introduce ourselves and the diversity of our PhD subjects.

You may be wondering what we do and who we are

Well we will try to make it short:

• Flavie Prezelus (LGC / LISBP) works on the eco-design of ultrafiltration membranes applied to the treatment of drinking water;
• the Ph.D. of Jesús Villalobos (LGC / LCA) consists in the valorisation of agricultural waste as filter media for domestic wastewater treatment;
• Jordan Lombard (CLLE) studies the acceptance and use of tablet for reading comprehension;
• The objective of Nadege Merabet (CRCA / Isae-Supaéro) is to create a mathematical model of the mechanisms involved in a neurodegenerative disease;
• Ophelie Fraisier (CEA / IRIT) works on the integration of social and spatiotemporal context for opinion mining on social media ;
• Vanessa Cattaud (CRCA) studies interneuronal dysfunctions and cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer disease.

In this line and to quote Anne Cambon-Thomsen, the chosen motto for ESOF Toulouse 2018 is “Sharing science: towards new horizons.”

Toulouse, the Pink City, has a broad spectrum of science to offer

Renowned for its aerospace research and industry, the city also hosts a myriad of laboratories, start-ups, and big companies in biotechnologies, healthcare, and agro-sciences and internationally recognised contributions to economics.

Moreover, there is a tradition of sharing science with all citizens in Toulouse and numerous sites that will be involved in Science in the City, including the “Quai des savoirs” and the “Cité de l’espace,” are already highly active.

The organisation of ESOF 2018 is intensely going on, and numerous events taking place in 2017 have already received the prestigious label of “ESOF Toulouse 2018 European City of Science”.

An official ceremony will take place on November 8th, 2016 in the famous Capitole of Toulouse. This ceremony will mark another big step toward ESOF 2018.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to discuss about ESOF 2018. Until there, we will keep you up to date about our involvement in ESOF organisation on EuroScientist, and we look forward to welcoming everyone in Toulouse in July 2018!