Science at UM

This is the show that keeps you up to date every week on the latest news from the University of Montpellier’s research labs and its partners, in collaboration with the local radio station Divergence FM. This week, a program focused on current events in democracy, featuring Aurelia Troupel, a political science researcher at Cepel, discusses “gender parity in local office.” A show hosted by Lucie Lecherbonnier and Aline Périault, airing every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Divergence and available as a podcast on UM’s platforms every Thursday.

Every year, more than 6,000 scientific publications come out of the laboratories of the University of Montpellier and its partners. Every week, UM and local radio station Divergence FM invite you to discover one of them, with explanations from its author(s). From economics to ecology, biology to robotics, law to chemistry, medicine, education sciences, and mechanics, researchers take turns on the air for a 20-minute interview aimed at the general public.

Has the otter returned to the banks of the Lez? Will Languedoc farms be able to cope with climate change? Are political parties in decline? Are animals aware of beauty? Is AI's energy gluttony a blessing in disguise? Can earthquakes be predicted? These are just some of the questions asked in the hundred or so programs recorded over the past five years.  

In the second part of the program, a 5-minute report opens the doors to the many research platforms at the University of Montpellier and its partners. From the atomic force microscope to the marine station in Sète or the battery testing room at the Balard Chemistry Center, you will be surprised by the diversity of cutting-edge equipment available in the region.

Finally, the guest for the last three minutes extends the scientific experience by announcing an event open to the general public in Montpellier or the surrounding area.

A program prepared and hosted by Lucie Lecherbonnier and Aline Périault, communications officers at the University of Montpellier.