2023-10-31 22:32:58
From October 25 to 28, the Next generation research days in Montreal at the UQAM premises. Unfortunately, the participation rate was far from good…
By Camille Sainson, multiplatform journalist
Photo credit: Hombeline Dumas – ACFAS
Eleventh edition of J2R, this annual gathering, organized in collaboration with the Fonds de Recherche du Québec, offers the opportunity for second and third cycle students to meet inspiring scientists and professionals. Between round tables, happy hours and thematic workshops, there were numerous opportunities to learn more about stress management, the role of artificial intelligence, how to write a scientific communication or even how FRQ grant applications work. . Open to 200 students and post-doctoral researchers from all regions of the Canadian Francophonie, the event was sold out in just a few days! A waiting list was even created, but it only allowed a handful more people to get a place.
What was my surprise to see that, out of the 200 interested, only about a hundred actually showed up. Illnesses, busy schedules, last minute unforeseen events, I won’t know exactly the causes of such absenteeism, but it is a shame that those on the waiting list have suffered from it.
However, the organization of the J2R is similar to that of previous editions: same time of year, similar training activities, 5 to 7 and popularisathon are still included, etc. Some themes covered were even new, since they were developed in partnership with the host university! A workshop dedicated to undergraduate students has, for example, been set up to enable them to demystify the world of university research.
Photo credit: Hombeline Dumas – Acfas
Impact Campus went to meet the participants, and their testimonies are very similar: Maude Gauthier (master’s degree in health law and policy) explains that “the J2Rs are a great opportunity for research students to create a community and share on common challenges and opportunities. [Elle est] happy to have been able to be part of such a gathering. » A feeling shared by Daphné Beaudoin (master’s degree in law) for whom this event is “a chance to meet other graduate students from all fields combined. A place to discuss the challenges posed by the situation of graduate studies and an opportunity to share our fears about the future. » Although she particularly enjoyed meeting passionate people facing the same challenges, she nevertheless highlights one downside: “I would have appreciated having workshops on more targeted subjects corresponding to the challenges of my field. » Jérôme Fortier (master’s degree in epidemiology) is of the same opinion; although he recognizes the interest in networking and being able to explore what is being done in other areas, he admits “that we should review the relevance of certain workshops. »
Overall, students recognize the usefulness of such an event, which helps create a sense of community and understand the issues related to this high-performance field that graduate studies represent.
Photo credit: Hombeline Dumas – Acfas
We also spoke with Sophie Montreuil, general director of Acfas, who discusses the importance of these J2Rs: “we design this event to offer members of the next generation of researchers workshops on subjects to which they are not familiar. no access to their official curriculum. This is not a conference to participate in the advancement of knowledge, but to reflect on everything that surrounds the world of research. We try to offer, thanks to our experts, a framework allowing students to better understand what their employment prospects are beyond the university career and to realize that their professional skills go far beyond the field of expertise of their discipline. We wish to open up the understanding of the next generation of researchers to the immense capacities they are developing in order to project themselves into the future. »
Finally, the J2Rs represent a great opportunity to get together among graduate students. It is an event created especially to help them navigate this ecosystem with many obstacles, but which also turns out to be a great adventure that you have to know how to take advantage of. Who said that academic research had to rhyme with solitude? So, we’ll meet in large numbers next year in Sherbrooke to make our community shine!
Photo credit: Hombeline Dumas – Acfas
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