The fifth Bioceb Induction Week took place in Reims from August 26th to 30th 2024!
Bioceb welcomed its fifth intake in Reims, in the presence of staff from URCA and AgroParisTech. Aalto’s, ULiège’s and TalTech’s representatives, as well as a few students who could not be present in-person, took part to the event online, so that the whole consortium and the 9 students could be brought together. This year is special because Cohort 5 is the first not to benefit from Erasmus Mundus scholarship.
The Induction Week kicked off with an introduction to the Bioceb programme and its partner universities. Following this, students and staff shared objects and pictures that represent them and their home countries. The students also discussed their academic backgrounds in fields such as chemical engineering, biology, biotechnology, biochemistry, soil science. The presence of students from 7 different nationalities highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary and intercultural approach in this programme.
The week was also filled with activities designed to strengthen ties between students and provide an excellent way to get to know each other quickly. These activities included speed meetings, theatrical and intercultural workshops, outdoor lunches, and a student party. During the speed meetings, students participated in one-on-one round-table discussions where they had to find five common points within a given time. As the speed meetings progressed, the time allowed to find common points decreased, making it a fast-paced activity! The intercultural course was particularly interesting as it developed essential skills for navigating multicultural environments, both personally and professionally. It also encouraged reflection on students’ own culture and its perception, while preparing them for their future international mobility within the Bioceb programme.
In addition to the cohesion activities, the students had the opportunity to go on sightseeing outings. They joined other international students from URCA to visit the Champagne vineyard in Mutigny and the Mercier cellar in Épernay, where they concluded with a wine and champagne tasting. During the visit to Mutigny, they took a short 2 km walk through the vineyards under a beautiful sun and learned a lot about wine production. In Épernay, they discovered the history of the Mercier house and visited the large cellars on an underground train.
Another important moment of the week was the session devoted to the Green Line Project (GLP), to explain the pedagogical objectives, organisation and proposal of this major module in the Bioceb curriculum.
During the week, the students had the opportunity to listen to Prof. Agnes Paller from URCA, who gave a conference on ’Open Science’.
Classes finally got underway on Thursday and Friday, with presentations of the semester, visits to URCA laboratories and the first chemistry courses.
A big thank you to the URCA team for hosting this welcoming and inspiring event, and a warm welcome to Bioceb’s fifth cohort!
Updated September 2024