In 2018, Dr. Valentin FAVIER participated in the MUSE call for proposals, which aimed to support the pedagogical transformation of educational programs. He was selected as a winner for his project titled “Learning Anatomy and Surgery Through Simulation and 3D Printing.”
MUSE “Take-Off”—what is it?
The MUSE project “ Montpellier University of Excellence ” brings together 16 institutions toward a shared goal: to establish in Montpellier a thematically focused, research-intensive university that is internationally recognized for its impact in fields related to agriculture, the environment, and health—one that will serve as a close academic partner for all consortium members, one with which they will have strong ties and of which they can be proud.
Through these “Take Off” calls for proposals, it supports the educational transformation strategy of the institutions and components of the MUSE consortium. Over the past three years, I-SITE MUSE has raised 6 M€ to support educational innovations through this program. The project “Learning Anatomy and Surgery Through Simulation and 3D Printing” is one of the projects selected for Take-Off #1. Learn more about it in this article!
Improving Learning Through Simulation: Dr. Favier’s Challenge
Healthcare simulation is a key focus of medical education in the 21st century. To improve the safety of clinical practice and education, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) released a report in 2012 outlining the prospects for the development of healthcare simulation in France.
But then, what exactly are surgical simulators?
Surgical simulators are educational tools that are an integral part of this concept. They enable the training of young surgeons, helping them become familiar with surgical equipment, anatomy, and surgical techniques, but are also useful throughout continuing medical education for refresher training. Another major benefit lies in the ability to develop new surgical techniques, allowing more experienced surgeons to perform innovative surgical approaches or test new instruments.
Project Objectives
The project is intended for surgical residents, who will have the opportunity to practice on these simulators. The work currently underway is now focused on several objectives:
A project made possible by MUSE
As the winner of the project, Dr. FAVIER received a €10,000 grant from MUSE. This grant was used to advance his surgical simulator project. In particular, it was used to:
- Compensation for a Master's 2 intern in computer science for research and algorithm development to implement the simulation.
- Perform mechanical testing on the simulation platform.
- The purchase of materials needed to conduct the simulation and produce 3D prints.
For the past 10 years, the Jardin des Plantes has been organizing summer tours to help the general public learn more about our botanical garden. Check out the summer 2021 program.
Tours for all ages
Open to everyone, the Jardin des Plantes’ summer tours cover a variety of themes:
- The medicinal plant collections at the Jardin des Plantes
- Richer Mountain: Where History and Ecology Meet
- The Martins Greenhouse and Its Collection of Succulents
- Tours of the Permaculture Edible Garden
- Herbs and the Senses
Practical Information
ADDRESS
Henri IV Boulevard,
34000 Montpellier
One hundred years ago, students from the Montpellier School of Medicine unveiled works of art in the Jardin des Plantes and its historic building to celebrate the 7th centennial. To recreate this symbolic gesture on the occasion of the 800th anniversary, a nonprofit organization was founded by current students in 2019.
The Founding of an Association
To carry out this project,the Association Carabine Montpelliéraine (ACM) and the Languedoc-Roussillon Interns’ Union (SIRL) have joined forces to createthe Association for a Historic Ceremony for Montpellier Medical Students (ACHEMM). The association consists of 19 members and is chaired by Allan Guilliey, a fourth-year medical student. The association’s goal is to bring the project to fruition, from concept to completion, including identifying the artists who will exhibit their works at the new Arnaud de Villeneuve Campus.
An event redesigned in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Originally, this exhibition was to be launched with a gala organized by ACHEMM students. Numerous European institutions were to be invited to the event in late 2020, and the association had the opportunity to address the COIMBRA Group conference, initially scheduled for June 2020. Founded in 1985, this group aims to bring together and promote excellence among European universities, with a view to sustaining their high standards of teaching, research, and academic mobility on an international level, while fostering unique cultural ties.
Unfortunately, due to health restrictions that have forced a rethinking of the event, an opening reception for the exhibition will take place in July 2021 to showcase the students’ work.
A colossal undertaking
To carry out this project, the students in the association had to invest a great deal of their time and energy. To exhibit meaningful works, the students issued a call for submissions to local artists. About twenty artists submitted their work; the students then selected thirteen of them based on which pieces seemed artistically most suited to the project.
Next, the association’s members had to approach local governments to secure funding to pay the artists. These institutions were invaluable in helping to bring this project to fruition.
Ultimately, a tremendous amount of organizational work was carried out over the course of these two years to showcase this exhibition and, through it, the history of the Faculty.
Transmission as a common thread
The theme of this exhibition is transmission. Indeed, in 2017, the 800-year-old Faculty expanded with a new, state-of-the-art campus: the Arnaud de Villeneuve Campus. The works in this exhibition bridge the gap between these two sites, combining the classical with the modern, and realism with abstraction, to represent both places and, through them, both eras.
The centerpiece of this exhibition, created by Nicolas Daubanes, is, in fact, a DNA molecule—a reminder that, even though the Faculty is spread across different sites, all of these campuses share the same DNA and are part of its history.
Artists and Their Works
Visit the exhibition
Guided tours will be offered on Saturday, July 10, and Sunday, July 11, starting at 2:00 p.m. They will be conducted in accordance with public health guidelines. Registration is required:
The association would like to thank all of its partners (the DRAC, the FRAC, the Hérault Department, the Occitanie Region, Pumkin, the CROUS, the University of Montpellier, the Montpellier Metropolitan Area, and the City of Montpellier) for their support, as well as Professor Gérald CHANQUES and the faculty departments that worked to ensure the smooth running of this project.
In 2016 and 2018, Ms. Barjon and Ms. Blanc, daughters of former Dean Gaston Giraud, bequeathed their father’s archives to the University of Montpellier. Thanks to these archives, we are now able to present an exhibition on the evolution of the Faculty’s various buildings and sites since its 700th anniversary, commemorated in 1921.
An exhibition divided into several sections
This exhibition, organized by the University of Montpellier’s Archives Department (Sophie Dikoff, Antoine Redouly, and Gwendoline Perrault) in collaboration with Ms. Barjon and Professor Dedet—and with the special participation of Dean Jacques Bringer, Professor Daniel Jarry, and Mr. Serge Caminade—will focus on the evolution of the various buildings and sites that make up the Faculty: the Historic Building, the Institute of Biology, the extensions in Nîmes and on the northern site of Montpellier (the UPM and the Arnaud de Villeneuve campus building), and finally the Jardin des Plantes.
Dive into the archives
Thanks to donations from the family of former Dean Giraud, this exhibition features a wealth of photographs. You can admire photos of the old buildings and gain an appreciation of how their architecture has evolved over time. The exhibition also showcases other documents that shed light on the buildings’ development, such as architectural plans, handwritten letters, and postcards…
A large-scale project
To mark the occasion, we spoke with Sophie Dikoff, the archivist in charge of this exhibition, to learn how it was put together.
Could you tell us about your job?
My role as an archivist at the University of Montpellier is to assist all departments in managing their archives in accordance with current legislation governing public archives. I carry out this work in collaboration with the Hérault Departmental Archives, which provides scientific and technical oversight. Archives serve as a record of changes—whether architectural, societal, or otherwise…
Where do the archival materials in this exhibition come from?
Most of these items come from donations by Dean Giraud’s family. Indeed, the dean kept many documents related to his various projects—both in his capacity as dean of the Montpellier School of Medicine and in his personal capacity, as someone with a passion for the history of medicine and the Montpellier School of Medicine. The remaining archival materials come from the University’s image collection, the University’s photo library, and the photo library of the Conference of University Presidents, which were supplemented by photographs taken specifically for the exhibition.
How long did it take you to prepare this exhibition?
The exhibition was originally scheduled to take place in October 2020, but due to health restrictions, we had to postpone it. So I’ve been working on this project since around the beginning of 2020. The process is very time-consuming, as it first requires conducting research to understand the various aspects of the subject (searching archives, reading, meeting with subject matter experts), selecting the most interesting documents, obtaining permission to use photos in accordance with copyright laws, writing texts, and determining a visitor route. For the exhibition design, we enlisted the help of a professional exhibition designer, André Dumonnet. For this exhibition, the approach was to organize the presentation by building and then in chronological order. One panel presents a timeline covering all buildings and sites combined.
An exhibition open to everyone
The exhibition, which will run from June 18, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. to July 21, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., is free of charge. Self-guided tours will be available Wednesday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with guided tours on Saturdays from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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