Tag archive for: Jardin des Plantes

(Re)Discover the Jardin des Plantes in a fun way

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You probably already know this: the Jardin des Plantes is a unique place in Montpellier to relax. But did you know it’s also a place for discovery and learning? The gardeners and botanists take this role to heart and organize numerous events throughout the year to help you experience it from this perspective. This is particularly true right now with“Summer Tours.”Finally, the Jardin des Plantes serves an educational purpose year-round—a mission that is gaining momentum, reconnecting with its roots (the teaching of botany) while embracing modern objectives and utilizing today’s tools. To reinforce this educational aspect, one of them, Denis Nespoulous, has created connected trails to let you discover the garden as you’ve never seen it before!

The origins of the interconnected paths at the Jardin des Plantes

The trail known as “SMART BOTA” was created in 2018 for the Tela Botanica association’s introductory MOOC on botany.

This association, founded in 1999 and comprising a broad network of French-speaking botanists, aims to:

  • to promote the exchange of information among botanists,
  • facilitate projects using digital tools,
  • produce copyright-free data on flora,
  • raise awareness and provide training in botany.

What exactly are connected trails?

The connected trails consist of information sheets available to everyone and distributed along several routes. They can be accessed via a QR code using a smartphone or tablet. These sheets allow you to explore the garden’s treasures at your own pace. The four different routes are displayed at the entrance to the Jardin des Plantes: simply follow the guide, or, if you prefer, wander freely through the paths.

These botanical fact sheets provide a variety of information about the plant you scan, such as a description, its uses, and its habitat. It’s a fun and engaging way to learn more about the flora around us!

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The garden's five interconnected paths

For now, there are five connected trails within the Jardin des Plantes. These may change over time thanks to your input.

The SMART’BOTA Trail

The second connected trail at the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier, and the first educational trail, it was created in 2018 for Tela Botanica’s introductory MOOC on botany of which Denis serves as the lead. The course aims to introduce enthusiasts to botany. It features around sixty species and introduces you to the main plant families.

The SMART’PHARMA Trail

Extension of the first "SMART’BOTA" trail; this trail was created for students at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Montpellier. Indeed, a multitude of plants can be used for therapeutic and medicinal purposes. This trail allows students students to combine the theoretical aspects of their courses with practical ones by directly observing the plants within the Garden. This educational trail is also open to the public. It features approximately sixty plant species.

The Remarkable Trees Trail

This trail, created in 2014, is the oldest trail in the Jardin des Plantes. It allows you to discover all the secrets of the Jardin des Plantes’s giant trees. It is also the only trail that can be explored without your smartphone, as it features reading panels, but feel free to scan the QR codes embedded in the panels to unlock all the secrets of botany! This interactive trail features 25 tree species selected from among the most remarkable and oldest in the garden.

The HERBES FOLLES Trail

This trail, created for Tela Botanica’s “Herbes Folles” MOOC (the second edition is scheduled for this fall!), aims to help you rediscover these plants that are pejoratively referred to as “weeds.” They, too, have their virtues, and beyond their drawbacks—which we won’t deny—they also play an important role in our environment. The wild herbs of the garden invite you to reflect on issues of biodiversity. This tour will allow you to see these “weeds” in a new light…

The " Observatory of the Seasons" Trail

The last trail is somewhat unique, as it is part of a citizen science. Get involved in this CNRS program by observing the 12 species along the trail. Its goal is also to raise awareness about global warming by introducing us to phenology (the observation of periodic events, in this case involving plants). At the entrance to the Jardin des Plantes, you can request a specially designed form to record your observations. This data will help scientists better understand and monitor climate change and its associated challenges.

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And for those who are curious, check out the app

If you’d like to explore Montpellier’s Jardin des Plantes further using digital tools, you can download the SMART’ FLORE app on all your Android devices. The app offers:

  • Trails near you
  • Plants tracked to the nearest meter
  • Access to all the botanical profiles created as part of this collaborative project

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App User Guide
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Interview with photographer Cédric Matet for the exhibition “Man in His Garden”

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As part of the 800th anniversary celebrations, a photography exhibition will be held from July 10 to October 10. Curated by renowned photographer CédricMATET, it will be held at the Jardin des Plantes. In 2020, this photographer also curated the exhibition “Behind the Masks,” whichfeatures200 portraits of medical personnel.

Practical Information

 

View the press kit

“People in Their Gardens”

The title of the exhibition is intrinsically linked to itscontent. In fact, for this occasion, the artist chose to work with anatomical specimens from the Faculty’s anatomy museum. To better understand his project, we interviewed the photographer.

 

What is your background?

I’m originally fromSète. I attended a design school in Montpellier that is now called ESMA. After that, I enrolled at the Gobelins School of Visual Arts in Paris. Later, I went back to school to earn a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development because I’m interested in cities. In the meantime, I’ve been working in art direction and design at various communications agencies.

What interests me is connecting art to the city, to maps, to cartography, and to people. In my view, an artist must be rooted in their context: urban, political, and human.

 

Can you tell us about the "Behind the Masks" project?

It was GéraldCHANQUES, a professor at the faculty and a doctor atSaint EloiHospital, who contacted me and proposed this project. I wanted to convey a vision ofwhat healthcare providers and their commitments can be. 

 

How would you describe yourself?

If I had to describe myself and my work, I would talk abouttransdisciplinarity. Indeed, I am a photographer, but I am also a visual artist; I enjoy working with various materials and collaborating with people from different fields.

 

Can you tell us about your new exhibition, “Man in His Garden”?

It’s been a long time since I first thought of focusing on the Jardin des Plantes, but I’ve always had a real passion for the anatomy museum I visited when I was a student. Being able to discuss botany through the garden, but also the human body and research on it—I think that’s fabulous. The project was developed by the two of us, once again with ProfessorCHANQUES.

This project is interesting becauseit pushes me out of my comfort zone;I usuallytake portraits, but that’s not the case here.
Moreover, since all the rooms are designated as heritage sites, I have a special relationship with the curator. She is the third subject of this project; I can’t work without her. Usually, I direct my model,but here I can’t because of the room’s fragility; every movement must be guided by the curator.
It’sinteresting becausethe room and the garden exist independently of me. 

There are three of us working on this project: Jane, who does digital art and is a videographer; Luc, who does motion design, among other things; and me, who works with visuals and handles the artistic direction for the whole project. None of us knows what the final result will be.

 

How did you choose the anatomical parts?

I first sought advice from ProfessorCHANQUES and the curators to find out which pieces are emblematic of the conservatory. I didn’t choose the pieces based on their aesthetic appeal, since the goal of this exhibition is to tell a story and convey meaning.
The only exception to this is a bust we found, whose identity, history, or era is unknown to anyone. I found it fragile and touching, so I decided to include it. It’s the only piece I chose based on a gut feeling.

Unfortunately, there were some pieceswe couldn’t include because they were too fragile. I was also drawn to other pieces, but they didn’t depict the human body and therefore strayed from the subject. I’ll address those later in another, more personal project.

Some pieces are also too heavy to move. However, this is part of the exhibition’s story.
For certain pieces that we couldn’t bring out to the Jardin des Plantes, we brought the Jardin to them by bringing branches and foliage.

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Summer Tours at the Jardin des Plantes

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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
  • Martins Greenhouse and its collection of succulents
  • Tours of the Permaculture Edible Garden
  • Herbs and the Senses Garden

Practical Information

ADDRESS

Henri IV Boulevard,

34000 Montpellier

  • Free admission

  • No registration required

  • Please arrive 10 minutes before the tour begins

PROGRAM
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UM Thursdays

|CANCELLATION | UM Thursdays – Health lectures return in October

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Update 9/29/20 – Unfortunately, the UM Thursdays events scheduled for October 6 and 8 have been canceled due to the current health situation. Following their launch at the Arnaud de Villeneuve Campus in January, UM Thursdays are returning at the end of 2020 for a new series of lectures on health. Attend the UM Thursdays sessions at the Faculty of Pharmacy Campus as well as at the Orangerie in the Jardin des Plantes.

 

A new series of lectures on health

UM Thursdays are back in 2020! Open to the public, these lectures offer an opportunity to learn more about new technologies and teaching methods in health care, as well as to expand your knowledge of medicinal plants and aromatherapy! These are just some of the topics that will be covered throughout the year by faculty members from our university.

Update as of September 29, 2020 – Unfortunately, the UM Thursdays scheduled for October 6 and 8 have been canceled due to the current health situation.

Tuesday, October 6, 2020 – Medicinal Plants

As far back as we can go in history, thanks to ancient manuscripts, the future of humanity seems to have always been closely linked to plants. The reputation of the earliest physicians (beginning with Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, in 450 B.C.) was most often built on their extensive knowledge of plants and the treatments they derived from them. Logically, then, the plants used to formulate these new remedies (“medicines” = “pharmakon”) were called “medicinal.” But what remains of this historical and ancestral definition? What does it still mean to us today, and what is the significance of “medicinal plants” in 2020?

 

Learn more about the session on October 6

 

Thursday, October 8, 2020 – The Use of Aromatic Plants: From Perfume to Medicine

One event, two lectures! Learn more about the Jardin des Plantes, as well as plants and perfumes!

● 3:00 p.m.: The Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier, France’s oldest botanical garden – by Thierry Lavabre-Bertrand
● 4:00 p.m.: The Use of Aromatic Plants: From Perfume to Medicine – by Sylvie Munier

 

Learn more about the session on October 8

 

Due to the current health situation, everyone is required to wear a mask.

 

Rediscover – Thursday, January 16, 2020 – Medical Education: Pathways to Innovation

“There’s no such thing as a ‘first time’ for a healthcare professional.” Even though there’s always a first time, it’s important to prepare future healthcare professionals through scenario-based training—whether for technical procedures, interpersonal skills, interprofessional communication, or preparing for emergency situations where every action must be perfectly coordinated.

Inspired by aerospace standards, healthcare simulation platforms are an essential tool for developing the technical and interpersonal skills of future healthcare professionals, complementing clinical rotations with patients. This first edition of “UM Thursdays” during the Faculty of Medicine’s 800th anniversary celebrations offers an opportunity to explore these remarkable tools by visiting the Arnaud de Villeneuve Health Campus and to gain insight into the challenges of these teaching methods, which remain fully aligned with the Faculty of Medicine’s philosophy of placing the human being at the center of its concerns.

 

See below for the day’s lecture schedule, starting at 3:00 p.m. in the Rondelet Amphitheater!

  • A simulation-based learning platform: just a gimmick? – by Blaise Debien
  • Research on Simulation-Based Teaching – by Valérie Courtin
  • Situational-based teaching: assessment through the C3 – by Philippe Guilpain
Watch the lectures on medical education again
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#OrganizationOfTheWeek – Meet Med’ley

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Last week, we met with the Carabins Crocodiles Association to learn more about community life in Nîmes. Today, Gaël Gomez, president of the Montpellier music association, is taking part in a Q&A session!

In a nutshell, what is Med’Ley?

Med’ley Montpellier Association is the music club based at the School of Medicine. Since last year, it has been open to all students in healthcare programs (medicine, midwifery, pharmacy, dentistry, physical therapy, etc.). Above all, our goal is to bring music into these long and challenging studies. It also allows all these future healthcare professionals to interact with one another during our various events. It is not just a club for musicians, but rather an opportunity for students to meet and connect in a musical setting.

What activities or initiatives do you organize throughout the year?

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The Med’ley association organizes a wide variety of events. First and foremost, we are fortunate to be able to bring joy to hospitalized children by performing in the pediatric wards at the Arnaud de Villeneuve and Gui de Chauliac university hospitals. 

In addition to our humanitarian efforts, we organize concerts at popular bars in Montpellier, as well as Blind Test and karaoke nights—all with the aim of bringing people together through music. 

In addition, for the past two years, our singing competition, the Med’ley Music Awards, has brought together singers from all academic disciplines at the University of Montpellier and other cities such as Toulouse and Nîmes. Held in the anatomy amphitheater, this competition brings together more than 200 people every year, with a new feature introduced this year: direct qualification for the finals of the Coupe de France d’Interprétation for our grand prize winner. The winner also gets to enjoy a studio recording session with our partner. 

In addition, at the end of the academic year, we usually organize a large outdoor concert in the Jardin des Plantes, complete with food and drink stands; however, due to the current crisis, this event could not take place.

Med’ley also gives musicians the opportunity to perform at many other events, such as the Gala Médecine, the ACM’s Open Stages, and Heritage Days, among others.

Finally, throughout the year, we offer lessons in our music room to help members learn an instrument, as well as jam sessions to bring musicians together. 

What does the association offer students?

The club gives health science students the chance to come together through music, regardless of their major, and take their minds off things. It allows people to connect and socialize in a much more relaxed setting—through music. 

In addition, through our work in pediatrics, these future healthcare professionals can come to view the hospital in a different light—from a more entertaining perspective. 

Why do you think someone should join your organization? 

First of all, our members have free access to our music room in the historic building, where they can practice, rehearse, or use the instruments provided for their use. 

They also have the opportunity to play at the CHU and perform at all the various events we organize. But they can also simply come by to take advantage of our many special rates and enjoy a great time with music. 

Members who want to learn to play an instrument or pick it back up can join our Med’ley tutorials. 

Finally, they’ll be able to take advantage of discounts and special offers from our various partners. 

How do I sign up? 

Membership, which costs €5 for second-year students (DFGSM2, DFGSA2, etc.), €3 for PACES students and third-year students, and is free for students in higher years, can be purchased at any time of the year. 

You can join us during our office hours at the various schools, before or during our events, or by contacting us through our social media channels.

A few words about the 2020–2021 board?

The 2020–2021 executive board has already been selected and will take office following the handover General Assembly, which will be held in early June. This motivated, promising board, brimming with new ideas, is sure to satisfy our future members, especially since it brings together four health-related programs… 

In the meantime, you can follow us on social media:

Facebook: @MedleyMontpellierAssociation 

Instagram: @medley.asso

 

 

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