For more information on the conference-concerts Music and the Brain and Musique et IA, check the Calendar page.
Since the 1990s, I have been interested in public communication. Radio, television and the written word make it possible to reach a large number of individuals, but anonymously. Standing in front of a crowd of 500 people, other skills are required to get your message across. As a facilitator or speaker, I practice this form of communication with great enthusiasm. I love the interaction with the audience in real time. It’s in these moments that I feel most alive.
Whether for the general public, academics or journalists, I have hosted more than a hundred events over the years. Whether through conferences or scientific congresses, scientific cafés, citizen juries of social or political summits, I try to be a transmitter of ideas, a mediator and a catalyst for consensus. I have had the privilege of hosting in Quebec, Ontario and France.
Institut du Nouveau Monde
Since June 2018, I have been a strategic advisor and facilitator for the Institut du Nouveau Monde. This unique organization has a mandate to promote citizen participation in democratic life. Since 2004, the INM has worked to develop civic skills, strengthen social ties and promote democratic institutions.
I lead citizen participation meetings, citizen juries, forums and round tables in the areas of health, the environment and various social issues. I also offer consulting and report writing. Here are some examples of mandates executed for the INM.
"Transition juste" Sommet
At the invitation of the Quebec Federation of Workers, the FTQ, I hosted the Sommet pour une transition énergétique juste which took place at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal on May 23 and 24, 2018. With the heads of union, environmental and employer organizations and representatives of municipal and regional circles, it was a question of forecasting and planning the energy transition.
TRIBU 2018
The New World Institute asked me to lead a reflection session in an original way as part of Tribu 2018. 150 leaders aged 30 to 45 met at Estérel to reflect on issues related to power, money and identity. They brainstormed their ideas around the issues to the sound of my piano. An innovative and creative way to create a climate conducive to innovation!
Design Montréal
In 2020, the INM supported the Design Office of the City of Montreal in the development of the first Montreal Agenda for quality in design and architecture. This mandate, given by the City Council, is based on a process of consultation and consultation with various audiences, in particular professionals, the districts and central services of the city, as well as the public and private actors concerned. My role was to bring together and order the priorities of the Agenda.
Sommet des générations
I animated the Sommet des générations of the Institut du Nouveau Monde on November 26 and 27, 2018 at the Coeur des sciences of UQAM. A rich human experience through which hundreds of people reflected on how generations should interact in an inclusive Quebec. At the end of this Summit, a White Paper was submitted to the Government of Quebec. I will never forget the evening spent in the company of the late Serge Bouchard and Aurélie Lanctôt in front of a packed and attentive room.
AQÉI
At the request of the Quebec Association for Impact Assessment, I co-led with Jean Hébert, a vast one-year project – 2021-2022 – to review the way impact studies are produced. environmental in Quebec. The objective was to provide tools to professionals in the field to better communicate the results of their studies. This approach is part of a broader “Better Communicate” project in a field recognized for its complexity.
Article published in the daily LaPresse:
Scientific conferences
For nearly 20 years, I hosted more than a hundred conferences, congresses and scientific meetings. I was also invited to participate in these events as a guest.
I have always seen my role as that of the conveyor of ideas, the catalyst and in a certain way the guardian of time and order. It takes a lot of preparation, flexibility and daring to hold meetings of hundreds of researchers and academics. For me, this is an exercise in popularizing science in itself. Here are some examples of my animations or my participations.
Les entretiens Jacques-Cartier
Since 1987, the Jacques-Cartier interviews have served to create academic bridges between Quebec and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in France. On November 30, 2015, I was invited to Lyon to participate in the Rectors' Morning with Sylvain Lafrance, associate professor, HEC Montréal, Alain Fuchs, President, CNRS, Rémi Quirion, Chief Scientist of Quebec, Alain Poirier, Expert- Associate, INSPQ and Dominique Leglu, editorial director, Science et Avenir. A unique chance to discuss the importance of popularizing science.
CellCan
A promising avenue of research is that of cell therapies. I had the chance to host the major annual conference of researchers and clinicians in the field twice – in 2017 in Montreal and in 2019 in Toronto. A congress with an international scope which takes stock of therapies in development.
« A special mention for our moderator, Michel Rochon, who was able to take the discussions to the next level and ensure that the presentations reached their full potential.«
Organizers of the CellCAN Strategic Forum
Images from the Toronto forum.
Images from the Montreal forum
2017 event reference
2019 event reference
G7 Summit
Global action against dementia / Sommet Action mondiale contre la démence
On September 11 and 12, 2014, I hosted a major global dementia summit in Ottawa. G7 health policy makers, pharmaceutical representatives and cutting-edge researchers held an open dialogue to try to find avenues to accelerate the fight against Alzheimer's. An event prepared by Yves Joanette’s IRSC team.
Biovision
In April 2015, I was invited to moderate panels at Biovision, the "Forum mondial des sciences de la vie" in Lyon, France. It is a forum that allows dialogue between industry, the world of research and governments around best medical practices. The subject of that year: the arrival of personalized medicine.
A column on this subject:
IRSC scientific cafés
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research offered me the opportunity to host on a regular basis a whole series of scientific cafés intended for the general public in the early 2010s. Several of them were broadcast on television on Canal Savoir.
Here are some examples of the topics covered:
Génome Québec
I had a very nice and fruitful collaboration with Génome Québec in science popularization projects, including a successful scientific café on soil decontamination in urban areas in November 2015 at the Rialto in Montreal.
Communicate better to succeed in the innovation shift
BioQuébec and Génome Québec also invited me to participate in a panel in Quebec as part of the 11th Health Industry Forum in December 2017. It focused on the importance of scientific popularization to allow the public to better understand innovations in the field of genetics.
ACFAS
I also have occasional collaboration with ACFAS, the French Canadian association for the advancement of science. This privileged French-speaking network of the scientific community brings together 4,500 active members in 32 countries. Together, we produced a short online training course on the most effective way for researchers to collaborate with journalists: