McMaster launches the Grenobole International Colloquia (MaGIC)

The Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Université Grenoble-Alpes’ Outreach Direction (UGA, DRI/DGD DIT) are proud to announce the launch of McMaster and Grenoble International Colloquia (MaGIC). MaGIC is an initiative connecting researchers and students across Hamilton and Grenoble working on shared topics. Through a series of virtual colloquia, MaGIC aims to build and maintain established connections between McMaster and UGA; enhance the opportunities for researchers, faculty, postdocs, and graduate students across the two universities to exchange knowledge and experiences;  explore new opportunities for scientific cooperation and research collaboration between the two universities; and foster international partnerships that could initiate exciting grant developments.  

First MaGIC session: Metallurgy 

On October 24th, MaGIC organized its first colloquium on Metallurgy, featuring McMaster faculty Dr. Hatem Zurob, Dr. André Phillion, and post-doc Dr. Bita Pourbahari, alongiside UGA faculty Prof. Alexis Deschamps and PhD student Marion Bregeault. Among various topics, presenters from both institutions had a chance to speak about student-centered partnerships between McMaster and UGA and our long history of collaborations in research and teaching. In addition, presenters emphasized the ongoing research activities in metallurgical processing, casting, product development and modelling of the bainitic transformation during continuous cooling in nuclear steel forgings. The colloquium also provided an excellent occasion to celebrate the achievements of Dr. Zurob, who was recently appointed to the Ordre des Palmes Académiques for his continued and outstanding collaborations with UGA and France. For more information on the October 24th event, please click here. If you are interested in listening to a recording of the Metallurgy colloquium, please reach out to OIA Research Intern Maia Lepingwell-Tardieu (lepingam@mcmaster.ca).  

Second upcoming MaGIC session: Challenges in Democratic Societies: Political Polarization and Economic Inequality 

The OIA and UGA are excited to announce their second colloquium on political science, “Challenges in Democratic Societies: Political Polarization and Economic Inequality.” Featuring Dr. Andrea Lawlor (McMaster) and Prof. Sonja Zmerli (Sciences Po – UGA), this colloquium will explore themes of politicization, hyperpolarization, and political trust. For more information about the colloquium, to view the session agenda, and to read the presentation abstracts, please click here. 

• Date: Thursday, November 14th, 2024 

• Time: 10:00am-11:30am  

• Location: Hybrid | OIA Boardroom, GH101 & Virtual via Zoom  

• Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6mgSVnlcf0NkqI-Fs4ddPAp1qK73b87sqsLfuMzA_bsEo0A/viewform  

Are you interested in hosting a MaGIC session?  

If you are interested in participating in the OIA-UGA MaGIC initiative or would like to lead a colloquium, please contact OIA director Dr. Amira El Masri (amira.elmasri@mcmaster.ca). If you do not have an existing contact at UGA, the OIA would be happy to facilitate faculty connections, so please don’t hesitate to reach out.  

To access a list of current funding opportunities to support this Canada-France research collaboration and mobility, please click here.