French delegation focuses on collaborative projects during University of Arizona visit
Veronica Castro
The delegation toured U of A facilities, met with senior leadership, and learned about the latest research and innovation happening across campus.
A delegation from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) led by Chairman and CEO Antoine Petit visited the University of Arizona on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 to tour facilities, meet with senior leadership, and learn about the latest research and innovation happening across campus.
After a warm welcome from Elliott Cheu, interim senior vice president of research, several U of A researchers discussed their work in environmental justice, agrivoltaics, ecology and evolutionary biology.
Leslie Hawthorne Klingler
The morning session also included a recap of the previous year’s collaboration between the U of A and CNRS by Regis Ferriere, deputy director of France-Arizona Institute for Global Grand Challenges, director of IGLOBES International Research Laboratory CNRS ENS-PSL UA, and professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Before the campus visit concluded, Petit presented Ferriere with the Ordre National du Mérite for his contribution to international cooperation between France and the United States.
After meeting with University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella, Petit and the CNRS delegation toured the new Grand Challenges Research Building (GCRB), where the New Frontiers of Sound Sciences and Technology Center (NewFoS) is housed. CNRS named Pierre Deymier—director of NewFoS, a BIO5 member and professor of materials science and engineering—a fellow-ambassador earlier this year. Deymier was joined by Armin Sorooshian, CNRS ambassador for chemistry and university distinguished scholar in chemical and environmental engineering.
The tour of GCRB included presentations on five collaborative projects with CNRS, including the Lunar & Planetary Lab that focus on the grand challenge of extraterrestrial habitability. Space remained a central topic of discussion with updates on the OSIRIS-REx mission and the interdisciplinary research dedicated to the origin of life and consciousness at the Arizona Astrobiology Center.
To cap off the day, the UA Foundation hosted the CNRS delegation at the Sands Club, where representatives from both institutions agreed on the importance of maintaining this productive and impactful international partnership.