Bioceb Induction week August 28th - September 2nd 2023

Bioceb welcomed its fourth cohort in Reims, in the presence of staff from URCA and AgroParisTech. Aalto’s, ULiège’s and TalTech’s representatives, as well as a few students who could not be present in-person, took part to the event online, so that the whole consortium and the 20 students could be brought together.

The Induction week began with the presentation of the Bioceb programme and of the partner universities. Then the students introduced themselves by showing objects and pictures which define them and their country of origin. The backgrounds of the students (chemical engineering, biology/biotech/biochemistry, soil, environment, health) and the diversity of their geographical origin (18 nationalities) confirmed the relevancy of a multidisciplinary and intercultural programme in this field. To finish, Anusha Bhat from the second cohort and Bioceb representative at the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA) presented the association.

In the afternoon, the session dedicated to the Green Line Project (GLP) took place, to explain the pedagogic objectives, organization and proposal of this major module in the Bioceb curriculum.
The students will be working on the following topics:
– Track 1 – Valorization of food-process wastes
– Track 2 – Lignin valorization in a circular economy framework: a SWOT analysis
– Track 3 – Novel dissolution and functionalization environments for synthesis of fatty acid esters of cellulose
– Track 4 – Production and purification processes of lipopeptides
– Track 5 – Pre-treatments of biodegradable polymers for fast degradation in biological waste treatment processes

During this week, the students had the opportunity to listen to Pr Thomas Lauvaux from GSMA laboratory, who gave a fascinating conference on "Atmospheric monitoring of greenhouse gases for climate mitigation policies".

The courses eventually started on Thursday and Friday, with the presentation of the semester, the visit of URCA’s labs and the first disciplinary reinforcement courses.

The 2023 Induction week included time of exchange between students, for instance speed meetings, theatre and intercultural workshops, outdoor lunch, students’ party etc.

Cultural activities were not lacking during the week, with the visit of the Champagne vineyards and cellars in Epernay and Mutigny. On Staurday, the students visited the G.H. Mumm cellars and the Boulingrin market in Reims.

Many thanks to the URCA team for organizing this warm and stimulating event and welcome to Bioceb’s fourth cohort!