To celebrate the thirtieth ‘Fête de la Science’, the Alliance Française de Melbourne hosted an online round table discussion with five bilingual French scientists and PhD students. The theme of the discussion was: The impact of bilingualism on science and scientific careers. The panellists spoke about their experiences working in the domain of science and how being bilingual has boosted their careers. They also spoke about how languages shape the way we see the world and do research. The webinar was moderated by Professor Frédéric Hollande (Professor, Clinical Pathology, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre) and the panellists included French scientists working in Australia from a range of disciplines (engineering, ecology, marine biology, biochemistry, etc.)
Many of our senior French students also study sciences and a number of students in Years 10 and 11 took up the opportunity to participate in the session. Here’s what they had to say:
The most inspiring thing I learnt was how the panellists used their native language to assist them in broadening their opportunities in the science field whilst tackling the culture shock and challenges with using a second language and being in a foreign country. It was also great to hear about how being able to know these languages allows you to access more material to help one with one’s goal.
Farah (Year 11)
For me, I felt that attending the webinar was really useful to think about my future in a way I hadn't really considered before. It was very valuable to hear the experiences and advice of real people who have studied abroad in science fields.
Chelsea (Year 10)
It was very interesting to hear about how much the speakers benefited from being able to speak another language in terms of their careers and being able to do the courses or jobs that they were passionate about regardless of whether they were in France or an English-speaking country.
Lara (Year 10)
The webinar was recorded (see here: https://www.afmelbourne.com.au/schools-and-teachers/fete-de-la-science/) and I encourage any student who was not able to attend to take some time to watch it during the break. It is quite inspiring.
Year 8 Italian Poetry Competition Winners
In other news, the results for the Year 8 Italian CIS (Centre of Italian Studies) poetry competition in which OLMC students participated online in October have been released. We are very proud to announce that two of our students were named prize-winners in this inter-school competition.
They are:
Nari - Secondo Premio
Stefania - Terzo Premio
These two students received a book voucher prize.
In addition, the following students were awarded an Honourable Mention:
Year 8 Italian
- Alessia
- Amelia
- Mia
- Madeline
- Alyssa
- Lara
- Charlotte
- Liana
- Natalie
Year 8 non – Italian
- Mary
- Lexie
- Hannah
- Grace
- Maria
The judges were very impressed with what the students were able to achieve as they recited their poems from memory, using correct pronunciation and expression. Considering that the final preparation for this competition took place during remote learning, this was a wonderful achievement.