Literacy, La Rotonde culture scientifique Guillaume Desbrosse

Advancing scientific, technical and industrial literacy, a challenge for society – An interview with Guillaume Desbrosse

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What is the role of a center for scientific literacy and what sort of work does its director do? What are the goals of the AMCSTI (Association of Museums and Centers for the Advancement of Scientific, Technical and Industrial Culture)? Guillaume Desbrosse, the Director of CCSTI La Rotonde Mines Saint-Étienne, who has recently been appointed president of the AMCSTI, explains the challenges and goals of organizations dedicated to scientific, technical and industrial literacy.

 

What are the goals of a center for scientific culture such as La Rotonde, and as the director of the center, what does your work involve?

La Rotonde’s goal is to share scientific, technical and industrial knowledge with the widest possible audience through different media, in order to respond to a challenge facing society: creating conditions for bringing people into contact with science. La Rotonde is a venue for an annual program of cultural events for the general public including exhibitions, theater, debates, workshops and conferences. At the same time, we develop activities “outside our walls” which allow us to reach out to populations who may not consider visiting a center for scientific culture: events, science education projects for schools, projects carried out with the city of St-Étienne cultural partners and many more. We are also a center for producing scientific literacy resources: exhibitions, children’s books, comic books, films etc. We use all forms of media to talk about science!

At La Rotonde I lead a team of nine people and we all work together to create and carry out projects. I’m in charge of coordinating the team’s work, responding to calls for projects, creating partnerships and collaborations with other organizations and developing strategies to expand the reach of La Rotonde and Mines St-Étienne. We’ve developed many different projects including Mondo Minot, an exhibition intended for very young visitors which gives children aged 2-7 the opportunity to discover science. It has been brought to life three times with a different version each time and has been presented in a number of venues in France. It is currently on display at Quai des Savoirs in Toulouse. We have also developed the Escapad project, an immersive children’s book which is associated with a tablet through an innovative, patented device. Esca’Pad takes 6-9-year-olds on a journey to explore the island of Madagascar, where we have partnerships with several research libraries and cultural sites. The project is produced through collaboration between La Rotonde, Avant-Goût Studio, and Universcience, which groups together La Cité des Sciences and Le Palais de la Découverte.

Read more on I’MTech At La Rotonde, the scientific mediation is based on experiments

How does the AMCSTI work?

It is an association which groups together 194 professional organization members, including very large organizations such as the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie or the Museum of Natural History as well as smaller associations throughout France.

Its purpose is to bring together different players around projects and themes so that professionals can meet one another, engage in dialogue and increase their expertise. It also works on strategic positioning on a national level and interactions with different ministries: it is necessary to establish contacts with the world of culture, education, tourism, innovation, industry etc. Scientific literacy leads to a cross-disciplinary approach. The AMCSTI fosters dialogue between the professionals who work in the field and carry out projects and the political representatives or local authorities who support these scientific literacy projects.

 

Can you tell us about your current or upcoming projects at AMSCTI?

Soon we will be launching new projects and establishing a strategic plan for the next three years. We’re working on developing themes: last year’s proposed area of focus was “Culture, beliefs and sciences.” The goal is to help citizens learn to think critically in order to face rising obscurantism and to steer the debate in the right direction by showing the differences between beliefs and knowledge. We are thinking about subjects involving innovation, to show how our association can be a source of collaboration in this field. We are closely linked with the world of business, industry and startups. In the coming months, we will also launch themes dedicated to healthcare. A working group is now studying vaccines, which is a controversial subject. Our fellow citizens’ growing resistance to science can be explained by a lack of dialogue or popularization programs and the pervasiveness of fake news and a certain vagueness in discourse. Our job is therefore to bring together the different players involved in the association to work on specific actions and themes. We strive to provide innovative, creative, high-level popularization programs for the general public in order to help people become more curious, learn to think critically and form their own opinions about the world of today and tomorrow.

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AMCSTI is the national network of scientific, technical and industrial culture professionals (CSTI). Museums, research organizations, zoos, universities, foundations etc. A wide range of players is represented within the association. AMCSTI supports its members and brings them together to foster the advancement and recognition of scientific, technical and industrial culture.

Find out more about AMCSTI

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Industry without borders : l'industrie du futur au-delà des frontières

Between France and Germany, studying the metamorphosis of industry beyond borders

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The “Industry Without Borders” project, launched on November 15, 2017 as part of the German-French Academy for the Industry of the Future, brings together French and German scientists. The project involves sociologists, economists, management and strategy researchers, and aims to study the transformation of contemporary industries. Madeleine Besson, the project leader at IMT, provides a more detailed look at the advantages of this collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (Technische Universität München, TUM).

 

This project is part of the German-French Academy for the Industry of the Future. Could you remind us what this academy hopes to achieve?

Madeleine Besson: On October 27, 2015, under the partnership between the French Alliance for Industry of the Future and the German platform Industrie 4.0, IMT and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) created the German-French Academy for the Industry of the Future. This academy involves new content for training in digital transformation, summer schools, and for a large part of joint research projects. This content is centered on both very technical subjects, such as hybrid blockchain architectures for the industry of the future, and on human and organizational aspects of digitalization.

In this context, what is the goal of the “Industry without borders” project?

MB: The industry of the future is defined by networks and links between a variety of heterogeneous elements. Production technology, organizations, innovative activities and products, to name just a few, will be closely linked with one other. As a result, data, information and knowledge will be exchanged among all these elements. Some of these exchanges will occur between people, or will at least be controlled by them. But in other cases, they will occur between cyber-physical systems without any human intervention or direct control. Organizational borders will no longer limit the exchange and flow of the resulting information. This is precisely why the “Industry Without Borders” project is trying to understand how digital transformation in industry is changing organizational borders.

What areas of expertise do IMT and TUM provide in the study of organizational transformation?

MB: I coordinate the French team composed of IMT researchers over three sites: Télécom École de Management (TEM) in the Paris region, Mines Saint-Étienne and IMT Atlantique in Brittany. We have brought together experts in management and marketing at TEM, as well as strategy at Mines Saint-Étienne and economy at IMT Atlantique. The researchers are all highly dedicated to understanding the impact of digitalization in their respective fields.

As for TUM, and in particular the MCTS (technology and society research center at the Technological University of Munich), Uli Meyer’s team is specialized in the field of sociology. This covers sociology of work, sociology of innovation, and sociology of sciences and techniques.

What do you gain from collaborating with a technical university in Germany?

MB: Whether for the teams at TEM or the researchers at Mines Saint-Étienne and IMT Atlantique, we have a tradition of applying management research to technology. This is also true of the researchers at MCTS. This collaboration allows us to study an important subject with a strong team of people dedicated to the subject. We can combine complementary methods and explore the issue form both sides of the Rhine.

From a methodological point of view, the MCTS is specialized in company ethnography methods, and will provide us with training in this area. In exchange, we have expertise in econometrics which we can share with them. In order to create a true Franco-German research unit, we are currently looking for established companies on both sides of the Rhine to participate in the research. Again, collaboration between the teams is precious here.

What scientific production is anticipated from the project?

MB: There are different sorts of outcomes anticipated from this project. Of course, we expect to produce initial results on redefining the borders of organizations undergoing digitalization. We hope to share the results in conferences and scientific journals. A complementary objective is to use the elements we collect to create teaching materials. Finally, our objective with the TUM in this first research phase, is for an ambitious Franco-German project, for which we will seek funding from French and German research agencies. To increase the credibility of our future plan, one result in itself will be the team’s ability to develop a joint methodology and coordinate data collection in the industrial organizations based in the two countries.

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A word from Judith Igelsböck,
researcher at the Technical University of Munich (TUM)

Here at the MCTS, we are privileged to be able to discover different epistemic cultures and create new areas of knowledge with the researchers at IMT. They have vast experience in the study of industry and innovation. With their expertise, we will be able to enrich our exploration into the way industrial boundaries are changing, disappearing and being rebuilt to adapt to the requirements of open innovation, new digital technologies, and new ways of organizing and distributing work. This will provide a unique working environment for interdisciplinary and trans-national study of today’s industries.

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composite materials

Composite Materials: the race to keep going faster

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In the world of materials, composites are currently undergoing a transformation that is just a significant as the plastics boom in the 1960s. To massively integrate these materials into high-volume production markets—automotive, aeronautics, rail, etc.—manufacturers must further reduce the time it takes to mold the parts. This complex goal is attainable by redesigning the materials’ composition and architecture, adapting the manufacturing processes used, and relying on new digital simulation tools.

 

“Fifteen years ago, we were happy when we could produce a complex part made of structural composites in five minutes,” recalls Patricia Krawczak, a materials researcher at IMT Lille Douai. In 2017, the requirements are more demanding. Many sectors are interested in the mechanical properties that composites have to offer, including the transportation industry. These new materials—which are more resistant, lighter, and more durable—pave the way for breakthrough products, and offer new economic opportunities. It is therefore necessary to be able to integrate them massively into markets with high-production volumes, such as the automotive industry. According to the Industry of the Future Alliance, the greatest industrial challenges currently facing composite materials are the reduction of molding cycle and manufacturing times, and the development of “high-speed” processes. For automotive parts, the target is set at around one minute.

Also read on I’MTech What is a composite material?

At the request of manufacturers, scientists are working to meet this challenge. To do so, the plastic resins used as the matrices to impregnate fiber reinforcements have already been modified for some time now. Researchers have switched from thermosetting resins—which harden when heated—to thermoplastic resins, which melt with heat and harden as the part returns to room temperature. “Cure times for thermosetting resins are fairly long, even though the suppliers of these matrices are making progress and working to reduce them,” explains Patricia Krawczak. However, thermoplastic resins can be shaped quickly, for example by using a hot-pressing process, stamping, or using injection technology on a fiber preform, without the need for any further curing. “In this respect, these resins can help reduce the cycle time,” the researcher explains.

 

A comprehensive “materials/process/products” approach

However, modifying the nature of the resin isn’t all that is required to reduce manufacturing time. In order for parts to feature high mechanical performance properties, defects, such as air bubbles trapped in the material, must be avoided at all costs. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the thermoplastic resin completely penetrates between the reinforcement fibers once it has become liquid through increased temperature. Yet these resins are known for being more viscous than thermosetting resins. Scientists must reduce the viscosity of these resins to gain a competitive edge and take advantage of the thermoplastics’ capacity to be shaped quickly. “We are working with chemists to develop polymers that retain the same properties once they become solid, while being more fluid at the processing temperature,” Patricia Krawczak explains.

Researchers in materials science can also adapt the architecture of the reinforcements. Within composite materials are fibers that form strands composed of filaments. They can be assembled–woven, braided or sewn–in different ways. “The way the reinforcement is formed affects the properties of the final composite material, as well as the permeability of the fiber preform, which therefore influences how the resin flows into the reinforcement,” Patricia Krawczak notes. In order to find the best structure, with the right balance between mechanical properties and sufficient permeability, the researcher’s team is also working with fiber reinforcement designers.

Another available means of action lies in the manufacturing process itself, particularly by adapting it to the specific characteristics of the materials that make up the composite itself: the polymer matrix and the reinforcement fiber. “Our team has developed fast hybrid processes that integrate several steps into a single molding operation, for example by combining resin transfer molding and compression molding, or thermoforming/stamping of local composite inserts and overmolding,” Patricia Krawczak explains. In addition to the shortened manufacturing cycle, this mix of processes significantly reduces the number of basic components that must be assembled to produce a complex part. This is a significant benefit for the plastic parts manufacturers that partner with IMT Lille Douai.

 

Optimization platform for new composite processes (POPCOM). Photo: IMT Lille Douai.

 

Digital technology helps identify optimal materials-process pairings

In practice, composite materials offer a very impressive range of “matrix polymer / fiber reinforcement / manufacturing process” combinations, which has been further increased by recent innovations from producers—chemists and textile manufacturers—and processors. To speed up the design of industrial parts, researchers develop virtual engineering chains. Using a technological platform equipped with prototype tools and demonstrators that represent industrial manufacturing processes, they analyze, identify and model impregnation mechanisms. They therefore complement and improve on the manufacturing numerical simulation tools.

“For example, a few years ago we worked with a highly reactive resin that had a gel time of one minute,” says Patricia Krawczak. “But at the time, the available simulation software did not take into account the spatial and temporal variations in the viscosity of these very fast-polymerizing resins. We therefore had to update the digital tool by incorporating a specific model combining thermokinetic reactions and flow”. It was then possible to properly simulate the impregnation of different types of reinforcements with this resin on geometrically complex automotive body parts. By conducting numerical tests, many more combinations have been explored. Researchers can work faster and identify the best configurations to optimize manufacturing technologies. They can therefore successfully reduce cycle times while still maintaining the level of quality and performance.

By studying the materials virtually, as well as the processes used, scientists can dare to explore methods that seem counter-intuitive. This was the case during a European project in which IMT Lille Douai partnered with manufacturers to reduce the molding cycle time for the floor structure of a motor vehicle. “By having our models integrate the way fiber fabrics are distorted during the draping procedure and the consequences this has on the local flow of resin, we were able to simulate a process. We proposed inlet points for the sequential injection of resin, distribution channels and vents at areas on the part that were not the most logical choices for manufacturers,” Patricia Krawczak recalls. But the numerical model had accurately predicted that the resin would impregnate the reinforcement faster and in a more homogeneous manner using this strategy. This result was then confirmed through full-scale experimental validations.

Today, the researchers continue to pursue this scientific approach—supported by industrial collaborations—to explore the potential of new materials and innovative processes. The digital tools are adapted to accurately simulate new technological alternatives and respond to the growing demand for natural fibers in composite materials. Due to their porous nature, they absorb part of the resin and swell. This phenomenon must therefore be included in the simulations, in hopes that this will lead to the discovery of new, more efficient scenarios. Cycle times are no longer improved by several minutes, like they were fifteen years ago; now they are improved by tens of seconds. This gain is still a considerable one in industries that can potentially produce thousands of composite parts each day.

Find out more about natural fiber-based high-performance composites:

Flax and hemp among tomorrow’s high-performance composite materials

 

appli sante, health apps

Will health apps soon be covered by health insurance?

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Charlotte Krychowski, Télécom École de Management – Institut Mines-Télécom ;
Meyer Haggège, Grenoble École de Management (GEM) and Myriam Le Goff-Pronost, IMT Atlantique – Institut Mines-Télécom

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[dropcap]“A[/dropcap]pproval”. It has now been a year since the French National Authority for Health (HAS) reached a positive conclusion on whether the Diabeo application could be reimbursed by national health insurance. The application is designed to help diabetic patients in dosage and ongoing treatment. This is a first for mobile applications!

The actual ruling of whether the application can be reimbursed, however, depends on the publication of results of a medical and economic study being carried out on the tool. The Telesage study, launched in 2015, includes 700 diabetic patients in France and should indicate the effectiveness of the measure.

Over recent years, there has been a worldwide explosion of mobile applications dedicated to health. Research 2 Guidance, a company specializing in analyzing this market, estimates their number at 259,000 in 2016, compared with 100,000 a year earlier.

Apps for physical exercise, counting calories and making doctor’s appointments

They have many different uses: coaching to encourage physical exercise or healthy eating, calorie counting, making doctor’s appointments, monitoring performance in sports, offering diagnoses, monitoring chronic diseases such as diabetes and soon, cancer with Moovcare, an application designed to detect relapses after a lung tumor. Of course, not all these applications carry the possibility of being reimbursed by Social Security Services. At this point, those recognized by health authorities as medical devices, are rare. These are applications that have received a CE marking, issued by ANSM (Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des produits de santé). Their use is reserved for diagnostic or therapeutic means. For such applications the technical requirements are higher, as the health of patients is at stake. For example, an application that allows users to take a photo of a mole so that they can evaluate the risk of a melanoma (skin cancer) has not been considered a medical device, as the editor didn’t commit any validity to the result and explained that the application was solely educational.

health apps

Sports performance monitoring applications are very popular amongst jogging fans. Shutterstock

 

Diabéo, an app used by both patients and nurses

Diabeo is an application monitoring diabetes, labelled a class IIb medical device, and available only by prescription. It was developed by French company Voluntis, in collaboration with the Center for Study and Research into Improving Treatment of Diabetes (CERITD) and a French pharmaceutical lab, Sanofi-Aventis. It provides patients with a “connected” record of their blood sugar levels (glycaemia). The application is coupled with a patch which is to be stuck to the arm, and a small device, a blood sugar level reader. It is used by both the patient and the nursing team. Diabeo allows the patient to adjust the dose of insulin they need to inject, especially at meal times, using the treatment prescribed by their doctor. The application also acts as a motivator, supplying patients with health practices to follow that will help keep their illness under control.

The nursing team, on the other hand, receives reports on the patient’s blood sugar levels in real time. Alerts are triggered when they go over certain thresholds. This system facilitates continuous monitoring of the patient, allowing them to arrange appointments if their treatment needs adjusting.

This app is particularly useful as we find ourselves in an era where the incidence of diabetes is skyrocketing, whilst the number of doctors is on the decline.

Patient empowerment

The example of Diabeo illustrates the benefits we can draw from mobile health, or “m-health”. In the first instance, this allows us to improve the effectiveness of treatment through a personalized monitoring system and increased involvement of the patient in their own treatment, something we call “patient empowerment”. M-health also improves the patient’s quality of life as well as that of those around them.

Mobile health can also facilitate the transfer of information to a medical organization, allowing health professionals to concentrate on their core activity: providing healthcare. Continuously monitoring the patient ultimately reduces the risk of hospitalization, and should it occur, the average length of their stay. This could have a significant impact on public spending, especially as hospitals are being pushed to tighten the belt.

With treatments getting better and the average lifespan getting longer, chronic illnesses now form a growing part, and now even the majority, of our spending on healthcare. This means that it is necessary that public healthcare changes its mentality o purely providing healthcare to focusing on prevention and coordination of care.

Mobile health solutions may ease this transition. For example, Belgium released €3.5 million at the start of 2017 for a six-month experiment in reimbursing 24 health apps and mobile devices that allow users to monitor or treat patients from a distance. The Belgian government’s objective is to learn from these pilot projects before extending the reimbursement program in 2018.

The Medical Board gives its position

Until now, France has been falling behind in the use of digital health technology or “e-health”, but it now seems ready for a fresh approach. The country is taking on board the advice given by HAS on Diabeo, as well as the report to the National Assembly in January, stating that Social Security will partially cover the cost of connected objects for high-risk populations. Along the same lines, the French National Medical Board (CNOM) has stated it is in favor of national health insurance coverage, provided that the evaluation of the applications and connected objects shows benefits for health.

Nevertheless, several conditions are necessary for mobile applications to be able to generate the expected health benefits. In terms of the State, an absolute prerequisite is the regulation of health-related data, to guarantee confidentiality.

Additionally, health authorities must endeavor to evaluate the connected medical devices faster. In total, it has been ten years since Diabeo was developed (clinical tests started in 2007) and the positive response on its reimbursement was issued by the National Authority for Health (HAS). The current time taken for evaluations to be completed are out of sync with the rapid rate at which digital technology is progressing. This is an issue that is also being faced by the American equivalent of HAS, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

 

health apps

The application Diabeo is aimed at people suffering from diabetes, but also at doctors, who can receive blood sugar level reports from their patients in real time. Shutterstock

Introducing digital technology when training doctors

We must also amend the payment system for health professionals. Fee-for-service, as is practiced today, forms part of a treatment-based mentality, and does not encourage investment in prevention.

Using health apps requires us to reorganize training systems, for example by introducing teaching on digital technology in medicine studies and by creating training courses for future professions that may emerge in digital healthcare. For example, in the case of Diabeo, there will be a need to train nurses in distance monitoring of diabetes.

In terms of businesses, first and foremost, structuring of the sector must continue. France is a dynamic breeding ground for start-ups in the e-health sector, which will surely mean that better coordination will be required. The creation of structures such as the e-Health France Alliance or France eHealthTech is a first step towards allowing French businesses to gain visibility abroad and establishing a dialogue with public authorities in France.

Linking start-ups with pharmaceutical labs

Fundamentally speaking, beyond technological innovation, these companies must also innovate according to their economic models. This may occur through the alliance with major pharmaceutical labs that are searching for new paths for growth. This is the strategy that Voluntis successfully followed not only when they collaborated closely with Sanofi to produce Diabeo, but also in other therapeutic sectors, collaborating with Roche and AstraZeneca.

New economic models may call for private funding, for example from health insurance companies. These models may implement variable reimbursement rates, depending on results obtained by the app designers for a target population on predefined criteria, for example, a lower rate of hospitalization or better health stability in patients.

It seems likely that the State, by expanding the legislative framework and rethinking traditional economic models, will benefit from the potential offered by these technological advances, as will the public.

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Charlotte Krychowski, Lecturer in strategic management, Télécom École de Management – Institut Mines-Télécom ; Meyer Haggège, Post-Doctorate Researcher in strategic management and innovation, Grenoble École de Management (GEM) and Myriam Le Goff-Pronost, Associate Professor, IMT Atlantique – Institut Mines-Télécom

The original version of this article was published in French on The Conversation.