I
HAVE just returned from a presentation by Prof Philippe Bouchet who headed a
research expedition from September to December last year in Madang and Chimbu
provinces.
Prof
Bouchet works at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris.
UPNG’s
Dr Ralph Mana (who is a collaborating lecturer from our local campus) told me
that that museum is the oldest in the world and has collections of animal and
plant life forms from all over the world.
From
the partnering of organizations, institutions and countries, it looks good for
young scientific researchers in PNG – particularly in zoology or animal
science.
Photo: Prof Philippe Bouchet. Dr Ralph Mana is at the back.
Out
of this collaborative effort, a PNG woman scientist was selected and is working
in Paris in similar tasks of identifying and classifying the life forms (as
they did in Madang last year).
Dr
Mana told me that in October, two UPNG students would also be sent to Central
France where Prof Bouchet and his team have another laboratory set up.
The
students will continue the efforts in further research and classification tasks.
I
think this is a great effort and looks promising for our young PNG scientists and
researchers.
(At
the presentation I also met Dr Nicholas Garnier and some of our French “wantoks”.)
As
I may have said in the past – France to me is not just football (soccer) and chocolates;
top scientists like Pierre and Marie Curie, Blaise Pascal and Louis Pasteur were
bred there.
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