Major Events in May 2025

AI and Mathematics for Meteorology and Climatology

Conferences organized by the Avenir Commun Durable initiative in the form of a symposium aimed at presenting the state of the art at the interface between mathematics, physics, and statistical learning using deep neural networks. This symposium will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of various modeling strategies, as well as the assumptions incorporated in the form of equations or algorithmic architectures, in relation to physics. The goal is to foster dialogue among mathematicians, AI researchers, meteorologists, and climatologists.

May 5, 2025, at the Collège de France (Marcelin Berthelot campus, Marguerite de Navarre lecture hall).

In Search of Avenir Commun Durable

A series of conferences organized as part of the Avenir Commun Durable initiative, taking the form of a roundtable discussion moderated by a journalist and attended by researchers from projects supported by the initiative.

True to the values of the Collège de France, Avenir Commun Durable aims to contribute to public debate by providing reliable information and data derived from rigorous and demanding research. Since its launch, the initiative has already supported five ambitious research projects, spanning both the humanities and social sciences as well as the experimental sciences.
These roundtables aim to help everyone better understand the goals, approaches, and expectations that shape this research.

“Toward an Epistemology of Research on Preindustrial Socio-Agrosystems. The Case of Irrigated Agriculture in Medieval Lombardy” by Patrick Boucheron, Louise Gentil, and Salomé Tissolong.
Lecture on May 13, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Collège de France (Marcelin Berthelot campus, Guillaume Budé lecture hall).

The Comédie-Française at the Collège de France

The Collège de France and the Comédie-Française are organizing a series of seven sessions during which professors and actors will discuss the science of theater—what it means to act, direct, deliver verse and prose, embody life and society, and take the stage to speak about the world and to the world.

“Performing: in the Theater, in Film, or Elsewhere” by Éric Ruf, Antoine Lilti, and Isabelle Nanty
. Lecture on May 14, 2025, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Collège de France (Marcelin Berthelot campus, Marguerite de Navarre amphitheater).

Taking Action for Education – Rekindling a Love of Math in Schools

A series of lectures organized as part of the “Taking Action for Education” initiative by Stanislas Dehaene, Stéphane Mallat, and Pierre-Michel Menger, on the topic of mathematics.

Notoriously difficult, yet also a source of beauty, mystery, and enthusiasm, mathematics is losing its appeal among many students. Even more concerning is that, over the past thirty years, surveys have shown a steady decline in student performance, particularly in arithmetic and problem-solving, which now places France—according to the TIMSS survey—at the bottom of the rankings among European countries.

“How Can We Foster a Love of Mathematics Using the Singapore Method?” by Monica Neagoy
. Lecture on May 21, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Collège de France (Marcelin Berthelot campus, Maurice Halbwachs lecture hall) and live on the Collège de France Foundation’s channel.

“Electron Transfer” – Louis Fensterbank

The symposium will present major advances in single-electron transfer, exploring various contexts such as photochemistry, electrochemistry, and catalysis. The rationalization of experimental results—and in particular, the understanding of electron flow—will be based on mechanistic studies and DFT modeling.

May 14, 2025, at the Collège de France (Marcelin-Berthelot campus, Maurice Halbwachs lecture hall).

“Perspectives on Geoengineering” – François-Marie Bréon

The symposium explores geoengineering techniques, the challenges they pose, and their legal and ethical dimensions, and aims to foster dialogue among climatologists, social scientists, industry representatives, and policymakers

May 15, 2025, at the Collège de France (Marcelin-Berthelot campus, Mireille Delmas-Marty lecture hall).

“The Book in the Muslim World: History and Techniques” – François Déroche

Studies on the materiality and history of the pre-printing era Arab-Islamic manuscript reveal a tradition spanning eighteen centuries and covering a vast territory. This conference offers an overview of current research, highlighting various approaches characteristic of this field.

May 15 and 16, 2025, at the Collège de France (Marcelin-Berthelot campus; May 15 in the Maurice Halbwachs Auditorium and May 16 in the Mireille Delmas-Marty Auditorium).

“Information Processing in Biological Systems” – Thomas Lecuit

May 16, 2025, at the Collège de France (Marcelin-Berthelot campus, Maurice Halbwachs lecture hall).

“Boulez: Invention in Power? The Years 1975–1995” – Pierre-Michel Menger

A symposium organized to mark the centennial of Pierre Boulez’s birth by Prof. Pierre-Michel Menger, holder of the Chair in the Sociology of Creative Work, and Nicolas Donin , professor of musicology at the University of Geneva.
With the support of the Collège de France Foundation and its major patron, LVMH.
The symposium will feature two concerts performed by the Ensemble intercontemporain, a partner of the event.

May 22 and 23, 2025, at the Collège de France (Marcelin-Berthelot campus, Marguerite de Navarre Amphitheater).

“Oxidative Stress in Cancer” – Hugues de Thé

May 26, 2025, at the Collège de France (Marcelin-Berthelot campus, Guillaume Budé lecture hall).

Start of training for teachers:

• Franck Courchamp
• Didier Fassin
• Sonia Garel
• Edith Heard
• Marc Henneaux
• Luigi Rizzi

Continuation of training sessions for teachers:

• Nathalie Bajos
• Thierry Coquand
• Antoine Georges