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Amanda Dobbs
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Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development
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ATLANTA — Georgia State University welcomed an esteemed group of French science and technology diplomats last week for a set of on-campus meetings that showcased the university’s multi-faceted research community. The goal of the visit was to promote bilateral partnerships in science, technology and innovation between France and the U.S., as well as foster exchange between researchers, doctoral students and entrepreneurs.
“Research is truly a universal language, and when we come together with international colleagues, it opens so many channels for learning,” said Wolfgang Schlör, associate provost for international initiatives at Georgia State, who participated in the visit. “We were pleased to see an abundance of common ground and overlapping interest on both sides.”
The campus visitors included Mireille Guyader, counsel for science and technology to the ambassador of France; Rami Abi-Akl, attaché for science and technology in Atlanta; and Leah Mamoune, head of finance and administration for science and technology. Greeting them from Georgia State were representatives from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business and the Office of International Initiatives, as well as Tim Denning, vice president for research and economic development.
Over lunch, Denning gave a brief history of Georgia State and the remarkable trajectory of the university’s research over the last few decades. “We’ve had remarkable growth without the benefit of some of the traditional engines that other universities have in terms of medical, engineering and agricultural schools,” Denning said. “We’re almost like an electric car — a very different kind of engine under the hood but still amazing performance and potential.”
Guyader shared how France’s international collaborations in domains including physical and mental health, the environment, pandemic preparedness and emerging technologies fuel progress on the global stage. She also highlighted French programs in place to foster research connections, such as the Chateaubriand Fellowship program for Ph.D. students that delivers funding support to initiate or strengthen collaborations and joint projects between French and American research teams.
“Bringing together different minds, different perspectives and different expertise can give us richer and more creative research,” said Abi-Akl. “We want to encourage that as much as we can.”
Learn more about the French Embassy’s Office of Science and Technology as well as opportunities, programs and events at https://franceintheus.org/spip.php?article415.
You can also find out more about Georgia State’s Office of International Initiatives and its work at https://international.gsu.edu/.