Allison Fortner, Lamm Lab doctoral student studying science communication, completed the first half of her in-country internship in France. Allison is a science communication intern with the Safe Seaweed Coalition, an international organization focused on environmental, occupational, and consumer safety in the quickly expanding global seaweed industry.
Though Allison has been working with the Coalition and its Secretariat remotely since July of 2021, she was most excited to begin time connect with colleagues in France, where most of the Secretariat is based.
Allison is pursuing an International Agriculture Certificate through UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Requirements for completing this certificate include several internationally oriented courses, the completion of two language courses, and an international internship in a country in which English is not the first language for a minimum of eight weeks.
Because Allison only had the opportunity to complete one semester of French before traveling to France, her first stop was in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region where she spent a week in an immersive French school in the town of Morzine, which included staying with a host family. During this time, Allison spent her days learning French verb conjugations and the way of life in the mountainous region of France.
This time not only immersed her in the culture of this region, but allowed her a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of French families in more residential areas. In this region, outdoor activities such as skiing are highly valued, in addition to excellent cheese and produce from the area. Allison visited a fromagerie and learn more about the local agricultural products. Several small cheese vendors were spread throughout the market in addition to charcuterie vendors, which in contrast to current American culture is specifically prepared meat products.
After a week in Morzine, Allison visited Dijon and a Safe Seaweed Coalition colleague/revolutionary Vincent Doumeizel. Vincent recently published a book, La Révolution des Algues, detailing the coming Seaweed Revolution! Visiting Vincent and his family invited Allison to explore the Burgundy region of France, where some of the most expensive wines in the world are produced from historically coveted vineyards. Allison also got her first chance to taste seaweed tartare and other products during this time. Several different flavor mixes are incorporated into seaweed mixes, and these were particularly delicious on French breads, fresh from the local boulangerie.
The following week, Allison arrived in Paris where she spent four weeks soaking up French culture in a most historic city. Thanks to Vincent’s evangelism of the Seaweed Revolution, during her time in Paris, Allison had the opportunity to visit Radio France and even mock up an interview with José-Manuel Lamarque, a French journalist who covers matters from the ocean to the UN on France’s international radio station.
While learning the ropes of the Parisian life, affectionately described as metro, boulot, dodo (metro, work, sleep), Allison also visited the opening of “The ocean is alive!” photo exhibition by l’Institut de l’Océan, an excellent example of science communication set up by the banks of the Seine. This exhibit shares facts in English and French about current matters of ocean science (including seaweed) for members of the general public to peruse as they walk by notable sites such as the Conciergerie, Marie Antoinette’s castle-turned-prison. This display of science in the everyday lives of Parisians is a promising step in the right direction in capturing the attention of the public with important research-based matters.
Along with her fellow Secretariat member, Kevin, Allison additionally visited an artist seeking to scale up his products made completely from seaweed. Samuel Tomatis creates items from bowls to paper to chairs and panels all from seaweed. Samuel’s innovations feature several different types of seaweed used for the various products and is an example of bio-based materials that are currently gaining traction and looking for financing as seaweed production is scaled-up in the Western world.
To cap off her adventures in Paris, Allison visited a microalgae biobank at the Paris Museum of Natural History in which they catalogue strains of freshwater microalgae dating back over 100 years! Focused on preservation, research, and training, this impressive institute has been keeping track of strains of microalgae crucial to understanding ecosystems and the evolution of microalgae. Biobanking is particularly important and the focus of many funded projects of the Safe Seaweed Coalition because it helps catalogue biodiversity within a certain area and serves as a resource for development in the future as the commercial seaweed industry scales up.
In Paris, Allison reveled in making connections not only with French colleagues but with students and professionals from across the world sharing their experiences. She was particularly interested to learn how graduate programs work across different countries and cultures and how this aspect contributes to the culture of academia overall. Living and working internationally comes with its own set of challenges, while it is also rewarding and enlightening.
Allison concluded her four weeks in Paris and moved on to the CNRS Station Biologique de Roscoff in Bretagne to learn more about seaweed science through the researchers who have dedicated their lives to the discovery of seaweed and its myriad uses and processes, hosted by the Coalition’s Scientific Director, Dr. Philippe Potin. Stay tuned for the next post in which Allison will detail her activities in Roscoff, including visits to several seaweed businesses throughout Bretagne.
