Mountain Research School 2021, mission accomplished!

The first Mountain Research School brought together 11 doctoral students from Labex ITTEM and OSUG from June 28 to July 2, 2021, between the Col du Lautaret and the Refuge du Pavé in the heart of the Ecrins National Park. Its primary objective was to enable participants from different research disciplines to cross-fertilize their perspectives, by engaging in dialogue with the dozen or so speakers mobilized, in a high alpine mountain environment.

Jean-Baptiste Grison, in charge of training at Labex ITTEM and present alongside the doctoral students throughout the week, gives an overview of the^1st Mountain Research School:

“The starting point was the Jardin du Lautaret, a local branch of the Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), whose director Jean-Gabriel Valay described its main functions, which include welcoming the public and providing a center for observing and measuring climate change. The group stopped off at the Alpe de Villar-d’Arène refuge, after which Isabelle Frochot – a lecturer and researcher in management science at Savoie-Mont-Blanc University – presented her work on the singular tourist experience of mountain goers, between disconnection and links with everyday practices. Philippe Bourdeau, geographer and scientific coordinator of Labex ITTEM, pointed out that the Alpe de Villar-d’Arène refuge is one of the central sites of the Refuges sentinelles scheme, through which refuge wardens participate in the co-construction and mediation of scientific knowledge, as illustrated by the video produced during the Refuge Remix operation.

Climatologist Martin Ménégoz (UGA) presented major advances in research into the evolution of mountain climates, followed by field observations around the Arcine lakes pass. Énora Bruley, a doctoral student in ecology at UGA, demonstrated the value of building a serious game on sustainable territorial governance, while Mikaël Chambru, a teacher-researcher in communication sciences at UGA, led a discussion on the challenges of scientific mediation.

On Wednesday, the ascent to the Pavé refuge was accompanied by observations from geologist Philippe Schoeneich (UGA), while the following day, the descent was devoted to observations of high-altitude plant dynamics with ecologist Isabelle Boulangeat (Inrae). To conclude, physicist Vincent Favier (UGA) presented the latest methods for measuring glacier dynamics and the 3D modeling he has derived from them.

Back at Le Lautaret, the doctoral students present emphasized the value of this week for initiating interdisciplinary dialogues based on their thesis topics, and also realized that their subjects of study can be viewed from very different perspectives. The walk, which punctuated the stay, helped to emphasize a different relationship to the field, by crossing the object of study and the lived experience. It was also an opportunity to bring to life the multi-disciplinary nature of the Labex ITTEM and OSUG, which their respective directors, Philippe Bourdeau and Hans-Werner Jacobi, strongly desire, in order to raise the profile of Grenoble’s university expertise in mountain areas.

Read more about the Mountain Research School in Pauline Boulet’s article in Alpine Mag.