This text is part of the special section 100 years of Acfas
When he considers the origins of Acfas, in the Quebec of the Roaring Twenties, its president Jean-Pierre Perreault is struck by one thing: the organization’s modernity. From day one, during the founding meeting of June 15, 1923, which brought together scientific associations working in a wide variety of disciplines ranging from biology to philosophy, including astronomy, economics and chemistry, the Canadian Association association for the advancement of science — hence the acronym Acfas — has given itself a fourfold mission: to promote interdisciplinarity, the French language, communication and encourage the next generation.
“A lot of organizations have trouble aging, but look: a hundred years later, Acfas is still based on the same four pillars. If we wanted to recreate Acfas in 2023, we would do exactly the same thing,” said the president, also vice-rector for research and graduate studies at the Université de Sherbrooke.
Commemorations
While Acfas still maintains secrecy about how it will officially celebrate its 100th anniversary on June 15, 2023, it has nevertheless announced two dozen commemorative events throughout this anniversary year. One of the high points will certainly have been the unveiling of The fabulous history of science in Quebec this week.
This series in ten episodes of about fifteen minutes, directed by Michel Barbeau and co-produced with Savoir Média, recounts the ten decades of this organization. This documentary will follow the evolution of larger-than-life founding personalities such as Brother Marie-Victorin, Pierre Demers and Pierre Dansereau, and all the evolutions of an organization that has inspired initiatives as diverse as the creation of the magazine Quebec Science and Quebec science policy. “I had a few surprises with the series, says Jean-Pierre Perreault, in particular to learn that the University of Montreal was the seat of a large secret laboratory involved in the development of the atomic bomb. »
The whole year 2022-2023 will be dotted with events, including the publication of an illustrated book on the 50 French-speaking research personalities in Canada and the 2e edition of researcher Yves Gingras’ classic on the history of Acfas, For the advancement of science. In addition to several exhibitions, the six regional chapters in the Canadian Francophonie will each hold their week of activity during the winter.
“With Acfas’ inclusion in the Memory of the World Register of Canada at UNESCO, but also with the books and the documentary series, we want to ensure a permanent legacy for the research community. »
Ensure its relevance
According to Jean-Pierre Perreault, with the series, the books and all the commemorative activities, we can see that Acfas has been able to remain relevant throughout its very long history.
“It requires some changes in direction,” he says. For example, in 1933, after a decade of conferences in schools to encourage scientific vocations, Acfas organized its first scientific congress — the beginning of a long tradition. In the 1960s, in the midst of the Quiet Revolution, Acfas developed popularization by creating the journal The young scientistwho will become Quebec Science. And she is starting to press for the Quebec government to develop a science policy. “It is the means that change, rather than the objectives. »
Over the years, Acfas underwent two major transformations. At the time of its formation, the organism is entirely male. In 1933, only two women, Marcelle Gauvreau and Sister Marie-Jean-Eudes, presented papers among more than a hundred speakers. But in 1974, Acfas gave itself a first president, the economist Livia Thür. “They now account for 63% of our members,” says Jean-Pierre Perreault.
In 1978, the organization briefly considered renaming itself the Quebec Association for the Advancement of Science. But it was in 2001 that Acfas changed its name in order to modernize it and gain international openness. This is how it became the Francophone Association for the Advancement of Knowledge. “The change went almost unnoticed because most people knew it by its acronym, Acfas, which we kept. »
National Emergencies
Jean-Pierre Perreault became president of Acfas on March 11, 2021, during a global pandemic. “We can never know what the next crisis will be and that is why our interdisciplinary mission is so important: we must support all sciences, even when we do not see their application. »
The chemist gives as an example his field of research, RNA, considered an almost occult subject 30 years ago. “And it was messenger RNA that produced our best vaccines. A chance that we had studied it! »
He also said he was seriously concerned about the lack of consideration from governments for the next generation of scientists. “Student grants have not been indexed since 2003. This is a national emergency. In times of full employment, what option do we offer students? »
This is a cause that has been close to the heart of Acfas for a long time, because it devotes many activities to young researchers, in particular with competitions My thesis in 180 seconds and The proof by the image, and Emerging Research Days. Another novelty at the next congress: undergraduate students will be allowed to produce free papers. “Universities have been asking for it for a long time. My wish is to inspire more students to consider a career in research. »
Francophone research
For Francophones, the hegemony of English continues to remain a problem, which is getting worse. According to the magazine University Affairs, 90% of new scientific journals created since 2005 in Canada are in English, and 7-8% are bilingual, which leaves barely 2 or 3% only in French. “The reform of the Official Languages Act will be another opportunity to bend the rules. »
The President believes that the opportunity will soon arise to negotiate certain changes with the major scientific publication platforms (to introduce the translation of articles) or to create new ways of communicating science through new platforms inspired by Érudit and ArXiv.
“The major English-speaking platforms are in the process of trapping themselves. They make us pay 5000 dollars to publish a text that we have to format ourselves, and we still have to pay to read it. Other organizations are beginning to put the kibosh on it, and Acfas intends to weigh in on this debate. »