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France takes centre-stage at pilipiliÂþ»­ next Wednesday as the university, in partnership with the French Consulate General and Embassy and together with organizations the Atlantic Film Festival and Alliance Française, hosts a day celebrating French culture and university cooperation.  

France Day, which takes place September 23, is also about highlighting opportunities and collaborations between Dalhousie, France and French partners, explains Dal Executive Director of International Relations Alain Boutet.

"It's about celebrating our collaborations with France, and raising the profile of French institutions and academic and scientific communities within the Dal community," explains Dr. Boutet. "It's about letting students, faculty and staff know what opportunities there are."

Dal partners involved in France Day include the Provost and VP Academic’s Office, the Vice-President Research office, International Research and Development, Office of International Relations, the European Union Centre of Excellence, the International Centre, and the Department of French.

France is one of the countries of focus in Dalhousie's international strategy. The university has several longstanding relationships with French universities, including (but not limited to) various exchange and training programs across the university. Dalhousie also has a key strategic partnership, in particular, with the Research and Higher Education Hub of Brittany (Université Européenne de Bretagne – UEB) focused on marine sciences.

That focus on oceans will be front-and-centre at one of France Day's flagship events: a panel discussion on "Changing Climate, Changing Oceans: What's The Future of Marine Research in the Face of Climate Change?" The topic heralds the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21/Paris 2015).

In addition to Dalhousie faculty members Anna Metaxas (Oceanography) and Aldo Chircop (Law), the panel will feature Vianney Pichereau, scientific coordinator of the renowned LabexMER ocean research institute in France, and Philippe Potin, research director and team manager at France's Roscoff Marine Station. The free event, open to the public, takes place at 5:30 p.m. in University Hall in the Macdonald Building.

Other events taking place on France Day include an information session about studying in France (10 a.m.), an open class (in French) on French film themes including immigration in France featuring Dal French prof Christopher Elson and his "Language and Culture" students (12:30 p.m.) and a session on international research cooperation opportunities (3:30 p.m.). These events all take place in University Hall.

The day concludes with a film screening as part of the Atlantic Film festival: Dheepan, the latest film from Jacques Audiard and the winner of the Palme D'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

For more information, visit Dal's .