What are these workshops?
Inspired by the workshops that Philippe organized for many years for the “Science for Peace” program of NATO, and by two similar “MicroSoil” workshops that Wilfred Otten organized in Dundee (Scotland) in 2008 and 2009, the idea of these workshops in Saint Loup is to get a group of 50 researchers, specialists of a given area, literally stuck in the middle of nowhere for 3-4 days, so that the only thing they can do there is listen to talks and discuss them all day long, from breakfast to late in the evening, over drinks. For that purpose, the town of Saint Loup is ideal. It is a cute little village with a beautiful château and a main street with several medieval houses. Once we bus participants in Saint Loup from the Poitiers train station, they are literally trapped there. There are no trains going to Saint Loup. Bus service is not frequent. There are taxis that will take those who want to leave to Poitiers, but at the cost of 150 euros (!!). Participants realize quickly there is nothing else to do than to chat with fellow participants, and, as a result, the quality of discussions and exchanges is typically outstanding. We provide local wines at lunch and dinner to make sure tongues do not get tied… The workshops themselves leave a lot of time for debate after each talk, and during round-table discussions.
Venue: The château of Saint Loup sur Thouet
As the picture on the Home Page shows clearly, the château of Saint Loup sur Thouet (which is a part of Saint Loup Lamairé… The Thouet is the river that goes through the town) is an absolutely gorgeous building. Actually, it is a set of buildings. A medieval tower whose construction started in 900 (participants from the US never get over that one…), the 18th century château itself, and dependencies, including the orangery, where we have lunches and the barbecue the last evening. Some participants are housed in the château, whereas others stay in a nearby gîte.
Many participants have mentioned that the particularly remarkable atmosphere of the château contributes a lot to the success of the workshops. In this context, we are extremely happy about the fact that by holding our workshops there, we assist the owners of the château, Charles-Henri de Bartillat and his wife Sophie Havet, in their wonderful, lifelong, public-serving project of maintaining the property for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.
The web site of the château, which you can find here, presents an absolutely wonderful fly-over video of the château and the grounds. It is only 2 minutes long. Enjoy!
Testimonials
Here are a few testimonials about the workshops we have had so far. Some are relating to the “MicroSoil” workshops we have had in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023.
“MicroSoil is one of my favourite appointments of the year. It’s the ideal place to develop ideas in a welcoming atmosphere, where the time seems to slow down and new ideas emerge. It is also a great opportunity for younger researchers to be in close contact with more experienced scientists and establish an international network. No need to say, the castle, the great food, and the atmosphere of the old town contribute to the great atmosphere” (Andrea Carminati, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland)
“Our workshop was really the science highlight of my year—and not only because of the beautiful location. 😊” (Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Lawrence-Livermore Laboratory, California, U.S.A.)“
What Jennifer said:)” (Edith Hammer, Lund University, Lund, Sweden)
“A perfect venue to discuss research. Just the right size in a beautiful setting, letting you focus on science while the St Loup Research Institute uses their local network to help deliver top notch catering and entertainment.” (Paul Hallett, University of Aberdeen, Scotland)
“I had the pleasure of attending the 2023 MicroSoil workshop as a young postdoc, and it was an outstanding experience. The event provided a fantastic opportunity to meet and connect with fellow researchers in our small reseach field. The fruitful discussions, paired with a well-organized balance between oral presentations and group discussions, created an engaging environment for exchanging ideas. The event’s beautiful location only added to the overall experience, making it an excellent platform for advancing scientific exchange and collaboration.” (Maik Lucas, Technical University of Berlin, Germany)
“So many researchers that I dreamt to meet finally gathered at the same place for a few days of insightful scientific discussions and delightful time! I really appreciated the small size of the workshop that made it possible to discuss with all the participants. I enjoyed that the castle that hosted us had such thick walls that no internet was accessible in the meeting rooms… it helped a lot to remain focused and enjoy the scientific discussions. Philippe was so kind to make it possible to take part in MicroSoil with my 7 months-old baby. A very caring and welcoming atmosphere!” (Amandine Erktan, IRD, France)
“Having attended 30+ conferences and meetings, the workshops organized by the Saint Loup Research Institute are clearly standing out. The special atmosphere of a confined space allows one to become creative again and to generate research ideas in cooperation with colleauges across disciplines. Best in class!” (Hannes Schmidt, University of Vienna, Austria)
“I have attended many conferences since I entered academia, but the microsoil workshops in St. Loup really stood out both in terms of the exceptionally beautiful venue, as well as the intensity of the discussions and the degree of active engagement with my scientific peers. Each time I went, I learned so much and got to know many wonderful people, which is a result of the small number of attendees, the lack of distractions and the beautiful park through which one can wander while having intense discussions about soil structure.” (Vincent Felde, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany)