Dedicated to the Lebanese scientific community, this Facebook page now has nearly 2,500 subscribers, compared to around a hundred when it was launched in 2017. Associates, mainly students, science researchers, professors from several Lebanese universities and also doctors . At the origin of the “Lebanese scientific community” Jihane Basbous, a Lebanese researcher from the French CNRS, based in Montpellier. Maintaining a close collaboration with various institutes of the Lebanese University, she says that she was often approached by students who asked for her advice on the scientific courses to be undertaken or who needed to be informed about requests for thesis or postdoctoral internships. “Gradually, the idea came to me to create a Facebook page where I could publish all the job applications I receive, given my position as a researcher at the CNRS, allowing a greater number of students to ‘enjoy it’, says Jihane Basbous, employed at the Institute of Human Genetics (IGH) in Montpellier in the field of genetic instability and cancer. “During my youth, I met people whose help and support were decisive for my career. This is one of the main reasons I created this page. It is essential for me to be able to reach out to this Lebanese youth, especially in science,” she continues.
Committed to Lebanese students from scientific fields, it aims to communicate to them, via this page, information relating to national and international scientific news, job offers for doctoral and postdoctoral positions in France and elsewhere, as well as specialized master’s and doctoral training, mainly in the field of biology, taking place in France or in Lebanon, in partnership with France. “I am very often contacted by Lebanese students who actually ask me for more details about a position, or for help, advice in their approach and who also ask me to distribute their article, which I do with great pleasure, she says. I try as much as possible to instill a glimmer of hope given the grim situation in the country. »
New, she started to publish scientific articles written by Lebanese scientists and published in international journals. “I am so proud of this young Lebanese scientist that I post as much as possible of their successes and achievements in their field. Their success is reflected in the articles they have published, the prizes they have won and above all the thesis they have defended”, emphasizes Jihane Basbous.
At the same time, this researcher publishes content from another register, such as scientific anecdotes, adding a touch of humor to his page. “It’s a fairly tough and demanding job, especially for doctoral students. The competition is rough and the pressure quite high, hence the need sometimes to make people smile with anecdotes about their daily lives. Likewise, she sometimes posts quotes or disseminates information on thesis defenses of young Lebanese doctoral students, in order to encourage students and motivate them to “persevere and never give up in front of their objectives”. According to her, “the strong message of this page is to believe and have confidence in yourself and your dreams”.
In addition, Jihane Basbous notes that the activities of this page are supported by the CNRS – Lebanon with which it collaborates “with the aim of promoting and disseminating events and news to the entire Lebanese scientific community”.
Overwhelmed by her work at the Institute of Human Genetics, Jihane Basbous asked a young thesis student, Elia Moarbess, to connect to the animation of the page on Facebook. “Given the current situation in Lebanon, a lot of young Lebanese are starting or continuing their studies in science in France, and they know each other. Having a young person assist me is also a way of introducing this page to a wider audience, ”she believes.
To discover the page, visit the following address: https://www.face book.com/scienceliban
Dedicated to the Lebanese scientific community, this Facebook page now has nearly 2,500 subscribers, compared to around a hundred when it was launched in 2017. Associates, mainly students, science researchers, professors from several Lebanese universities and also doctors . At the origin of the “Lebanese scientific community” Jihane…