Ms. Karine Marot, Associate Professor of Geography, Vice-president of Student and Campus Affairs, co-officer of the parity and equality task force at Université Gustave Eiffel; 25 years of service.
Karine Marot, Vice-president of Student Affairs, was involved from day one of the lockdown in responding to the difficulties encountered by students, whether for digital issues or those arising from their personal situations.
In order to act quickly and effectively, she steered the launch of a broad-scale survey of the University’s 13,000 students, providing the latter with the opportunity to voice their difficulties.
This survey helped to prioritise needs and respond to thousands of requests of all types, such as the lack of equipment, financial, mental, personal or medical difficulties, etc., in association with all services and stakeholders providing student assistance.
To counter the digital divide (non-equipped students), Karine Marot set up a computer lending service with a small dedicated team, and when necessary, travelled herself to students’ homes with computers.
In order to provide ongoing support to students in need, she rallied a group of volunteer students to create the ‘Lugeline’ and ensure precious human contact and guidance. The scheme continued throughout the summer.
Thanks to her implication, professional skills and personal qualities, Karine Marot enabled many students to pursue their studies in decent conditions.
Mr. Max Py, assistant engineer and head of experimental trials at the Laboratory for Applied Biomechanics at Université Gustave Eiffel; 23 years of service.
Max Py engaged in responding to calls from hospitals for protective gear during the health crisis. Thanks to his expertise, his laboratory was able to launch the production of protective face shields for medical staff. The Laboratory for Applied Biomechanics (LAB) is a joint Université Gustave Eiffel/Aix-Marseille University research unit composed of 39 members. Located in the heart of the Faculty of Medicine on the Nord university-hospital campus, the specificity of the Laboratory for Applied Biomechanics is its multi-disciplinary and transversal approach between engineering science and medicine. It is in this framework that Max Py works, whether prior to, during or after trials (upstream design of experimental protocols, selection of acquisition equipment and appropriate sensors, data analysis and formalisation, maintenance of experimental equipment, etc.). Through his work, he has developed proven expertise in 3D printing in particular, a skill he put to use for hospitals during the lockdown. During this two-month period, 4 printing plants were set up in the Marseille area, including the LAB. For several weeks, Max Py was on site every other day to produce protective face shields for medical workers. This achievement was made possible thanks to the support of several of the region’s industries, who supplied the components required for the production of protective gear.
An active and willing player in collective actions to improve working conditions, Max Py is a credit to public service, devoting time to the manufacture of protective gear for others in a period of high demand.
