I had recently the opportunity to be interviewed by TEDxBrussels for their new initiative “the daily interview”: 7 small questions for 7 short answers. Here is a transcript. I could talk about engineering but I chose to focus on the humanist side this time. Anyway, they are not incompatible.

1/ My most important side-project for the moment is:
Gathering people through ResearchTalks conferences, thanks to a great team. The goal is to engage the interest of the audience by bringing the expertise of different specialists around a theme with 1 rule: 20 images in 12 minutes each talk. ResearchTalks has seen economists, researchers, legal experts, and other speakers talk on subject as varied as nanotechnologies, the economic crisis, the nuclear energy, agriculture and agroecology or smart objects.

2/ The person, the creation, the project that has inspired me lately is :
Pierre Rabhi and his “Oasis en tous lieux”, Oasis in any place, by which he advocates a society that respects the population, involves people and that produces food in a way to preserve natural resources. His work is impressive, and without earning any university degree about agriculture or sociology, Pierre Rabhi learned about Nature just by observing it. With his hands and intelligence, he gave Life in the desert from the Ardeche to the Sahel by putting back together the chain of life that we continuously break.

To me, his influence is important in the way that he invites us to think on all the threats that overshadow the future of humankind and to make us conscious and responsible of our actions. We are all depending of one another, from North to South, West to East of the planet.

3/ The 3 factors I believe crucial for an idea/project/business to spread are:

1- education. Educate to touch the soul and reach the minds.
2- time. Either time itself or being there at the right time.
3- chance. It’s a matter of opportunity to make a project work.

4/ My favorite place in the world is:
Any organic kitchen garden!

5/ Before I die I want to:
To me, every day is an achievement, and I’m happy of what I do every single day.

6/ Are you coming to TEDxBrussels this year?
Probably at the end of the day!

7/ Why?
It is after all the one year event to attend! I have been to TEDxBrussels since the very first edition in the European Parliament in 2009, and I was directly hooked. Everybody you meet at TEDxBrussels is bringing you something new, and meeting new people at TEDx always ends up in interesting discussions.