Female astronaut 'bachelor + 19'

Astronaut Claudie Haigneré is not only famous for being the first French woman to fly into space, but also for her 'adventure' in conquering knowledge, from medicine, biology to aeronautical and space engineering.

To briefly talk about the level of education after high school, the French usually use the formula "baccalaureate + number of years". For example, "baccalaureate + 3" is bachelor's degree, "+5" is engineer/master's degree; "+8" is doctorate. Ms. Haigneré is referred to by the nickname... "baccalaureate + 19" because she still diligently studied, after obtaining a doctorate in medicine and becoming a rheumatologist at Cochin Hospital (Paris).

Astronaut Claudie Haigneré at a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City

photo: Lan Chi

Talking to Thanh Nien on the sidelines of the "Inspiring Women" talk show co-organized by the French Institute in Vietnam and the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (CCIFV) in Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of September 25, she explained her "excitement to go to school": "As a child, I was always a curious girl, who loved to explore unknown things. I read a lot and always wanted to 'adventure' out of what I knew, so I always wanted to learn. I learned quite easily, so in high school, in terms of foreign languages, I studied English, Latin, Greek and Spanish at the same time."

Almost became a gym teacher

Having skipped two grades and almost always being at the top of her class, Madame Haigneré obtained her baccalaureate before she was 16. During her high school years, the two things that interested her most were going to school and playing sports . After hours of intense concentration on her studies, the excellent student released her energy and found balance by sweating on the gymnastics court and participating in competitions.

With her baccalaureate in hand, Ms. Haigneré initially wanted to enroll in the French National Sports Institute (INSEP) to study a program to train gymnastics or physical education coaches, but at that time, INSEP did not accept athletes under the age of 18. So, in order not to waste two years waiting to be old enough, she decided to enroll in medicine at the University of Dijon, with the reason that she would be able to study subjects such as physiology and anatomy, which would be very useful for her future plan to become a physical education teacher.

This change became an important turning point for Ms. Haigneré: "The first year of medical school made me very excited, because besides knowledge of general subjects such as mathematics, biology, statistics, I also discovered the environment of the health care profession. At the end of the first year, in the most important screening exam of the medical training system in France, I passed first, and decided to pursue this career."

Her love for sports, with the excitement of participating in competitions still there, so she chose to become a doctor of internal medicine and musculoskeletal system. Not stopping there, Ms. Haigneré also has specialized degrees in sports medicine; aviation and space medicine. "You can see the connection in my 'adventure' of conquering knowledge: from the desire to understand more about the human body when striving to achieve high achievements in sports; to the 'curiosity' about the human body in a state of zero gravity. This is an adventure that I want to deepen my knowledge more and more every day".

Seize the opportunity, and succeed

As an adventurous and exploratory person, of course there was an event that left a deep impression in Mrs. Haigneré's childhood: the first human step on the moon in 1969. The impression was still engraved in her mind, so in 1985, when she read the announcement of recruiting candidates for the position of astronaut of the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the female musculoskeletal doctor immediately submitted her application. In particular, there was a new thing: previously, most astronauts were pilots - engineers, but this time, CNES needed a scientist to carry out research programs. Mrs. Haigneré's application was completely suitable. Among thousands of strong candidates, she was one of 7 people selected, and the only woman.

Ms. Haigneré was on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2001.

Photo: NASA

The door was wide open for her childhood dream. And to make herself more worthy of CNES's choice, Ms. Haigneré went back to school, earning a master's degree in biomechanics and exercise physiology, and then doing a doctorate in neuroscience. The female astronaut explained: "Before that, the medical research I did in the hospital was somewhat different from scientific research in the laboratory, writing theses, writing scientific papers and having them reviewed... I thought I lacked experience in this field, so I went to school. It can be said that 'bachelor's degree + 19' in my case is a... lack of confidence. I felt that I needed a specific certification - with degrees - for each stage of my knowledge accumulation, and thus would be worthy of the choice. And it cannot be denied that this is also my advantage when applying: employers will see that I have solid expertise in many different fields, so that I can participate in the astronaut training program, and learn many new things".

For young people, Ms. Haigneré always advises that you should always seize opportunities as soon as possible: "If you wait until you are perfect, you may not have any more opportunities. However, you must constantly improve yourself. When you are in your twenties, you do not have much, especially knowledge, so you need to listen and ask questions. I went back to school to get a doctorate in science - even though I already had a doctorate in medicine - after being accepted into the astronaut training program, it was also to improve myself. You have to be quick and have a spirit of exploration and discovery to recognize opportunities and seize them. But when you have an opportunity in hand, people with a more complete professional 'baggage' will be more likely to succeed."

Scientific research is a journey full of passion, but it also requires patience.

After more than 15 years working with French and European space programs in cooperation with Russia, Claudie Haigneré has been to space twice, with 16 days at the Mir Space Station to conduct biomedical experiments in 1997, and 10 days at the International Space Station (ISS) to perform a mission to observe the Earth's ionosphere in 2001.

Up to now, she has held many important positions in agencies and departments of France and Europe, especially from 2002-2004, the female astronaut was Deputy Minister in charge of Research and New Technology, under the French Ministry of Education.

Answering Thanh Nien 's question about the conditions for more young people to confidently choose the path of scientific research, she analyzed: "Scientific research is a journey full of passion, but also requires patience. The initial research topic does not always produce the desired results, sometimes, even though a lot of effort has been spent, it has to be started over again. Therefore, it is necessary to give young scientists time to do their work, and help them relax mentally, to be able to focus on their expertise without spending too much time just solving problems such as administrative procedures, finding funding sources... In many cases, it is these side barriers that make young scientists discouraged, not because of the complexity of the research project they are pursuing.

One thing that French education and research authorities want to improve is the connection between scientific research and the practical application of modern technology. It is necessary to create excitement for young scientists when they see their work is highly experimental, and at the same time open up opportunities for them to work directly with companies, not just in the laboratory.

It is also necessary to encourage young scientists to study abroad, but favorable conditions must be created for them to return after completing their studies, specifically labor contracts with 'attractive' regimes, and possibly scientific research projects worthy of their qualifications.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nu-phi-hanh-gia-tu-tai-19-185250926210004868.htm