December 16 2025 – Palevoprim

The closing day of the Dem’UP project at the University of Poitiers

On Tuesday, December 16, the University of Poitiers officially concluded the Dem’UP project, which aims to enhance student success through the integration of innovative teaching practices. The project enabled the university to acquire new educational tools and immersive learning spaces.

The project of the Palevoprim laboratory at the Department of Geosciences:

Porteur et porteuse du projet & contenus scientifiques, pédagogiques :

Vincent Lazzari, Maître de conférences, Palevoprim
Camille Grohé, Maître de conférences, Palevoprim

Contributors to the game’s creation:

3D digitization and scientific support: Ghislain Thiery (pleistogames)
Scientific support: Xavier valentin & Géraldine Garcia (Palevoprim), le Centre de Valorisation des Collections de l’Université de Poitiers (CVCU)
3D graphical design of specimens & game design: VR Connection
Creation of the “TAPHOS” logo: Sabine Riffaut (Palevoprim)

The TAPHOS game

TAPHOS is a branching decision-based video game that allows players to trace the processes of fossilization. It gamifies the approach to this rare and complex phenomenon while rewarding players with 3D models of fossils from the University of Poitiers’ collections.

Objectives

To become familiar with the different types of fossils
To understand the influence of abiotic factors (ex. oxygen, sedimentation…) and biotic factors (ex. scavenger activity) on the preservation of fossil specimens.
To become familiar with the chemical composition and structural organization of some major groups of organisms commonly fossilized in marine environments.

Usage guidelines

Can be played on a computer synchronously during practical sessions (TP), as well as asynchronously via a connection using students’ login credentials.