Bernard Métais is a major contributor to the rayonnement culturel de la France by successfully applying his impressive academic credentials (M.S. Ecole Centrale de Paris, Ph.D. Technische Universität of Karlsruhe, Germany, Visiting Professor at the University of Minnesota, registered System Engineer in California and New York, Bechtel Fellow) and his extensive worldwide executive experience in the engineering and construction industry to present and illustrate the technical and scientific aspects of French culture to a diverse American audience including the American Association of Mechanical Engineers, the World Trade Association, the American Association of Accordionists, and many Alliances Françaises in the United States.
He has produced more than a hundred cultural articles and presentations, mostly related to French industrial prowess and to Paris, his native city, on topics such as the metric system, the Eiffel Tower, la Musette à Paris, 2,000 years of Paris, Paris Underground, l’Argot Parisien, the first 40 years of the automobile, fractals in art, the French in California, the French TGV, and Saint Germain des Prés.
He has also served as a board member or president of several non-profit Franco-American organizations such as the Ingénieurs et Scientifiques de France (West Coast Chapter), the Alliance Française de Berkeley, the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA, the World of Accordions Museum, and Notre Dame des Victoires Parish in San Francisco.