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Rector honours Synchrotron@School outreach programme

14-01-2016

On 14th January, the ESRF welcomed Claudine Schmidt-Lainé, Rector of the Grenoble Academy, in a kick-off for the 2016 edition of Synchrotron@School, the ESRF’s outreach programme for high school students.

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Following the success of the previous editions, the Synchrotron@School programme started 2016 by welcoming a class of 35 students from a high school in central Grenoble.

It was an opportunity for Claudine Schmidt-Lainé and ESRF Director General, Francesco Sette, to announce the novelties of the 2016 edition, namely:

  • the opening of the programme to technical high schools with a determination to share science with a wider population and an emphasis on the diversity of scientific careers (researchers, and also engineers and technicians)
  • the internationalisation of the programme, notably with actions organised in partnership with different Women in Science initiatives to encourage young women to enter scientific professions

The time is ripe for such a visit to the ESRF, with French high-school students facing critical decisions in their further education options just before the baccalaureate exams this summer. Claudine Schmidt-Lainé and Francesco Sette recalled the importance of raising scientific awareness among young people and of promoting the diversity of careers in science.

For the students, who were delighted by the unexpected visit of the Rector and delegation to their practical session, the Synchrotron@School programme provides hands-on insight into the realities of working in a research institute and on the functioning of a research project.

The experimental session involves solving a problem which has a very practical basis in everyday life, for example choosing the best type of material for flexibility and thermal resistance for a piece of technical clothing. Working in small groups, the students have to organise their thoughts and methods independently, carry out the experiments then present their results to the rest of the class either through a stand-up on-screen presentation or by means of a scientific poster.

 

2016_01_14_RECTOR_HR_15.jpg (VISIT OF Ms SCHMIDT-LAINE, RECTRICE ACADEMIE...

“The day here gives us a much more practical approach to science than at school and we can really see how science can be used to improve our daily lives,” says Yann, one of the students.

 

For others, the exercise has helped them revise their vision of scientific institutes, often believed to be inaccessible and exclusive to scientists.

2016_01_14_RECTOR_HR_18.jpg (VISIT OF Ms SCHMIDT-LAINE, RECTRICE ACADEMIE...

“I grew up in Grenoble but had no idea this place existed,” says Feyza, “now I have a very clear idea of the synchrotron.”

“I had no opinion of the ESRF before, now I know what it’s like to be inside a world-class scientific institute with all the latest technology.” Adds Guilhem.

The Synchrotron@School intitiative originated in 2013 as a partnership between the ESRF and the Grenoble Rectorat and has welcomed 700 students in its one-day programme of scientific immersion since 2013. There are 850 students registered for 2016.

 

Read the full press release (PDF file in French)

 

 

Top image: During the practical session of Synchrotron@School inside the ESRF Visitor Centre. Back row from right: C. Schmidt-Lainé, Rector, F. Sette, ESRF Director General. Credit: C. Argoud/ESRF