Science festival 2023

From Wednesday 11 to Saturday 14 October 2023, Institut Cochin opened the doors of its laboratories to schoolchildren and the general public, for the 10th consecutive year. Around 100 middle and high school students, and 275 people of all ages met the research stakeholders, discovered the technologies on which the research is based. They made observations or experiments in our laboratories, played games, and met around stands.

Some testimonials from visitors: in French

« Merci et bravo ! vous êtes des professionnels passionnés et investis, cela se voit et vous rend fiers ! Continuez »
« Les chercheurs ont été super. Merci pour leur passion communicative et leur pédagogie »
« Ils sont formidables : accueil, pédagogie »
« Merci pour ces portes ouvertes et les attentions aux enfants qui repartent contents des expériences et des cadeaux reçus lors de leur parcours »
« Très bien organisé, personnel très motivé ! bravo pour ce que vous faites au quotidien ! »
« Il y a beaucoup de femmes ! c’est top »
« Sympathiques souriants et accueillants, merci »
« Gentillesse du personnel et leur capacité à vulgariser »

Science & society

Scholars on Thursday 9 October and Friday 10 October

Two classes of final year SVT students (high schools in St Ouen and Paris) and 2 classes of middle school students (Lardy, Essonne) visited laboratories and technological platforms, they carried out experiments in the working conditions of researchers.
A class also participated in a game of "Jouer à Débatre" (one of the devices of the association l'Arbre des Connaissances) on the theme "the augmented human - sports performances". The "Jeux à débattre" aim to raise awareness among young people about the art of debate and critical thinking on questions of science and society.

A time for discussion was planned with some colleagues on the professions and career paths of research staff. Very enriching discussions in everyone's opinion and a satisfaction of interacting with young people far from research centers, geographically and/or socially.

Open-house to all public on Saturday 14 October

Around 70 members of staff from Institut Cochin were mobilized to welcome the general public and show them the heart of our laboratories. We offered 20 different activities: laboratory visits with observations or manipulations, games, stands, quizzes and treasure hunts for children, videos. Around 275 people came through our doors, families but also many young people and seniors. The moments shared were as enriching for the visitors as for the staff.

To mark our 10th year of participation in the science festival, we have teamed up with a painter, Jos Verheugen, to create a work “After Mondrian with geckos” which highlights the biomedical research carried out at Institut, its roots in history, with a special nod to its young researchers (JEunes Chercheurs COchin “JECCO”) who contribute each year to the success of this event.

Some examples of activities:

"Visites insolites" organized by the CNRS

Visit of the IMAG’IC platform where after the explanations of our engineer colleague, everyone was able to see the cells marked by fluorescent molecules under the microscope.
Then creation of mini-microscopes (Foldscopes) adaptable to mobile phones, to continue making observations at home.

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