A day with inspiring women at Polytechnique to encourage interest in science

On Saturday 11 April, almost 350 secondary school girls from the Île-de-France region were welcomed to the École Polytechnique campus. There, they had the opportunity to learn about scientific study programmes and careers in various fields, such as aeronautics, defence, artificial intelligence, energy and the environment, and research, from 47 female professionals and 15 students. They also had the opportunity to meet Elisabeth Borne, the former Prime Minister (who was the second woman to hold this position under the Fifth Republic), and Laura Chaubard, President and Chief executive of the École Polytechnique.

Fatima Bakhti, Élisabeth Borne, Laura Chaubard and Oksana Tovstolytkina © Denis Tribhou

13 Apr. 2026

Campus, Diversity & Success

As part of the ‘Cordées de la Réussite’ programme, which helps secondary school pupils plan their future careers, young women from across the Île-de-France region attended École Polytechnique’s ‘Women and Science’ day. This gave them the chance to tour the campus with students from this prestigious scientific institution.

The pupils explored the region’s ‘career guidance bus’ (run by the Oriane agency) before participating in a variety of workshops led by experts in their respective fields, organised into small groups. Topics covered included aeronautics and space, business creation and management, construction and architecture, defence, security and intelligence, teaching and research, the environment and energy, finance, banking and insurance, digital technology and artificial intelligence, politics, public interest, social and humanitarian issues, science, industry and technology, and health technologies.

The day featured talks and discussions with women who have built extraordinary careers in research, business, public institutions, and politics.

Delphine Person gave a talk to the pupils © Denis Tribhou

The event, organised by the Equal Opportunities Unit (Department of Social and Environmental Responsibility) at École Polytechnique, aimed to inspire participants to pursue careers in science. Charlotte Dieutre, the school’s CSR Director, introduced the event. Jeanne Lantz, an École Polytechnique graduate and engineer at VINCI Construction, and Madeleine Kubasch, a postdoctoral researcher in applied mathematics at École Polytechnique and winner of the 2024 L’Oréal-UNESCO Young Talents France Award, were present as patrons of this “Women and Science” day to support the students and offer advice. It was a day rich in learning and constructive exchanges between generations of inspiring women, who may well become renowned scientists in the future!

Lecture by Madeleine Kubasch © Denis Tribhou

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