The Henri Poincaré Programme at École Polytechnique offers advanced science courses for secondary school pupils

A total of 161 secondary school students in their first, second and final years are participating in the Henri Poincaré programme, which began last October. 

Taking place online during the school holidays, it enables high school students from different backgrounds to follow science courses taught by École Polytechnique faculty members at their own pace. These courses cover topics that are not necessarily included in school curricula or the early years of higher education science programmes.

Students explore new scientific fields, developing their curiosity and knowledge by interacting directly with École Polytechnique professors. Students commit to following a 1.5-hour course per day for one week during the holidays. Teaching materials, suggested additional reading and optional exercises are available on the École Polytechnique Moodle platform.

Gender parity and diverse profiles

Participants in this edition come from 25 academies and over 70 cities.

Additionally, the programme has attracted an equal number of girls and boys, which may encourage them to pursue careers in science, where women remain under-represented.

A rich programme for the first session

During the All Saints' Day holidays, these high school students took four courses:

• Mathematics: 'Graph Theory and Combinatorics' by Lorenzo Fantini
• Mathematics: 'The Abel–Ruffini Theorem' by Frank Pacard
• Physics: 'Plasma and Light' by Svetlana Starikovskaia
• Physics: 'Olympic Physics' by Christophe Clanet

The next session will take place in February 2026.

The Henri Poincaré scientific enrichment programme is part of École Polytechnique's ‘equal opportunities’ initiatives. It is supported by the Fondation de l'X.