L’X honours women for Science Day

On 3 and 4 October, École Polytechnique opened its doors to the public for Science Day, an annual French-language event celebrating scientific culture. The theme this year was 'intelligence' (human, artificial, collective, etc.).

During these two days, the École organised a conference entitled '4 Voices, 4 Sciences, 4 Intelligences', which highlighted the careers of four female researchers:

• Amélie Elouin from the Laboratory of Optics and Biosciences (LOB), who studies cell migration in embryos using transparent zebrafish;
• Juliette Authier, from the Leprince-Ringuet Laboratory (LLR), who specialises in particle physics and, more specifically, in quarks in the material that surrounds and makes up our world;
• Élise Muller, who works at the Hydrodynamic Laboratory of l'X (LadHyX) and specialises in plant mechanics, particularly the plant Marchantia, which is analysed in microchannels;
• Payvand Arjmand from the Optics and Biosciences Laboratory (LOB), who develops microscopes, including super-resolution microscopes, for biomedical applications such as the study of neurodegenerative diseases. 

Led by Amélie Elouin, this conference gave a secondary school audience the opportunity to discover the careers of these four École Polytechnique laboratory-linked scientists. 

They shared their desire to learn and their boundless curiosity for science, from their childhood dreams to their research projects. Despite periods of doubt and the difficulties inherent in any academic or professional career, they spoke passionately about their projects in developmental biology, particle physics, biomechanics, and microscopy. Enough to inspire the next generation!
 

Watch the conference here 👇:

Nearly 2,200 people attended the two-day event organised by École Polytechnique — a new record. 

Produced in partnership with the CNRS, Inria and Télécom SudParis, and supported by the Fondation de l'X, the event mobilised over 200 research staff, as well as pupils and students from the school. 

Through nine laboratory tours, 19 stands, five conferences, two exhibitions, an escape game and more, they introduced the public — families, schoolchildren and curious visitors — to science in action and scientific research at École Polytechnique. 

A total of 18 École Polytechnique laboratories were represented. Tours of the school's museum, Mus'X, were also offered, exploring the history of science and technology through iconic objects such as electrical machines, speedometers and microscopes. 

To promote access to science from an early age, the École Polytechnique's Equal Opportunities Centre accompanied 550 secondary school students from the "Cordées de la Réussite" programme (run by the École for over 10 years) on 3 October, a day dedicated to school audiences.