University students from Feuchères meet female scientists

It’s bustling with teens from all over the corridors and rooms of the Natural History Museum in Nîmes. From Thursday until last night, a third from the College of Feuchères had the opportunity to participate in a large-scale operation: the Elles de la science.

“An event created to highlight the signs”Philip Garcia, the museum’s animator, explains. “The idea is not at all to fall into any feminist movement and talk about science. But it is clear that the ideas being received are difficult and that science, for many, remains a world reserved for men. By meeting women scientists, it is an opportunity for teens to change their outlook and perhaps for young girls who desire in choosing this profession if that is their desire.”

And on this Friday morning, between two skeletons, the girls seem most passionate about this school trip. “It’s really interesting and then it changes our course!”Chance smiles.

Sitting in front of Sasha, she nodded: “I think you really learn more from being here than from being in class!” Ludovic confirms, “Yeah, this outing is really interesting.”

Teens sit around a board game in which they must build a city that consumes as little energy as possible. A topic of particular interest to them. “Climate, the environment and everything we do on the planet matters to us”Alicia continues. “We cannot remain indifferent!” Moreover, among the four friends, the two girls hope to succeed in scientific careers. If Shines wants to incorporate a course in health professions, Alicia wants to become one Mechanical Engineer.

science lasts

A career choice that is not very popular among girls according to Felipe Garcia. “Mentals about stereotypes are changing, but we are seeing very slow developments! While in the baccalaureate girls got better grades than boys in science subjects, few are considering continuing their studies in that direction. In today’s hard sciences they are still very few. Even absent Almost in the fields of mathematics, physics and even engineering.”

Nora and her friend Maëlle graduate from a workshop led by a scientist working on bacteria. revelation. “When you talk about her job, it’s really exciting. Really more than we were in class. Thanks to what she does every day, she’s helping to save lives by looking for something to fight bacteria. It’s a shame. We haven’t met people like her that often.” That would have made me want to do better in science!”