Promotion of Science among Youngsters: Chemistry Outreach Initiatives at EPFL

Abstract

At EPFL, a strategy for organising scientific outreach activities has been developed and a programme comprising various measures and actions elaborated to promote science and technology among youngsters, especially young girls. As part of this programme, workshops and chemistry camps are developed and carried out for children and youngsters aged from 7 to 16 years old. These workshops are adapted to the age of the participants and allow them to discover chemistry in a fascinating way and become familiar with this field, understand how useful it is to society and learn about the professions it opens up. Some of the workshops take place at EPFL and others are organised in schools in the French-speaking cantons of Switzerland during the touring campaign of a bus named 'Les sciences, ça m'intéresse !' ('Sciences Interest Me!').