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Université de Lille
Research Teams QUANTUM SYSTEMS

V. Outreach

This activity is divided into three areas:

  • Popularization of physics and science

  • Promotion and analysis of popularization initiatives in physics

  • Interface projects

Researchers: Daniel Hennequin, Philippe Verkerk

Popularisation of Physics and Science

These activities aim to disseminate scientific culture throughout society. Most of them target all audiences (the general public), while some are more specifically aimed at school pupils. Underpinning these activities, the team has developed recognised expertise in the design and implementation of demonstration experiments, adapted to various formats suited to each context and target audience.

For the general public

The team's activities in this area are numerous. Beyond more "traditional" activities, the team is involved in two particularly large-scale initiatives:

  • The Kézako video series, launched over 10 years ago and now comprising more than 80 episodes, has been a tremendous success. Available on many platforms, including YouTube, it is used in university curricula, institutions and school textbooks, by secondary school teachers, museums and science centres, companies, and even by the United Nations.
  • The weekly feature Ramène ta Science, broadcast on France Bleu Nord, covers science topics every week from a physicist's perspective. It reaches 200,000 to 300,000 listeners each week.

The team's other activities in this area are more "traditional":

  • Organisation of public exhibitions
  • Co-organisation of the annual Science en Livre festival and fair
  • Participation in numerous events (Fête de la Science, Pint of Science, etc.)
  • Public lectures
  • Collaboration with the media (press, radio, television)
  • Brochures, books, etc.

Specifically for school pupils

The team is also committed to spreading scientific culture in physics within the school community. Here too, two initiatives stand out for their exceptional scope:

  • Production of a brochure on careers in physics, aimed at secondary school students (planned release in 2025), in partnership with around ten learned societies and the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR).
  • An annual survey on the level of mathematics and physics among students entering higher education.

Other activities in this area:

  • Teacher training (primary and secondary levels)
  • Hosting school pupils for work experience placements
  • Outreach visits to secondary schools

Promotion and analysis of popularization actions in Physics

The team also focuses on how science communication is organised in France, the role of the various stakeholders and their synergies, the tools used and their effectiveness, and so on. It has developed considerable expertise in this field and is regularly called upon to speak on these topics, for example in round tables at conferences or professional events.

A few notable highlights:

  • The Sciences et Médias conference days bring together, every two years, actors from the worlds of science and media to discuss topics related to the place of science in the media. Recent themes have included: scientific misinformation, the representation of women scientists in the media, communicating science in times of crisis, and "Scientists, journalists, politicians: the good, the bad and the ugly?". The aim of these days is first to take stock of existing challenges and problems, and then to propose solutions.
  • In 2023, Daniel Hennequin co-led the drafting of the CNRS Physics prospective report on science communication for the horizon 2030.
  • Daniel Hennequin serves as president of the Science Communication Committee of the French Physical Society.

Cross-Disciplinary Projects

The team is also involved in projects at the interface between science outreach and other fields. It has, for example, collaborated with artists. Two projects are currently underway:

  • Gravitemps is a project at the interface of metrology and the history of science, aimed at raising public awareness of the metrological approach by inviting participants to identify the contribution of gravitational acceleration to the measured frequency difference. It takes the form of a travelling educational experiment, designed for public science events, secondary schools and museum institutions around the world.
  • The interferential photography project sits at the intersection of physics, chemistry and the arts. It originates from the discovery of 15 interferential photographs in the heritage collections of the University of Lille. Photographs produced by this process are rare, and this collection is the second largest in France. The project has already resulted in the publication of a book, an exhibition, and international study days.