Year of Physics: afternoon of activities and visits for high school students
On Wednesday April 10, 2024, the Institut Chevreul welcomed around twenty students from the Lycée St Dominique in Béthune for an afternoon focused on physics and its applications, as part of an action organized by the Physics Department of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Lille for the Year of Physics. After attending a conference on careers in physics, the students took part in 3 activities and visited 2 scientific installations throughout the afternoon.
On the one hand, they visited the 1.2 GHz NMR spectrometer in the NMR cluster and learned about the role of magnetism in chemical characterization. On the other hand, on the High Pressures platform, scientists and engineers presented the different presses and their role in the geophysical study of the Earth’s interior.
At the same time, 3 activities were held in the hall and amphitheatre of the Chevreul building. A number of gyroscopic devices provided an entertaining way of exploring the concepts of centrifugal force and angular momentum. Next door, a small train circulated on a magnetic track, thanks to a superconducting material cooled with liquid nitrogen, to present electromagnetism and superconductivity. Finally, in the semi-darkness of the amphitheater, students were able to gain a better understanding of how optical fibers work, thanks to several devices enabling them to transmit sound information by laser, or to visualize the path of light within the fiber.
Thanks to the involvement of over fifteen researchers and engineers from the Physics Department, the UMET and the Institut Chevreul, the day was rich in exchanges, giving the students a better understanding of the role of physics in the world of research into chemistry and materials. Two other classes will be visiting the Institute in May and June.