Scientific litteracy allows society to intelligently critique emerging technologies, but also helps society understand the value of scientific research. As a CNRS researcher, I work for the public, thus it is my role to both educate and report to the general public.
Within the framework of For Girls in Science, I first began speaking to teenagers about what I do and why it is important. However, I realized that many students had already developed a perception that they were incapable of understanding science. Thus, I turned my focus towards younger children (4-7 years old).
Children love science, which is essentially akin to magic at this age. I have presented a number of workshops around waves. Several have focused on optics for children: the permanent rainbow (see photo below), a sunlight box, the gumball experiment, chromatography, and my favorite: fluorescent jello! An excellent introduction to sonics is the spoon-string experiment.
If you want any details on these experiments, don’t hesitate to ask me!
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