High school students try out an EPFL chemistry lab
© 2018 EPFL / Alain Herzog
A class from the Auguste-Piccard high school in Lausanne spent half a day conducting a chemistry experiment in an EPFL lab. The purpose of this practical was to get the students interested in higher-level chemistry and strengthen ties between EPFL and local high schools.
“I’m synthesizing a molecule of DBA, which is used in sunscreens,” said Élodie, a second-year student at Auguste-Piccard. A few days ago, she and eight classmates taking a chemistry elective were given the unusual opportunity of doing a half-day practical in an EPFL lab. Daniel Gardini, their chemistry teacher and an EPFL alumnus himself, said: “With the materials and safety equipment available here we can conduct experiments that aren’t possible at our school. My goal of course is to deepen their interest in chemistry by letting them take things further."
His students appreciate his effort. "It’s really great to be able to use this equipment to run an entire experiment,” says Yasmine, who plans to study medicine after finishing dance school. As for Amedeo, one of the other students, chemistry may be one of his favorite subjects but he still hasn’t decided if he will go on to college or play soccer professionally. Still, he says, “I’m very happy to be here today – we can do challenging experiments that we can’t do back at school. It’s really interesting – and we have to pay close attention throughout the four-hour experiment."
Encouraging the study of chemistry
For EPFL, this practical is an experiment in itself, one aimed at familiarizing the students with the field of chemistry and letting them know what sort of opportunities advanced study will offer them. “We want to show them what they can expect if they decide to do chemistry lab work at EPFL,” says Anne-Sophie Chauvin, a senior scientist at EPFL. “But it’s not just for chemistry students, it’s also for students who go into medicine, pharmacy studies, biology or even forensic science.” Chauvin, who oversees chemistry practicals at EPFL, hopes that other high school classes will get this same opportunity in the future.
This initiative also gives EPFL a chance to strengthen its ties with local high schools. “It's very important for us to work closely with high school teachers,” says Jérôme Waser, who runs EPFL's Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Section. “By fine-tuning their teaching, we can help ease their students’ transition to EPFL.”
