New extracurricular activities at EPFL for Vaud schoolchildren
PLUS program, was officially unveiled last Saturday on the EPFL campus. © Alain Herzog 2019 EPFL
EPFL, together with Vaud Canton, the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the School of Management and Engineering Vaud (HEIG-VD), is participating in the PLUS program, which will offer extracurricular activities for local 8- to 15-year-olds.
Last Saturday morning at EPFL, around two dozen 11- to 13-year-old girls were working in group to build and program a tightrope-walking robot. The workshop "Robots are girls' business" is part of the PLUS program, which, at the start of the 2019-2020 school year, will be opened up to 8- to 15-year-olds living in Vaud Canton.
The PLUS program, officially unveiled last Saturday on the EPFL campus, is a joint initiative of Vaud Canton, EPFL, UNIL and HEIG-VD. Pupils will be able to choose from around 20 free activities, ranging from scientific experiments to robotics, forest exploration and calligraphy. The activities, which will also be geared towards gifted children , will give the youngsters a chance to learn, experiment and unleash their imagination.
EPFL will introduce Vaud schoolchildren to STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – via eight workshops taking place on Wednesday afternoons and Saturdays. With teaching strategies adapted to their needs, the young students will discover laboratory research, invent electronic devices and create video games. "EPFL will offer fun and engaging activities that will teach participants about STEM subjects, develop their creativity and build teamworking skills," says Farnaz Moser, the head of EPFL's Science Outreach Department. "The students will learn to structure their thoughts, organize and implement a project, and present their reasoning and results."
Space is limited; please register online via the three universities' websites.