"Pasteur Year" and the La main à la pâte Foundation award

Almost exactly one year ago, the La main à la pâte Foundation, in association with the Institut Pasteur, developed an original teaching project as part of the extensive commemorations held to mark the bicentenary of Louis Pasteur's birth.

This initiative was part of an educational project launched in 2021 for teachers and aimed at primary and middle school students, based on two key themes in Louis Pasteur's work that had a major impact on the history of science and our daily lives. The modules look at the major scientific discoveries that established the role of microorganisms in fermentation and infectious diseases and the implementation of methods to tackle them (pasteurization, vaccination and aseptic or antiseptic techniques).

On April 4, the ceremony for the French Academy of Sciences La main à la pâte awards was held, with guest of honor Alain Aspect, 2022 laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physics. The award ceremony took place in the Palais of the Institut de France and was attended by the winning students and teachers. Prizes were awarded for eleven classroom-based scientific projects focused on investigation and experimentation. Among the 2023 awards in the "Primary and Middle Schools" category was the special "Pasteur Year" prize, in recognition of classes that worked on Pasteur's achievements, in partnership with the Institut Pasteur. The special award went to a first-year middle-school class at Collège Jean Moulin in Berck-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) for its project on "the historic discovery of food preservation." The prize was presented by Jean-François Chambon, former Institut Pasteur Vice-President Communications who served as an advisor for the development of the project with La main à la pâte in 2022, alongside Guillaume Duménil, a member of the award panel.

Find out more about the teaching project in honor of Louis Pasteur

Find out more about the Lamap awards
 

This year and next year, the partnership between the La main à la pâte Foundation and the Institut Pasteur will also see several scientists from campus providing training for school teachers, and others going to speak at schools to foster links and pique the interest of the younger generation for the future of research.