PHOTO : Science outreach

Until 2014, the opening of our research activities to the general public was mainly carried out during the LAAS open days, organised as part of the Science Festival (Fête de la Science). During the year 2015, proclaimed "International Year of Light" by UNESCO, we gave a new impulse to our scientific mediation activities by intensifying and diversifying our actions. In order to maintain this dynamic, and in collaboration with two neighbouring laboratories (Laplace and LNCMI), we have contributed to the creation of the LuMiPy association dedicated to the diffusion of scientific culture on the theme of Light. To date, we have initiated, coordinated or participated in some 100 projects involving associative or institutional partners, at both local and regional levels.

The actions of the team PHOTO continue today in different settings:

• collaborations with local schools
• setting up and supervision of teacher training courses within La Maison pour la Science
• conferences or public meetings in museums (Quai des Savoirs) or during scientific events (Scientilivre book festival, European Researchers' Night,...).

All these actions have made it possible to greatly increase the visibility of our work among an ever-increasing and varied public.

Left: a light fountain illustrating how a laser beam can be guided by an optical fiber. Right: a training session at La Maison pour la Science.

Contact : Philippe Arguel (arguel[at]laas.fr)

Collaborations :

Maison pour la Science, Scientilivre book festival, Quai des Savoirs, Lycée professionnel de Graulhet.

Communications :

Philippe Arguel and Inès Massiot. "Understanding the evolution of the geometry of silicon solar cells". Physics Education 55, 015006 (2019).

I. Massiot, «Et si le soleil devenait notre principale source d’énergie ? », video of the conference given at Quai des Savoirs, Toulouse, 11th of April 2019.

Philippe Arguel, Pierre Bonnefond, Jean Matricon. "Lumière sur la BD" : une approche modulaire de l'optique par l'analyse de vignettes issues de bandes dessinées. Rencontres Enseignement de l'Optique et Didactique (REOD) 2017, Jul 2017, Limoges, France. 2017. 

Philippe Arguel, Pierre Bonnefond, Jean Matricon. "Lumière sur la BD" ou comment aborder l'optique, de l'école élémentaire à l'université, par l'analyse de vignettes de bandes dessinées. Colloque sur l'Enseignement des Technologies et des Sciences de l'Information et des Systèmes (CETSIS 2017), May 2017, Le Mans, France. 5p. 2017. 

Philippe Arguel, Antoine Monmayrant. La photonique : sculpter la lumière à des échelles de plus en plus petites. Regards croisés de chercheurs, Le petit LUMIERE illustré (La Dépêche/CNRS), 2015, pp.24-25

A. Monmayrant, “Cristaux photoniques et métamatériaux ou comment façonner la matière pour contrôler la lumière,” video of the conference given at les ouvertures de l’université Toulouse III, Toulouse, 2015.

Philippe Arguel. Filtres nanophotoniques – Nanophotonic filters. Toulouse Midi Pyrénées et l’Espace, pp.41-43, 2014, ISBN 978-2-9543223-5-3