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Hands-on inspiration for science

Nature Materials volume 8, pages 245–247 (2009)Cite this article

To counter the decreasing interest in scientific studies, the PhysiScope at the University of Geneva conveys scientific excitement to teenagers by offering an entertaining and practical way to discover physics.

The prevailing lack of interest in scientific matters among adolescents is obvious. It most notably manifests itself in the steady decline in the number of students from developed countries embracing a scientific curriculum, to the point where the future supply of skilled scientists is at risk. In the interests not only of the scientific community but of our technological society as a whole, we need to counter this worrying trend.

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Figure 1: The PhysiScope setting, designed and built by the TSR team led by M. Maurice Pozzi.
Figure 2: Construction of the PhysiScope.
Figure 3: Visual identity of the PhysiScope.
Figure 4
Figure 5: Captivating low-temperature experiments.

Acknowledgements

I thank A. Rougemont for comments on the manuscript. The PhysiScope is indebted to the H. Dudley Wright, Mark Birkigt and E. Boninchi foundations for their financial support; to the Swiss National Science Foundation through the NCCR MaNEP for further funding; and to the Faculty of Science, the University of Geneva and the Geneva public education department for continued support. The PhysiScope would not exist without the enthusiastic early commitment of A. Rougemont, A. A. Manuel and J.-G.Bosch. Finally, many thanks to the entire team running the show and contributing to its success: R. Achimescu, G. Alexandre, A. Baas, A. Bardiot, D. Boehm, J.-G. Bosch, C. Corthay, L. Favre-Quattropani, E. Fenu, Ø. Fischer, O. Gaumer, B. Gisin, O. Landry, G. Manfrini, M. Pohl, A. Rougemont, L. Stark and D. van Mechelen

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  1. Christoph Renner is in the Department of Condensed Matter Physics, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland. Christoph.Renner@unige.ch,

    Christoph Renner

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Renner, C. Hands-on inspiration for science. Nature Mater 8, 245–247 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2410

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