Science Festival: come and discover the world of research and plants!

IJPB scientists are committed to making research and laboratory experiments accessible to the general public during the Science Festival. A wide range of workshops, meet-the-scientists sessions, readings and shadow plays for younger children, as well as an exhibition, will be held at the community and cultural café "Le Court-Bouillon" on 4 October in Rambouillet (Yvelines, 78). There will also be science workshops on 3 and 4 October at the Paris-Saclay science village  at lthe ENS Paris-Saclay (Gif-sur-Yvette, Essonne, 91), and at theMédiathèque du canal Murmed (Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Yvelines, 78). A varied programme of activities, open and accessible to everyone!

DNA in Motion! – Workshops
Saturday 3 October 2026, 2–6 pm & Sunday 4 October, 11 am–6 pm, Paris-Saclay Science Village
Come and discover chromosomes in action as the plant reproduces, moving at around 100 nm per second, through video footage. Observe dividing cells under a microscope, and even extract DNA and see it with the naked eye! Puzzles and quizzes for all ages will also be on offer.


How spelling mistakes help us adapt to our environment. From age 5 - workshop
Sunday 4 October 2026 – 3–6 pm, Le Court-Bouillon
Some plants are able to adapt to different environments, while others are not. How can this be explained? Acting out the synthesis of a strand of DNA will help illustrate the cellular mechanisms that generate this diversity and its consequences.

 - workshop

DNA Extraction: Put on your scientist’s lab coat! From age 6

Sunday 4 October 2026 – 3–6 pm, Le Court-Bouillon
What if extracting DNA were as simple as following a cooking recipe, or as mysterious as a magic trick...? A lab coat, a protocol, and off we go to discover what DNA looks like.


Plant voices: A plant’s memory - Exhibition

Sunday 4 October 2026 – 3–7 pm, Le Court-Bouillon
Proposed by Violette Eckmann, graphic design student at ÉSAD, Reims, in collaboration with the IJPB.
This exhibition questions our amnesia regarding our relationship with the plant world by offering a fresh perspective on Arabidopsis thaliana. Once merely a model plant objectified by science, it becomes here a sensitive issue. Through microphotographs, the installation reveals a little-known biological heritage that we share with it.


Meet the scientists - sessions

Sunday 4 October 2026 – 3–5 pm, Le Court-Bouillon
Secondary school students: are you interested in science and curious about careers in research? Come and chat with technicians, engineers and researchers to find out more about their work, the qualifications required, and possible work placements...