The CIRI at Pint of Science 2024
In bars in Lyon and Saint-Etienne, as in 52 other cities in France, the Pint of Science festival brought science to a curious and enthusiastic public. CIRI members helped make this event, which links research and society, a success.
Lyon: What are viruses and how can we study them without dying?
On May 15, 40 people came to the Tire-toi une bûche bar to find out how pathogenic viruses are studied in the laboratory.
6 years after discovering the festival as a spectator, Maureen Ritter (PhD student in virology, EVIR team) joined the presenter's side. She explained virology techniques in an easy-to-understand way. It's also an opportunity to talk about living things in a broader sense. For example, “Is a virus alive?” presents the criteria for living organisms and highlights the blurring of the boundary, even for experts in the field.
The evening takes place in a good atmosphere, demystifying science and answering questions about viruses. It's a moment of sharing that gets people's heads out of the lab: “It's great to see that what we do in research is interesting for people who don't do it for a living!
Saint-Etienne: the hidden side of the festival
The GIMAP team proudly represents CIRI in the Saint-Etienne organization of the festival! Aurélien Peyron (PhD student) is coordinator for the city of Saint-Etienne, and other team members are also involved: Jade Majorel (PhD student), Lily Bruyère (work-study student), Alicia Eymaron (student).
From finding speakers to scouting bars, the organizing team oversees the hidden side of the festival. Brought together by a passion for science and popularizing it to the general public, they also share moments of conviviality even before the festival. During the festival, they accompany the speakers and host the evening events. And there's no shortage of entertainment! A general science quiz is designed to arouse the curiosity of participants, who then take part in a Cluedo about rocks for example (presentation by Maeva Darnault, PhD student - Laboratoire LGL-TPE, Université de Lyon and Université Jean Monnet).
It's an opportunity to open up science to a wider public. Aurélien recounts the experience of a group of young people who stumbled upon the presentations by chance, and were hooked. It's also an interdisciplinary moment for scientists, like the members of the GIMAP team, who were alongside geologists, computer scientists, researchers in the humanities and social sciences, and so on.
Over the 3 days of the festival, 300 festival-goers were welcomed by the Saint-Etienne edition.
Pint of Science Saint-Etienne was supported by the Jean Monnet University Faculty of Medicine.