- Home
- Institut Néel
- Research teams
- Technical Groups & Services
- Work at the Institut
- Partnerships
One of the main objectives of this comic is to better introduce the researchers to students at the time of their career orientation choices.
https://www.inp.cnrs.fr/fr/ebullitions
This event, aimed at around sixty 10th-grade students and their teachers, brought together the illustrator Hélène Bléhaut, two protagonists from the comic book — Pauline Martinetto, a teacher-researcher, and Eric Eyraud, a research engineer — along with two of their colleagues from the Néel Institute: Coline Théron, a PhD student, and Marine Schott, an engineer
The morning was led by Myrtille Gardet, Physics-Chemistry IA-IPR from Grenoble, and Séverine Martrenchard, CNRS Physics’s Scientific Delegate for Education, Outreach, and Scientific Culture.
After a scientific presentation by Pauline Martinetto on the physics applied to the study of heritage materials, Hélène Bléhaut shared with the audience how she developed the comic book, immersing herself in the Institut Néel. Designed as a true reportage (with interviews and photos to build the storyline), the comic offers a glimpse into the daily research practices through the artist’s perspective.
Each scientist from the Institut Néel then introduced their profession and career path, answering many questions the students had prepared regarding daily tasks, studies, and the qualities required for the job. They all emphasized the importance of teamwork, the absence of routine—which fuels constantly renewed motivation—and the different ways one can “do physics” according to their interests and skills.
In the second part of the morning, 11th-grade students presented three comic books they created on the Matilda Effect, the term given to the process of invisibilizing the work of female scientists in favor of their male colleagues. The scientists featured were Marie Tharp, Eunice Newton-Foote, and Jocelyn Bell. They received feedback from Hélène Bléhaut on their impressive work!
The session concluded with a discussion on gender stereotypes in science, against which it is essential to fight. It’s important not only to highlight the achievements of female scientists as much as their male counterparts, but also to encourage all young women who are interested to pursue careers as technicians, engineers, or researchers, where they are just as legitimate as men, as demonstrated by the speakers this morning.
The students left with copies of Ebullitions, signed by Hélène Bléhaut.
© Photo credit: Séverine Martrenchard, CNRS Physique
