Outreach events

The Laboratory of Planetology and Geosciences is involved in a research that covers the entire spectrum of the infinitely large to the infinitely small: from laboratory instrumentation to space probes, from nanominerals to the internal structure of planets, Foraminifers from seabeds to giant clams, all scales of observations involving different techniques are represented.

Through workshops and models to discover the Earth’s and other planet’s environmental archives, laboratory staff regularly present research activities carried out as part of national and international programs during recurring events, such as “Fête de la Science”, “Utopiales”, “Scopitone” but also in the context of specific events such as the exhibition “Voyages Planétaires” organized in 2011 and reiterated from 28 September and 4 October 2015 under the name “Voyages planétaires : sur la trajectoire d’une comète”.

In 2017, the LPG has proposed several events related to the end of the international space mission “Cassini-Huygens”, including conferences, the exhibition “Cassini-Huygens rencontre les mondes de Saturne” and the festive event “Cassini Crash” on September 15, the date of the Cassini probe’s crash into the atmosphere of Saturn.

In 2018, the laboratory has invited you to discover the revelations of the mysterious moons of Saturn, Titan and Enceladus, following the Cassini-Huygens mission, and the promises of future explorations of the moons of Jupiter, NASA Europa Clipper and ESA Jupiter ICy moon Explorer (JUICE). This exhibition entitled “A la conquête des lunes de Jupiter et Saturne” was opened to the public from May 29 to October 26, at the University of Nantes.

In order to discover foraminifera, micro-organisms living in marine sediments, at the younger generations, the research team located in Angers conducted a participatory science project with two classes of the first scientist at Lycée Mounier. The aim of this initiative is multiple: to strengthen the link university / high school, to give students a better overview of current and innovative research topics, and to participate in the acquisition of data as part of a real research program in progress, the project “Mudsurv”. The project and the first results were presented by the students as part of Exposcience, outreach event, last May in Angers. This experience allowed them to understand the scientific process, the challenges of monitoring tidal mudflats and the importance of popularizing their work so that it is accessible to the public.

In addition, as part of the NASA InSight mission launched on May 2018, the LPG offered several meetings in the form of conferences and activities. We also directed, in collaboration with the Audiovisual and Multimedia Pole of the University of Nantes, IPGP and CNES, a documentary film describing the objectives of the mission as well as our involvement. The film entitled “La Mission InSight : au coeur de Mars” is available on our YouTube channel.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo XI mission, the laboratory offered an exhibition entitled “De Lune à L’Autre”, from October 2019 to January 2020 for schools. Addressing the past, present and future exploration of the Moon, this exhibition was organized around visuals and workshops. A series of conferences was organized around the event, to promote encounters between scientists and the general public, as well as schools.

In autumn 2020, the LPG and the Natural Sciences Museum of Angers will present a new exhibition, “Foraminifères, l’océan à la loupe”. The researchers working in Angers are specialized in the study of foraminifera, microorganisms living in the marine environment with 5,000 species all unknown to the general public! Who are they ? Where do they live ? How do they allow to know the past climates? How do they give us clues about the quality of our environment? These are all questions that the exhibition attempts to answer with the aim of showing the research being done in the field as well as in the laboratory. The scenography and the pieces of art that decorate it are the result of a partnership with the European School of Art of Brittany.

Finally, after the exhibition “Still snowing on Venus”, imagined by the visual artist, Sophie Keraudren, and presented at the LPG in 2017, the laboratory wishes to develop new Arts & Sciences projects. Thus, the LPG has partnered with Sophie Keraudren’s exhibition “Noir comme Vénus”, which will be open to the public from June to September 2021 at the Natural History Museum in Nantes.
The exhibition “Ils remontent le temps” proposed in collaboration with the Théâtre du Grain of Brest and the Natural History Museum of Nantes will be installed at the Museum from April 9 to September 18, 2022. Creative and poetic, this project will offer the public singular experiences during the concert-conferences scheduled on April 9, July 2 and September 17, 2022.