Young researchers will lead you through fun and interactive experiments designed to help you discover the major scientific disciplines that represent the excellence of the Collège de France.
Exclusive guided tours of laboratories will also be offered, subject to registration. Take a behind-the-scenes look at biology and physics research, accompanied by the men and women who work there every day.
Last but not least, the Collège de France gift store, featuring souvenir items and books published by The Collège de France Publishing Department, will be exceptionally open on this day.
On the program
Interactive workshops
Experience immersive experiments in neuroscience, microbiology, phylogenetics, electrochemistry, physics, mathematics, archaeology... and even codicology! In four different rooms, four major themes will be presented to you:
- The world of the invisible
- Brain, learning and deciphering
- Energy and matter
- Biodiversity and evolution
Police investigation
Following on from the success of this year's event, a new detective story will be put to the test of your sagacity. Following the clues, you'll use your scientific skills and logic to find the culprit! Get ready to put your detective skills to the test and find the stolen bust of Claude Bernard..
Laboratory visits
(ages 13 and up preferred)
- The Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel is a joint research unit of the CNRS, Collège de France (Institute of Physics), Sorbonne University and École normale supérieure, which studies quantum physics. Here, atoms are manipulated under extreme conditions to study their behavior when isolated and close to absolute zero. Come and visit one of the experimental rooms to discover the objects researchers use to create these extraordinary conditions.
- The Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en biologie (CIRB) at the Collège de France is home to numerous teams working on a wide range of themes. We invite you to visit two of these laboratories and discover how microbiologists and neuroscientists carry out their experiments.
The Quantum Workshop exhibition
Opening on October 8, 2025, to mark the International Year of Quantum Physics, the exhibition "L'atelier quantique: regards artistiques sur l'infiniment petit" (The Quantum Workshop: Artistic Views of the Infinitely Small) will showcase works produced by artist Caroline Delétoille during her residencies with researchers at the Kastler Brossel laboratory. Like an ethnographic survey, paintings and artistic installations will invite visitors to explore the daily life, gestures and imaginary world of the laboratory.
