Discover what activities ANSES has planned for the Fête de la Science

Protecting farm animals at Ploufragan

Learn how to protect farm animals while playing at the Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory. The game “SOS on the farm! Help me protect the animals from disease” invites you to choose actions to prevent disease spreading on a farm. 
The laboratory will also help you understand the codes printed on eggs, so you know what kind of poultry farm they come from. And you will find out about the kind of jobs researchers do and learn more about animal welfare. 

Dates: 1 October (schools), 2-3 October (general public)

Tour a laboratory dedicated to horse health in Normandy

The Normandy site of the Laboratory for Animal Health, in Goustranville, will be open to the public on Thursday 7 October. It is the perfect opportunity to meet the various professionals working on horse diseases: veterinarians, researchers and technicians.

Several activities and presentations will be available:

• on the science of bacteria, with a focus on two diseases affecting horses: rhodococcosis and contagious equine metritis;
• on the study of viruses, with a parallel between the coronavirus and horses;
• on horse parasites: from visible to invisible;
• on the monitoring of horse diseases and the Resumeq network: tour of an autopsy room, and presentation of the network’s role, autopsies and epidemiological investigations.

Date: 7 October
Opening times: 9.30 am to 5 pm
Venue: ANSES - Laboratory for Animal Health, Normandy site, RD 675 - 14430 Goustranville
Entry is free but you need to book by calling +33 (0)2 31 79 22 76

Discover life in a bee hive at Sophia Antipolis

The ANSES Laboratory at Sophia Antipolis will show you a hive with glass sides and various insect species. Interactive games will help you discover how a hive is organised, which predators and diseases threaten bees, and what a beekeeper’s job entails. You will also be able to chat with our scientists.

Dates: 30 September (schools only) and 3 October (general public)

Laboratory experiments for schoolchildren at Lyon

The Lyon Laboratory will welcome primary and secondary school pupils to its stand on 7 and 8 October at the École Normale Supérieure in Lyon. Three workshops are planned to familiarise them with the laboratory's main study topics: 

• insects: pupils will be able to observe insects with a magnifying glass and even touch some of them. They will discover the different insect families and their role;
• bacteria: what micro-organisms are found in food, what hygiene rules are needed to protect against them, what is an antibiogram for? All these questions will be answered in this workshop;
• laboratory techniques: pupils will be introduced to laboratory operations, including using pipettes, experimenting on the density of liquids (water, oil), mixing colours, and producing antibiograms.

Meeting schoolchildren from Paris...

Laure Bournez, research project leader at the Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife, will give a talk to secondary school pupils from Paris. This will take place at the Sorbonne on Friday 1 October and will focus on the epidemiology of zoonoses.

.... and Reunion Island

Lastly, the Pests and Tropical Pathogens Unit, part of ANSES's Plant Health Laboratory and located on Reunion Island, will visit classes in partner secondary schools. Its scientists will talk about the importance of plant sectors for food, the diseases and pests affecting plants, and will raise awareness about the vulnerability of island ecosystems. These talks will take place during the Overseas Science Festival from 5 to 15 November, subject to health conditions.