Education & Outreach

Imagine a source that produces X-rays 10 trillion times brighter than the X-rays used in hospitals, X-rays that allow us to fathom the structure of matter down to the minutest detail, at the atomic level. Imagine no further! These X-rays, endowed with exceptional properties, really do exist. They are produced at the ESRF - The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility - located in Grenoble, France, in an international and innovative campus.

Fostering an interest in science and technology

Observing matter and decoding its secrets are at the heart of humanity's quest to improve the understanding of the world around us. Functioning like a "super microscope", which reveals the structure of matter in all its beauty and complexity, the ESRF contributes to answering questions such as: What is our planet made of? How can we explain the properties of matter? Will we be able one day to develop better targeted drugs for cancer? To produce more efficient renewable materials? To invent new electronic components? To tackle pollution more successfully? The ESRF supports many initiatives and public events aimed at making sophisticated science understandable to a range of audiences, from public, high-school students, to young children.

Sharing science with the younger generations

The ESRF feels strongly about sharing science progress and technology with the younger generations and offers different educational programmes for students of all levels.

Synchotron@School is geared for high-school students and consists in a one-day programme of experimental workshops and ESRF site visits. These days of hands-on science and discovery help students to better understand the construction of a research project, and to discover the diversity of science careers in an international facility.

The 5-week HERCULES European school offers students, postdoctoral and senior scientists from European and non-European universities and laboratories a series of specialised courses, lectures, practicals, tutorials and visits of European large facilities.

The annual joint ESRF/ILL International Summer Student Programme on X-Ray and Neutron Science is a 4-week immersion programme designed around an experimental project. It includes introductory lectures, specialised courses and hands-on research.

Discover the ESRF

Visit the ESRF

Practical information for group visits.

Synchrotron@School

Information for teachers and high school students on how to join our educational programme.

For kids

Learn about the ESRF and synchrotron science. Have fun with our science quizzes and games!

Located in Grenoble, France, the ESRF is an active partner of the global innovation campus, known as GIANT (Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies).

NEWS

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13-11-2024

The secrets of fossil teeth revealed by the synchrotron: a long childhood is the prelude to the evolution of a large brain

12-11-2024

A new extinct species of coelacanth discovered thanks to the ESRF

08-11-2024

Inauguration of a new CryoEM facility at the ESRF

Connect with us

partners

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility - 71, avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.