Henri Fresko has been teaching at the Solid Mechanics Laboratory in Lille since 1994. His guiding principle is to pass on his knowledge. He fulfills this desire through practical sessions in solid mechanics and vibration mechanics. But Henri Fresko doesn't stop there. His desire to share is so strong that, since 2000, he has been the coordinator of the "La Main à la Pâte" project at the Arts et Métiers Campus Arts et Métiers Lille.
Coordinator of "La Main à la Pâte" activities
Launched in 1996, the "La Main à la Pâte" initiative is a national program aimed at promoting science and technology in elementary schools. Mr. Fresko understood that engineering students at Arts et MétiersArts et Métiers could play a role in developing an interest in science and technology among younger children, particularly by giving presentations in classrooms.
Initially, the Arts et Métiers teacher Arts et Métiers his project while working privately at the school attended by two of his children. Then, in 2000, after presenting it to the director, the "La Main à la Pâte" initiative was adopted by the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille, and Henri Fresko became its coordinator.
12 elementary schools involved
As part of this project, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille is working with twelve primary schools in Lille this year (from middle kindergarten to fifth grade). Teachers at these schools have expressed their desire to receive assistance from engineering students during certain science and technology lessons. "It's an opportunity for them to bring their science back, " jokes Henri Fresko.
Every year at the start of the academic year, Henri Fresko presents the "La Main à la Pâte" project to first-year engineering students. He invites them to volunteer in groups of two, three, or four to work with younger students.Arts et Métiers studentsArts et Métiers always responded to the call, carrying out at least three interventions per school.
In addition, schoolchildren regularly visit the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille. Henri Fresko gives them a fun tour of the campus, accompanied where necessary by students who have participated in the "La Main à la Pâte" project. Primary school teachers often want to teach their pupils about the transmission of movement. There is no better way to do this than with the steam engine and its surroundings, located in the documentation center at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille. Schoolchildren often make the connection between this machine and their history lessons on the Industrial Revolution, and their reflections are sometimes surprising for such young children. "These students may later turn to technical education, " hopes Henri Fresko.
