Promoting science and technology among young people: this is the mission that Florence Ferry, national coordinator of Destination Ingénieur-e at the Société des Ingénieurs Arts et Métiers Isabelle Duband, a teacher in Cluny, have set themselves.
Isabelle Duband, teacher, Cluny: “Motivating young people—especially girls—to pursue studies in science and technology”
Isabelle Duband, who has been teaching materials science and energy at Cluny since October 1989, is also actively involved as the equal opportunity and gender diversity coordinator, and as the coordinator for promoting science and technology among young people, particularly girls. In this capacity, she leads a “Cordée de la réussite” (OPTIM) program.“All these roles require a great deal of time and energy,” she explains,“but these commitments align with my values. I place a high priority on people, support, and social inclusion in the academic setting.”
A lack of vision that particularly affects students from low-income backgrounds
As part of the OPTIM Success Network, Isabelle Duband meets with many middle and high school students. “I’ve noticed that most of them have no idea what engineering careers entail or the variety of engineering fields. They rarely know about the programs that lead to an engineering degree. This lack of vision and information particularly affects students from low-income backgrounds.”
This is why Isabelle has launched numerous initiatives to motivate young people—especially girls—to enroll Arts et Métiers , more broadly, to pursue studies in science and technology. She created a video for young people titled “They Chose Technology.” In it, three second-year students in the Grande Ecole Program at the Arts et Métiers campus share their experiences and their passion for technology.
Showcasing young girls thriving in science and math
In December 2021, Isabelle Duband organized a video conference between a group of 30 eighth-grade students from priority education zones in the city of Mâcon, an engineer Arts et Métiers a first-year student in the PGE program at Cluny. Pamela Reichert, head of the design office at the Safran Group, and Chaïma Chadid enthusiastically accepted the invitation. The meeting aimed to highlight female engineers and inspire young people to take an interest in engineering studies and careers.“Despite the remote format, the discussions were very lively, and the 90-minute slot was too short because the middle school students had so many questions,” she smiles.Following the meeting, they wrote an article presenting Pamela and Chaïma’s career paths. ”
Another example of our initiatives: the “Women Engineers and Technicians” days, during which high school students interact with professionals and students Arts et Métiers IUTs. “The goal is to demonstrate that young women thrive in science and technology studies and to show that women lead very interesting and rewarding careers as engineers or technicians,” explains Isabelle Duband.
Florence Ferry, national coordinator of Destination Ingénieur.e at the Société des Ingénieurs Arts et Métiers “Giving back what I’ve received”
Florence Ferry is inexhaustible and passionate when the topic of promoting science and technology comes up! This passion stems from her background:“In my elementary school, I was practically the only one who went on to higher education. Most of my classmates stopped after getting their middle school diploma. I was able to go to college because my father supported me. For me, choosing technology was a no-brainer: as a kid, I spent my time taking apart my grandfather’s alarm clocks. Today, I want to give back what I’ve received and be useful. I’m not the kind of retiree who spends my days playing golf or traveling!”
This awareness-raising effort must target both girls and boys
After 32 years at PSA, Florence Ferry now dedicates her time to promoting careers in science and technology among young people. She serves as both the national coordinator of Destination Ingénieur-e and the engineering career promotion representative for Calvados and Orne within the Société des Ingénieurs Arts et Métiers Soce), president of the Projets métiers association (more information), and a board member of the Femme ingénieure association (more information).
“I don’t carry out initiatives specifically targeting girls because awareness-raising must also involve boys,” she explains.“There is no such thing as a ‘gender’ in professions! ”
When she speaks at schools, Florence Ferry draws heavily on the exhibition “Technology, a Feminine Noun”:“I always co-host the presentation with a man, and we ask students to work in mixed-gender groups. This works well because it shows so-called ‘boys’ jobs’ being performed by young women.”
A Skills Assessment for Young People
Through the Projets Métiers association, Florence Ferry provides teachers with a digital program that allows young people to complete atailoredskills assessment: “It’s very interesting because there’s no gender bias. Both girls and boys define their personal profile (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, conventional) and what they enjoy doing to identify careers that might suit them.This works particularly well with 8th-grade students who haven’t yet formed preconceived notions.2,200 students are currently benefiting from this program.
To further promote science and technology, Florence Ferry participates through her various activities in events and competitions aimed at young people: Engineering Science Olympiads, CGénial, Robotics Challenges, Science Festival, Career Forum…
Networking
In fact, what she enjoys most is creating synergy among all her activities and contacts:“Most of the initiatives I lead involve Soce, the school, the Arts et Métiers Foundation, and the organizations I’m involved with…” I network. That’s actually how we won the “One Youth, One Mentor” call for proposals. The project, led by the Arts et Métiers Foundation Arts et Métiers theIESF,involves supporting180 eighth-grade studentsat risk of dropping out of school.”
