It was undertaken by Julia, Léo, Patrick and Laura, the team leader who impressed the judges and audience with her maturity, confidence and composure. According to the jury Laura certainly has a bright and promising future ahead of her!

What made the difference? Claudie Haigneré admitted that it had been a difficult choice for the judges. She praised the quality of the projects presented and the general involvement of pupils in the Science Factor competition: “Well done for having applied yourselves so well, we are very proud of you!” she declared. The members of the Sediment in the Seyne project showed a particularly strong team spirit, working together with their science teacher to whom the pupils have expressed their gratitude. They have also been able to create a network and establish links with laboratories, and they have undertaken organized benchmarking and detailed research into the companies and industrialists in the sector. Eric Barilland, Director of Employer Image and Communication at Orange and member of the Science Factor panel, expressed that he had been really impressed by the success and maturity of this project, and by its young members who exceeded the expectations of the judges.

Claudie Haigneré ended with a strong message about the need to drop stereotypes. She said that at every level people can break down prejudices about the science industry and innovation, which aren’t a male prerogative and which offer a very wide range of exciting professions. She noted that the weight of these stereotypes was so rooted in our habits and collective unconscious that even in the expositions that she organizes through Universcience, she could see that they were always present. Hence the voice that welcomes you is always female whereas the voice that explains the technical elements is always male.

Science Factor plays its part in how the world develops and its progress, by encouraging young people, boys as well as girls, to take an interest in science, by showing how it can be exciting and can open many professional opportunities. As a partner of Science Factor, Orange plays a part in this approach because the company offers a very rich and varied range of careers that sometimes aren’t well known to young students. The Orange jobs website has been developed with this in mind to make the opportunities that the company presents available to everyone, especially in scientific fields.