Illustration par défaut

The Eiffel Tower, transmitting scientific culture to women

9 February 2024

France’s scientific history includes many female figures, but this is little-known. The "Hypatie" committee, whose experts include astronomers from the Observatoire de Paris - PSL, is working to achieve greater recognition of this contribution.

Inscribe 40 names of women scientists on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower...

The aim is to highlight exemplary women - astronomers, mathematicians, doctors... women who have been eclipsed over the ages in the history of science and, as a result, invisibilized in the culture that shapes our consciences.

Video resources: "Discover the Hypatia project for the Eiffel Tower" :

This is the goal set by the "Défis Sorbonne" student association, chaired by Benjamin Rigaud.

The launch of the "Hypatia for the Eiffel Tower" project took place on October 25, 2022, in the majestic Salle Cassini at the Paris Observatory - PSL, on the very day when a partial eclipse of the Sun took place: a symbolic event.

The event brought together important guests and personalities from the worlds of research and higher education.

Launch of the Hypathie project
Group photo of the women of science - including our president Fabienne Casoli and astrophysicists Françoise Combes and Sylvie Cabrit from LERMA - present at the Paris Observatory on October 25, 2022, to support the launch of the Hypatie project.
© Observatoire de Paris - PSL

To select the names of the prestigious women scholars to be honored, a Hypatie committee of some thirty specialists was set up, including Françoise Combes and Sylvie Cabrit, astrophysicist at Observatoire de Paris - PSL.

Today, the Hypatia project is continuing its work thanks to the perseverance of Benjamin Rigaud who, taking advantage of the centenary of Gustave Eiffel’s death, produced and put on line, on December 15 2023, a new video encouraging the recognition of women in science:

To be continued.

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