SchooLab is a project led by La Rotonde – The Science Culture Center of Mines Saint-Étienne, which works to provide scientific immersion for middle and high school students. Several programmes are offered to middle and high school classes in Loire and the South region on our Saint-Étienne and Gardanne campuses. Classroom workshops, lectures, laboratory and company visits, and meetings with scientists—this program opens students to science and inspires careers in health, robotics, sustainable development, and all fields of science.
👨🏻🔬 In 2026, this program will be offered through several thematic events. On March 23, SchooLab Engineering will be launched. Funded by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and organized by the 4 schools of the Engineering College, this variation will open high school students to the world of research to democratize access to careers in science, technology, and industry.
🏭 SchooLab Sustainable Industry, supported by the ILYSE Foundation (Industrie LYon Saint-Étienne), which supports the development of projects aimed at changing perceptions of local industry, has been offering a program of visits and meetings since December, including with photographers to discover industrial photography.
🌋 Finally, SchooLab Geology highlights Saint-Étienne’s geological heritage. On Thursday, March 5, Steve Peuble, a lecturer-researcher at the SPIN center, and Ségolène Courant Géry from La Rotonde welcomed eleventh-grade students from Lycée Etienne Mimard for a tour of the School’s geology collections and the analysis of a core sample taken from the park soil.
Curator of the geology collections, Ségolène Courant Géry presented the chronological timeline that geologists and paleontologists use to navigate the different geological eras. The high school students had brought their own rocks to place on the timeline.
Steve Peuble, for his part, was waiting for the students to collect a sample of Saint-Étienne soil and analyze it in his laboratory. He encouraged the young students to take an interest in the subsoil. Today, sampling a layer of soil from a hundred years ago reveals much about tomorrow’s challenges.
This SchooLab Geology programme will conclude with a final presentation, during which the classes will share their learning with other classes.
👉 To learn more about all the variations of the SchooLab program, click here: https://www.larotonde-sciences.com/scolaire/dispositifsdaccompagnements/schoolab/schoolab-9-2025-2026/
The SchooLab program is supported by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the Loire Department, and Saint-Étienne Métropole. In the South region, it is supported by I-NOVMICRO (an innovation program to develop and promote the microelectronics and electronics training sector). SchooLab is labeled AnneeIngenierie by the CNRS.
