STLO at the Science Festival

The 2026 Science Festival is taking place from 2 to 12 October under the theme ‘Savoury Science’. 

Science Festival in school

As part of this, scientists from the STLO visited the Charles de Gaulle primary school in Chateaubourg.

“What is a bacterium?”, “How is butter made?”, “What is milk made of?”… These were just some of the questions that sparked the pupils’ interest during the Science Festival.

Throughout the day, three classes – one each from CE2, CM1 and CM2 – took turns to take part in the workshops run by scientists from the UMR STLO and to learn more about milk, fermentation and dairy products. In particular, the children were able to talk to the scientists about milk, and the production of yoghurt, cheese, cream and butter, as well as the bacteria used to make some of these products.

The activities organised by the STLO’s scientists provided a fun introduction to science and dairy products, and the children were delighted to have the chance to handle various instruments, such as microscopes, pipettes and vortex mixers. It’s sure to inspire future generations to pursue careers in these fields!

The Science Village

Seven scientists took part in the Science Village at Les Champs Libres on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October. They ran a stand on fermentation. The programme included a smell game to identify fermented dairy products, observing yoghurt bacteria in Petri dishes and under a microscope, learning about kefir, and an escape game centred on fermented products.

Those who are particularly curious can watch the 19/20 programme on France 3 Bretagne from 11 October to get a brief glimpse of the stand (at around the 9-minute mark).

More information here