Neutrons for Everyone

On 11 December in the afternoon, a public conference  entitled « La science des neutrons au service de notre avenir » was held at Minatec.  The aim was to raise awareness of neutron science and technology among the general public and to highlight the impact of ILL's activities.

After an introduction to neutrons and to neutron scattering, the ILL facilities were presented – in particular its neutron source and scientific instruments. We then went on to discuss the impact of neutrons in the areas where it is most prominent : environment, energy, quantum materials, health and, last but not least, unvealing the mysteries of the Universe we live in.

The event attracted around 170 participants, both school groups and other interested people. There was a great deal of  interaction with the audience, and discussions continued over coffee. This event was the first of its kind and we hope to repeat (and improve) the exercise in the near future.

A big thank you to all the participants, as well as the ILL scientists who took on the challenge of speaking at this session: : Mark Johnson, Jacques Jestin, Jérôme Estrade, Monica Jimenez-Ruiz, Lucas Fine, Elisa Rebolini, Ulli Koester and Kseniia Svirina.