A weekend at the Fête de l’Humanité for SPS

Two workshops were proposed to the public. The first, “Plants and Humans” was led by Pierre Hilson and Morgane Quesnot from the SPS science outreach “Plants and Society” group. This major SPS workshop explores the history of plant domestication and selection, as well as the evolution of farming practices. The second workshop, led by Malo Giannantoni, a PhD student in the “Physiology of Plant Cell Wall Assembly, Remodelling, and Expansion” team at the Institute Jean-Pierre Bourgin for Plant Sciences, focused on bio-production and offered an in-depth look at the valorization of industrial waste.

Pierre, Morgane and Malo found the discussions with the curious audience, as well as the exchanges with representatives from other participating associations, very enriching.

Morgane Quesnot, science mediation officer at SPS, looks back at the event:

“For the third consecutive year, we’ve participated in the Fête de l’Humanité with one of our flagship workshops dedicated to the domestication of plants. What I particularly appreciate about this experience are the discussions that arise based on something displayed at our booth. Everyone is drawn to something different: some stop to admire the variety of shapes and colors of the corn cobs, while others are intrigued by the Solanum pimpinellifolium plants (ancestors of today’s tomatoes). The stalks of wheat, which help trace the different stages of its domestication, also spark many questions about both their past evolution and their future.

From this initial curiosity, the discussion can take many different directions. Of course, we talk about domestication, evolution, and plant diversity, but the conversation can also become more personal, depending on each person’s experiences and memories: a plant grown in the family garden, a tomato variety one particularly likes, memories related to agriculture, or simply a curiosity about the origin of what we eat.

It’s this aspect that stands out to me and that I appreciate the most: our workshop allows us to talk about science, but above all, to use plants as a starting point to connect with people and their personal stories. For me, that’s also what defines science outreach: creating a space for dialogue where everyone can contribute their knowledge, experiences, and questions. It’s not simply a matter of imparting knowledge to an audience, but of engaging with all citizens, to advance and explore everyone’s perspectives.”

Thanks to this event, SPS was able to offer its science outreach initiatives to a wide audience in a festive setting and reaffirm its commitment to making scientific knowledge accessible to everyone.