Isabelle Malbec, site assistant, Gonfreville, France works on various activities and supports site communications as well as all community engagement activities. This March, she had an extra reason to be #PPGProud as the Packaging and Aerospace Coatings site has gone stellar with its community support!
Our colleagues in Gonfreville have supported the annual Science and Technology exhibition organized by the town of Gonfreville, which is part of the Programme d’Education Global (PEG), in an effort to make learning fun and engaging. Previously, we have contributed to the success of other PEG exhibitions including ‘Maths Attack’ and ‘Robots’.
What’s new in 2019?
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Nathan Marashi, PPG plant manager of the Gonfreville site, had the pleasure in opening this year’s exhibition with the numerous representatives from the town. For a second year running, the theme was ‘The Cosmos’. Following the success of last year, Cosmos part II was a 2-week extravaganza of science, math and engineering, all teaching kids about the exciting world of space.
The activities on offer really were out of this world! Students had the chance to experience ‘Astrojump’, a lunar walk simulator where they could recreate the moon landing themselves. During the two weeks more than 3,830 visitors attended the exhibition.
Isabelle and the team helped to organize masterclass workshops by the National Space Academy from the UK, where students learned about the importance of color in space travel. 220 children attended these workshops, in which they learnt why the rockets are painted white. Isabelle explains why these types of activities are important to her, personally:
But that’s not all! There were stimulating model rocket workshops, engaging games and informative movies! Students and adults also competed in painting and photography competitions judged by a PPG jury.
Engaging with the Public
When the exhibition was open to the public our team members were on hand to inform people about the incredible work we do for Packaging and Aerospace Coatings businesses right there in Gonfreville! The team included:
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Sandrine Belaïd, PPG customer service leader aerospace
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Pascaline Davoult, PPG supply chain coordinator aerospace
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Charline Forgeot, PPG change leader aerospace
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Armelle Loubet, PPG quality manager
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Sarah Rolan, PPG process safety management engineer
The visitors could study samples of our paints and coatings and our team explained the exciting science behind what we do and how it’s relevant to space travel. The PPG booth proved really popular with visitors of all age groups as Isabelle explains here:As a dedicated global supporter of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education, we’re always interested in helping local initiatives and projects.