Arts & Sciences in Engineering Education
In June, first-year students in the Civil Engineering program participated in the Arts and Sciences course, a program that encourages them to explore the connections between innovation, creativity, and the scientific method.
Through a series of workshops held at iconic Parisian landmarks and on the School’s campus, they discovered new ways to observe, create, and understand the world: drawing from mineralogical collections, photography, street art, making paints, an immersion in the craft of coin production, science-fiction scenarios centered on rare earth elements, immersive installations, and even an escape game.
At the intersection of the scientific method, artistic creation, and critical thinking, they produced observational drawings, created a collaborative mural, experimented with historical photographic processes, made their own colors from pigments, and even devised forward-looking science-fiction scenarios.
By blending artistic creation, critical analysis, and scientific inquiry, this course helps develop key skills for engineers: curiosity, observational skills, creativity, the ability to anticipate, and teamwork.
This program aims to reconnect students with hands-on practice and practical experimentation: manipulating, creating, and trying things out are essential for developing a sensitive and active understanding of innovation processes. Participants explore the imagination, the freedom to experiment, and the richness of nonlinear paths. Inspired by Edgar Morin’s complex thought, the module encourages interdisciplinarity and the ability to act in the face of uncertainty—key skills for engineers confronting contemporary challenges.
Cécile Cerf, Module Director
By integrating the arts into its science curriculum, Mines Paris – PSL enriches the education of its engineers and invites them to take a different perspective on the methods, subjects, and challenges of their future profession.
