The
école supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris or
ESPCI ParisTech (
The City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution) is a
chemistry and
physics engineering college run by the city of
Paris,
France and a member of
ParisTech (Paris Institute of Technology). It conducts high level research in those fields.
The students enter the School after an examination (concours Ecole Polytechnique-ESPCI) following at least two years of Classes Préparatoires. They are called Pécéen or PC1(boys) and Pécéenne or PCN(girls). The School itself is also known as Physique-Chimie or simply PC.
The ESPCI ParisTech is one of the founding members of ParisTech and a member of the IDEA League and the UNITECH International Society.
ESPCI develops its relations with industrial partners such as Schlumberger, Rhodia, Total, Thales, Arkema, Michelin, which sponsored each yeargroup of students and signed research contracts with ESPCI laboratories. ESPCI ParisTech has signed partnership agreements with L'Oréal and Saint-Gobain for the recruitment of their professionals.
History
At the end of the 19th century, following the annexion of Alsace and Lorraine by Germany, France lost the Ecole de Chimie de Mulhouse (Mulhouse Chemistry School), which was at that time the best Chemistry school in the country. One of its professors, Charles Lauth, starting in 1878, obtained from the public administration the creation of a
Grande Ecole.
In 1882 the Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris was established and became the ESPCI, the current name, in 1948. Since its foundation, the founders of the school have been insisting on the pluridisciplinarity of the courses available. Biology was introduced in 1994.
Studying at the ESPCI is free of charge as voted by the Counsel of Paris.
After its establishement, the School rapidly became a meeting spot for the best scientists. From 1880 on, Pierre and Jacques Curie started a serie of research on crystal electrical properties that led to the piezoelectricity discovery. At the end of the year 1897, Marie Curie started her work on uranic beaming discovered by Becquerel one year earlier. After numerous experiments in the ESPCI laboratories, she found out that pechblende was 45 times more radioactive than uranium or thorium. In July 1898, the Curies announced the discovery of polonium and in December of the same year that of radium. Pierre and Marie Curie received the Physics Nobel Prize in 1903. After the death of her husband, Marie Curie was granted the Chemistry Nobel Prize in 1911.
Many former students have distinguished themselves, amongst which there are Georges Claude(5th year), founder of Air Liquide, Paul Langevin (7th year), physicist and inventor and Frédéric Joliot-Curie (39th year), founder of the CEA and Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 with his wife Irène.
In 1976, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes became Director of the School (Nobel Prize 1991).
Education
The course of study lasts four years. The two first years are devoted to giving the students a strong basic education in Physics, Chemistry and in Biology. During the third year, the students perform an industrial internship and research projects in laboratories. The students can major in Physics, Chemistry or Physico-chemistry. During the fourth year, the students can either start doctoral studies or do a master abroad. They can also complete their education in various application schools (master for engineers). In 2002 a master program in Bioengineering was created.
The engineering practical training program is based on the industrial internship at the beginning of the third year, the projects in laboratories during the last two years, lectures on recruitment process and social economics at the beginning of the fourth year. The compulsory industrial internship, which lasts from 4 to 6 months, has a huge importance. More than 50% of the students do their internship abroad, in European countries, the United-States, Japan, China, Australia...
The quality of the education given at the ESPCI enables its students to work in any industrial sector (Telecommunication, Computing, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Biology...), mostly in Research and Development (47% in R&D;, 10% in Production, 10% in Consultancy, 5% in Environment, 3% in Teaching, 3% in Computing, 22% in other fields such as Marketing, Management...).
5 researchers from ESPCI have received the Nobel Prize:
* Pierre and Marie Curie
Marie Curie - second Nobel Prize
Frédéric Joliot-Curie,
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes,
Georges Charpak.
Admission
Candidates to the competitive examination must have their
baccalauréat or an equivalent diploma. They must be over 17 year-old and under 22 year-old the 1st January of the examination year. Foreign candidates must be under 26 year-old and can attempt this examination only three times.
The written, oral and sporting tests are the same as for the Ecole Polytechnique but the tests are weighted differently.
It is also possible for students from Universities to enter the School. They must have first class honour. They are selected according to their academic results.
Directors of the ESPCI
Paul Schützenberger (1882–1896), member of the French Academy of Sciences
Charles Lauth (1897–1904)
Albin Haller (1905–1924), member of the French Academy of Sciences
Paul Langevin (1925–1946), member of the French Academy of Sciences
René Lucas (1947–1968), member of the French Academy of Sciences
Georges Champetier (1969–1975), member of the French Academy of Sciences
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (1976–2003), Nobel laureate, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Jacques Prost since 2003, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Professors of ESPCI ParisTech
Jérôme Bibette, physical chemist, fonder of three startups RainDance Technologies, Ademtech and Capsum
Jean-Philippe Bouchaud, physicist, founder of Capital Fund Management
Bernard Cabane, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Georges Charpak, Nobel laureate
Janine Cossy, professor of organic chemistry, Novartis Prize (2000), Boehringer Ingelheim Prize (2001)
Mathias Fink, professor of acoustic, professor at the Collège de France, member of the French Academy of Sciences, founder of Sensitive Object, SuperSonic Imagine, Echosens and Time Reversal Com.
Étienne Guyon, former director of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Palais de la Découverte
Ludwik Leibler, professor of soft matter, member of the National Academy of Engineering
Jacques Lewiner, professor of solid state physics, member of the French Academy of Technologies, founder of Inventel, Roowin, Cynove and Finsécur
Pierre Papon, professor of thermal physics, former director general of the CNRS
Jean Rossier, professor of biology, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Jérôme Lesueur, professor of quantum physics
Notable alumni
Paul Lebeau (4°), chemist, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Paul Boucherot (4°), physicist, pioneer of DC electric power distribution
Georges Claude (5°), founder of Air Liquide
Paul Langevin (7°), professor at the Collège de France, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Georges Urbain (9°), chemist, discoverer of the element Lutetium, member of the French Academy of Sciences
André-Louis Debierne (9°), chemist, discoverer of the element Actinium
Fernand Holweck (26°), physicist
René Lucas (34°), physicist, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Henri Moureu (36°), chemist, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Frédéric Joliot (39°), Nobel laureate (1935), fondateur du CEA
Jean-Jacques Trillat (39°), physicist, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Georges Champetier (41°), chemist, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Gaston Charlot (41°), chemist, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Pierre Gy (62°), chemist and statistician
Philippe Dreyfus (66°) informatics pioneer
Michel Winterberger (67°), Pechiney scientific advisor, member of the French Academy of Technologies
Michel Lavalou (69°), Rhône-Poulenc scientific advisor, member of the French Academy of Technologies
Maurice Goldman (70°), physicist, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Guy Sebban (83°), International Chamber of Commerce Secretary General
Henri-Dominique Petit (87°), Chairman of Sperian Protection
Sylvain Visconti (87°), former vice-president of Rhone-Poulenc
Serge Le Berre (87°), executif director of Valeo
Michel Baritiu (87°), former vice-président of Halliburton
Christian Dailly (87°), International director of Arkema
Laurent Vigroux (89°), directeur of the Institut d'astrophysique de Paris
Xavier Drago (90°), sustainable development director and member of the board of Air Liquide
Bernard Serin (90°), chairman of Cockerill-Sambre (CMI) (ex-Usinor) and of the FC Metz
Philippe Goebel (91°), chairman of Total Petrochemicals France
Patrice Robichon (91°), scientific advisor of Pernod-Ricard
Christian Reinaudo (92°), President of Agfa HealthCare
Philippe Klein (95°), executive vice-president of Renault, member of the Volvo Board
Hervé This (95°), physical chemist
Henri Rajbenbach (98°), general director of the Information technology at the European Commission
Laboratories
ESPCI hosts high levels laboratories:
Organic Chemistry Laboratory of Prof.Janine Cossy
Colloids and Divided Materials Laboratory of Prof.Jerome Bibette
Electromagnetism and General Electronics Laboratory of Prof.Jacques Lewiner
Electronics Laboratory of Prof. Gerard Dreyfus
Environment and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory of Prof. Marie-Claire Hennion
Physics and Heterogeneous Materials Mechanics of Prof. José Eduardo Wesfreid
Soft Matter and Chemistry Laboratory of Prof. Ludwik Leibler
Microfluidics, MEMs & Nanostructures laboratory of Prof. Patrick Tabeling
Neurobiology Laboratory of Prof. Jean Rossier
Biological Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics of Prof. Joelle Vinh
Waves and Acoustic Laboratory of Prof. Mathias Fink
Photons and Matter Laboratory of Prof. Jerome Lesueur
Theoretical Chemical Physics Laboratory of Prof. Elie Raphael
Physical Chemistry of Polymers and Dispersed Media of Prof. Christian Fretigny
Nanobiophysics Lab of Prof. Ulrich Bockelmann
Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems of Prof. Thomas Preat
The ESPCI ParisTech International Scientific Committee
President:
Prof. Dame Julia Higgins, Professor of Polymer Science Imperial College
Members:
Dr. Ashok Belani, Schlumberger Chief Technology Officer and Vice President
Dr. Christine Bénard, Michelin Scientic Advisor
Prof. Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics and Deputy Head, University of Cambridge
Prof. Edith Hamel Professeur, Neurology professor, McGill University
Prof. Dr. Georg Maret, Professor of Soft Matter Physics, University of Konstanz
Prof. David R. Nelson, Professor of biophysics, Harvard University
Dr. Didier Roux, Saint-Gobain Scientific advisor
Prof. Amos B. Smith III, Professor of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania
Prof. Samuel I. Stupp, Professor of Materials Science, Chemistry, & Medicine, Northwestern University
References
External links
Official site of ESPCI
ESPCI Student's Association
ESPCI Alumni Association
Category:Educational institutions established in 1882
Category:Technical universities and colleges
Category:Engineering universities and colleges
Category:Universities and colleges in France
Category:ParisTech
Category:École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris
