The associative life at Chimie ParisTech is particularly rich: there are about twenty clubs and student associations, many of which have a solidarity or humanitarian focus and promote sustainable development or the dissemination of knowledge.
Two organizations are particularly close to the industry: Forum Horizon Chimie, which organizes the annual business forum and Chimie Perspectives, the school’s junior enterprise.
The office of student services (BDE)
The BDE has various missions. It connects students together, which makes the organization of several events possible, such as the integration weekend, trips and parties. These activities create and help maintain a certain cohesion within graduating classes and with alumni.
The BDE supports various School clubs, such as the Gala Club, the Cooking Club and the Garden Club, all of which aim to open students to other horizons.
The BDE has close ties with the major companies of the chemical industry. One of its missions is to find sponsors for each graduating class and it organizes meetings between the industry and students in the form of round tables, conferences, etc.
The sports department (BDS)
Chimie ParisTech’s BDS enables its students to play sports throughout the year, it be collective or individual sports. Students of both sexes can enjoy team sports such as basketball, handball, soccer, rugby, volleyball or even cheerleading, or individual sports like biking, climbing or swimming. The BDS wants to give students the desire and the opportunity to do sports in a friendly atmosphere.
The BDS participates in university championships and tournaments with various universities and colleges: The InterChimie Tournament, the ParisTech Tournament, the Grandes Ecoles World Challenge, the Tour of Central Paris, etc. These are great opportunities to meet students from different backgrounds.
With all the BDS does to organize events at Chimie ParisTech, it’s really about creating and developing this feeling of solidarity between classes: tournaments between classes, sports rallies, parties, etc.
The arts department (BDA)
Created nearly a decade ago, the Arts Department (BDA) disseminates art and culture in all its forms within Chimie ParisTech and PSL. The BDA manages the school’s artistic and cultural clubs such as theater, photography, music and band. It also puts an art-oriented newspaper together, “le Rat d’Art”, that is full of off-beat ideas, info on local expos, concerts or even ballets. The association organizes the “Arts Week”, the year’s cultural event at Chimie ParisTech, during which the BDA offers activities and entertainment.
Cultural group tours are regularly organized and offered to students for free or at reduced rates.
The department also publishes newsletters to share the capital’s cultural news. Finally, the association has forged partnerships with the Opéra Garnier, the Comédie Française, the Théâtre des Champs Élysées, the Théâtre Chaillot, the Théâtre de la Villette, the Théâtre du Rond-Point and the Théâtre de la Huchette to offer students discounted tickets.
CParité
CParité is a club dedicated to promoting gender equality within the school. Its main focus is to combat gender-based and sexual harassment and violence (HVSS) and to raise awareness about this issue.
Its role is to ensure that everyone feels safe and comfortable. That is why an anti-HVSS support team is in place during various events (such as the Welcome Weekend and parties). In this way, the club provides support to witnesses and victims of inappropriate words or actions.
The club also works to raise awareness among students and school staff through posters, shared tips, training sessions, and more.
The Chimie ParisTech circle
The goal of the Chimie ParisTech Circle is to promote chemistry to the general public through scientific activities that are supervised by students from the school. Each year, the Chimie ParisTech Circle organizes the “Fête de la Science” (Science Festival) and offers entertainment for everyone (activities, workshops for children and conferences). Students also host classes for elementary schools and high schools to provide students with experiences related to their school curriculum. These experiences are intended for a very wide audience and from an early age!
Cap Sciences
The Cap Sciences association advocates the sharing of knowledge through the sponsorship of students in their 10th and 11th grades from two high schools: Denis Diderot in Deuil-la-Barre (Val-d’Oise - Versailles Academy) and Maurice Utrillo (Paris, 18th).
For three years, students communicate regularly with the children they sponsor and organize visits or cultural activities intended to awaken their taste for science: visit to the Cité des Sciences, the Jardin des Plantes, conferences and scientific workshops at the school, meetings with researchers, etc.
Ecosciences
Ecosciences is Chimie ParisTech’s ecological engagement club. Club members initiate and participate in major projects to promote environmental initiatives in the school, and for all its stakeholders. Several Ecosciences projects have already led to changes within Chimie ParisTech: recycling of batteries, recycling of plastic caps, posters encouraging water and electricity saving, etc.
The club also gives the school’s students easy access to news and information related to ecology and ethics through social networks and the means of communication made available by Chimie ParisTech. Strong of its collaboration with organizations like PSL, the club plans to introduce more ambitious projects to make sustainable development even more important in the school.
Forum Horizon Chimie
The Forum Horizon Chimie is an association made up of 4 chemistry schools: Chimie ParisTech, ESPCI, ECPM Strasbourg and ENSIC Nancy. It organizes the yearly business forum that is held in Paris at the Maison de la Chimie. This forum brings together nearly a hundred of the largest companies from industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, etc. It is a venue for students, recent graduates and job seekers to interact with professionals, attend conferences, prepare for a job interview and come in contact with companies offering internships and jobs.
The forum ends with a dinner between students and professionals where they can talk in a friendly atmosphere. In addition to this event, the association organizes company visits throughout the year.
Chimie Perspectives Junior-Entreprise
Run by a team of engineering students, Chimie Perspectives—the Junior Enterprise of Chimie ParisTech—enables students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a business setting, helping them understand the challenges facing the chemical industry today and in the future. The association’s mission is to help students develop their skills by building a unique network at the heart of the professional world. Each year, the association carries out numerous projects, such as transcribing scientific conferences, conducting laboratory studies, supporting R&D projects, and monitoring the literature.
The quality of the work performed is guaranteed by the J.E. label and the National Confederation of Junior Enterprises. Chimie Perspectives is the first Junior Enterprise to have obtained accreditation for the Research Tax Credit (CIR), which assures clients of the excellent quality of the work carried out. Indeed, students are in constant contact with researchers at Chimie ParisTech and have access to the school’s state-of-the-art equipment. A fresh perspective, flexibility in approach, and a wide range of skills—these are the strengths that make Chimie Perspectives a preferred partner.
For a commitment to solidarity projects in the south (PEPSS)
PEPSS is a humanitarian organization founded in 2007 by students at Chimie ParisTech that brings together nearly fifty first-year students united by a shared desire to help the most disadvantaged communities.
Since 2018, the organization has been developing two projects in Togo and Madagascar. In Togo, the organization—in collaboration with Urgence Afrique—plans to set up computer labs equipped with solar panels and to organize interactive workshops on computers and tablets. The second project in Madagascar involves the chemical and microbiological analysis of water sources as part of efforts to provide drinking water to Malagasy villages. It is carried out in partnership between Solidago France and the Malagasy association HYDEAU.
Beyond disability, advancing and succeeding in higher education (PHARES)
PHARES has been in operation at Chimie ParisTech since 2011. Weekly two-hour tutoring sessions are held on campus to help high school students with disabilities. The high school students are mentored by five first-year students who lead activities designed to help them clarify their career goals, rebuild their confidence, speak with ease, and develop their critical thinking skills. These are all essential skills for their future lives as college students, all within a completely unique setting: neither academic, family-based, nor medical.
The national PHARES program is coordinated by FÉDÉEH (Student Federation for Academic and Career Development with a Disability), with which there is ongoing communication. Students from Chimie ParisTech participate in national meetings that bring together all the mentors who have implemented the PHARES program.
Solidarity 3 Generations (S3G)
Solidarité 3 Générations is a young and dynamic nonprofit organization founded in November 2012 by four students from Chimie ParisTech. The organization’s members visit older adults in hospitals and nursing homes to foster intergenerational exchanges with people who are often isolated. Visits by the association’s volunteers are organized, and the association collaborates with Les Petits Frères des Pauvres to make life more enjoyable for elderly people suffering from isolation.
A variety of events and activities are organized, often with the help of Chimie ParisTech clubs: classical music, board games, snacks, cooking, and theater! S3G is an association dedicated to strengthening bonds between generations as well as fostering group cohesion within the institution. To date, the association has developed close ties with several hospitals, including La Rochefoucault and La Broca.
By raising awareness of the association within these institutions, its members demonstrate that Chimie ParisTech is much more than just a chemistry school—it embodies a mindset that combines solidarity, generosity, and a diversity of skills!
The association of Chimie Paristech's phd students (ATCP)
One of the key components of research at Chimie ParisTech is its doctoral student body. The Chimie ParisTech Doctoral Students’ Association (ATCP) aims to bring together the approximately 100 doctoral students who conduct all or part of their research at Chimie ParisTech. By organizing “Ph.D. Student Day” or more informal events (after-work gatherings, parties, etc.), it facilitates scientific and social exchanges among Ph.D. students. Finally, the ATCP strives to foster connections between Ph.D. students at ParisTech and PSL by collaborating with the relevant Ph.D. student associations.
IGEM: an innovative project in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute
Every year, three students from Chimie ParisTech are selected by the Pasteur Institute team to participate in the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition. This international synthetic biology competition, organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, brings together hundreds of teams from around the world who spend nine months working on an innovative synthetic biology project. The Institut Pasteur team consists of about twenty students working in diverse fields such as biology, physics, chemistry, industrial design, and intellectual property. In November 2018, the teams gathered in Boston for the awards ceremony and the culmination of the project; the Pasteur Institute team was awarded a gold medal.