Science Club at the Museum of Natural History: science for young people in Luxembourg

The Science Club at the Luxembourg Museum of National Natural History (MNHN) actively engages young people aged 11 to 18 in the study of natural sciences, geology and biology. Since its foundation in 2002, the club, led by Mike Hagen, has been offering hands-on experiments, science tours and laboratory visits to stimulate the interest in science among young explorers.

Last year, the club's 112 activities attracted around 1,900 participants. One of the most popular excursions was a visit to an exhibition on the geology of Luxembourg, where children explored the capital's rock formations, searched for secret passages, visited small caves and conducted experiments with collected rock samples.

In 2025 Science Club will continue to delight participants with a variety of scientific events. One of the highlights will be the observation of the partial solar eclipse, which will take place on 29 March. On this day, the club staff will not only provide equipment for safe observation, but also explain the scientific aspects of the phenomenon.

As part of the LUGA exhibition about plants and gardening, the club is organising a workshop on cyanotype, an ancient technique for creating images without the use of a camera. Mike Hagen explains that participants will be able to create unique images of plants and flowers collected in the Vallée de la Pétrusse.

Science Club offers a variety of activities all year round, especially in the holidays and on Saturdays during school hours. Particularly popular are the activities for the younger group (11-13 years old), which are almost always fully staffed with 15 to 20 participants. Activities for adolescents aged 13-15 are also well attended, emphasising the growing interest in science among young people in Luxembourg.