The Sciences Aco Light And Matter Museum

Sciences ACO is a non-profit association based in Orsay (France). It manages a Museum of Light and Matter visited by more than 1,000 people each year. In this unique place, scientists and cultural mediators preserve, exhibit and comment on items of the history of science & technology, to pass on the knowledge of this heritage to the audience. Sciences ACO visitors among them many high school students and teachers come to learn about the progress of science and the technology evolution over more than four decades. Sciences ACO is more than just a historical museum: it is a driving force for the development for outreach and pedagogical activities on the Paris-Sud University campus and in the neighboring towns. The history, the present activity and the prospects of the Sciences ACO association are presented in this article.