Teaching and passing on knowledge are two passions that Sarah Tachet has nurtured since the beginning of her student life. Her application to participate in "Ma thèse en 180 secondes" (My thesis in 180 seconds) was therefore no accident, and became a matter of course in this, her final year, when she had the opportunity to take part.
Admitted to ENSTA in 2019, Sarah Tachet had previously begun her academic career at the École Nationale Polytechnique d'Alger before joining a Master 1 program at the Université Paris-Saclay in mathematical methods for mechanics.
For her 2nd year at ENSTA, she chose to major in mechanics and minor in mobility. In parallel with her 3rd year, she took a Master 2 in multiphysics methods for solid mechanics. It was in this context that she met Kim Pham, a teacher-researcher in ENSTA's Mechanics Unit, and Agnès Maurel from the Langevin Institute, who proposed a thesis on metamaterials to the brilliant student.
“These are artificial composite materials made up of periodic structures that are particularly interesting when it comes to modifying waves, whether seismic, electromagnetic or sound,” explains the young doctor. “ Metamaterials allow us to create extraordinary effects that don't exist in nature, such as forming invisibilization, or perfect sound insulation! ”
If Sarah Tachet embarked on this thesis adventure with a great deal of confidence, it was partly because she knew her supervisors, and partly because she had already had very good feedback from previous PhD students.
"I was able to choose my research topic because I'd had the supervisors as teachers and supervisors for my final year project, so I had a very clear idea of what my thesis work would entail. And I've always had a particular appetite for anything at the interface of maths and physics, and with metamaterials I was right in the middle of it. But doing a PhD is a very personal decision, and may not suit everyone. For me, it's been very fulfilling, because all the stars have aligned: great mentors, a loving and supportive family, a whole set of circumstances that have enabled me to manage the considerable workload that a thesis represents very comfortably."
At the same time, Sarah decided to pursue another very ambitious project: starting a family.
"Here again, I was very lucky: everything went smoothly and everyone was very supportive. If I had known earlier, I would even have been entitled to a place in a crèche through the Institution de Gestion Sociale des Armées (Igesa) - good to know for future candidates! My son was born at the end of my first year as a PhD student, so you could say I've had these two exciting adventures at the same time!
Her doctoral career came to an end with her participation in "My thesis in 180 seconds", a final challenge for the young researcher who never stopped giving private lessons, even during the most intense moments of her thesis or maternity leave.
"I had planned to stop at some point, but my passion for teaching was stronger, and I felt a responsibility and a commitment to my students. And it's also true that I love explaining, and seeing the Eureka moment in my interlocutor's eyes, when the content of a notion hitherto very abstract suddenly becomes concrete in his or her mind"
Come and support Sarah at this IP Paris final of ma thèse en 180 secondes on Wednesday April 2 from 6.30pm in the Poincaré amphitheatre at the École polytechnique!
