Institut Pasteur Korea announced that it held a special outreach educational life science program inviting 105 local students from families with special needs on Jan. 21. As a part of Gyeonggi Science Mentor Project hosted by Gyeonggi Province, the program aimed to provide the students interesting experiences in the field of life sciences and endow them with the wisdom and creativity to overcome difficulties.
 
Opening the morning session at Institute Pasteur Korea, the program first introduced fun episodes of Dr. Louis Pasteur, so-called a father of microbiology, and provided a special lecture titled “Why do we study” presented by Mr. Sungmin Kim, the CEO of I-Well Contents, that delivered motivations and hopes for students to find their dreams and carry on with leaning.
 
Moving on to Gwacheon National Science Museum in the afternoon, students saw various exhibitions and planetarium, and participated in the ‘Crime Scene Investigators Program’ and ‘Pottery Activity’ divided into two groups in accordance with their talents and interests.
 
The student group participated in the ‘Crime Scene Investigators Program’ enjoyed the wonder of applying basic scientific principles into the investigation and got thrilled when finally identified the real criminal by judging blood strains. On the other hand, during the ‘Pottery Activity’, each student, as an artist, expressed his/her creativity molding own creation with fine clay and spending a comforting time in nature.  
 
Dr. Hakim Djaballah, the CEO of Institut Pasteur Korea, said, “Supporting young students with various outreach educational programs and mentoring them to become prospective scientists in the future are one of our mission”, and added, “Throughout the Institut Pasteur Korea Life Science Program I hope the students can make a step forward to their dreams leveraging the experiences of our creative culture and advanced research facilities.” 
 
Institut Pasteur Korea had been selected as an operating organization of the Gyeonggi Mentor Project in 2009 and has turned out 138 graduates by Jan. 2015 throughout the Regular Life Science Program run yearly. The Regular Life Science Program is a unique science program for local middle school students that provides students monthly classes with multidisciplinary lectures and activities and experiences of getting involved with multi-national scientists. Additionally, since 2010, Institut Pasteur Korea has been operating a Special Life Science Program two times per year for the local students from families with special needs, in which 388 students has joined till the present.