École centrale de Lyon facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
École centrale de Lyon

Motto	Une grande école sans frontières (French)
Motto in English	A grande école without boundaries
Established	1857
Chancellor	Christian Mari
President	Pascal Ray
Postgraduates	1270
Doctoral students	170
Location	Écully , France
Affiliations	Centrale Graduate School TIME France AEROTECH ASTech PRES Université de Lyon

The École centrale de Lyon (ECL) is a famous engineering and research university in Lyon, France. It was started in 1857 by François Barthélemy Arlès-Dufour. He wanted to train engineers for France's growing industries.

ECL is one of the oldest and most respected "Grandes Écoles" in France. These are special schools for top students in engineering, scientific research, and business. The university's campus opened in 1967 in Ecully. It covers about 45 acres (18 hectares).

The École centrale de Lyon is well-known for its studies in applied science and engineering. It's especially good at acoustics (the science of sound), biosciences, and nanotechnology (working with tiny things). It's often ranked among the top five "Grandes Écoles" for its engineering programs.

Students at ECL learn to be highly skilled engineers. They get a special degree called a diplôme d'ingénieur. This degree is like a Master of Science in other countries. Some students also continue their studies to get a PhD.

ECL works closely with other top universities around the world. It's part of the Ecoles Centrales Group, which has campuses in Paris, Nantes, Lille, Marseille, and Beijing. It's also a founding member of the University of Lyon's research center. This means ECL shares many PhD programs with other schools in Lyon.

History of the School

François Barthélemy Arlès-Dufour, who helped start the École centrale de Lyon

The school was founded in 1857 by Désiré Girardon. His idea was to train engineers who could work in many different industries. People called them "doctors for factories." In 1947, the school became part of the French government's education system. It first started in downtown Lyon, but later moved to its current location in Écully.

How the School Grew

1857: The school opened as the Lyons Central School for Industry and Commerce. It had 14 students.
1860: The first group of students graduated.
1869: The school moved to a new location in Lyon.
1887: The Chamber of Commerce of Lyon officially supported the school.

Years in Lyon City Center

1901: The school moved again, thanks to land given by the city of Lyon.
1930: The first woman student joined the school.
1947: The school became a state-owned institution.
1949: Students created their own association.
1963: The school started a joint entrance exam with Ecole Centrale de Paris.

Becoming International in Écully

1967: The school moved to its current campus in Écully. It was designed like an "American" campus.
1968: ECL made its first agreement with a school in Germany.
1970: The school changed its name to École centrale de Lyon. The first class with over 100 engineering students graduated.
1980: ECL started agreements with universities in Japan and the United States.
1983: The first class with over 200 engineering students graduated.
1990: The "Central" schools group was created. ECL also made its first agreement with China.
1996: The TIME network was created. This allowed students to get two degrees from different European universities.
2000: ECL made its first agreements with countries in South America.
2001: The first class with over 300 students graduated.
2005: Centrale Beijing, a new campus, was created.
2007: The group of Central schools included Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, and Paris.
2006-2008: The school celebrated its 150th anniversary.
2011: ECL signed an agreement with France AEROTECH.

What Students Learn

The main program at ECL is called the centralien program. It's special to the French "grandes écoles" system. When students finish, they get an engineering degree, which is like a Master of Science.

The courses cover many different areas of engineering. Students learn about mechanics, physics, materials, electrical engineering, computer science, and more. They also study things like nanotechnology and biotechnology.

How to Get In

Most students get into ECL after two or three years of special classes called "classes préparatoires." These classes focus mostly on math and physics. After these classes, students take a tough national exam called the Concours Centrale-Supélec.

ECL accepts only about the top 6% of students from these "classes préparatoires." This makes it a very selective and respected school. Some students also come from French universities or from leading international universities that are part of the TIME network.

The Study Program

Students at ECL usually study for three or four years. For the first two years, everyone takes the same core classes. These include science (math, physics), engineering (like computer programming), and social sciences (economics, languages).

In their last year, students choose different engineering specialties. After finishing these three years, they earn their engineering degree.

Working with Other Schools

The École centrale de Lyon is part of the French Centrale Graduate School. This group includes other Centrale schools in Paris, Lille, Nantes, Marseille, and Beijing (China).

Since 1857, ECL has made many international connections. Students from all over the world come to study here. Also, ECL students can get a double degree by studying at one of several partner schools. ECL is also a founding member of the TIME network.

Schools in France

ECL works with many top schools in France, including:

Centrale Graduate School (Paris, Lille, Marseille, Nantes, Beijing)
Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées
École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées
École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace
École Supérieure d'Électricité

Schools in Europe

ECL has partners across Europe, such as:

Austria: Technische Universität Wien
Belgium: Faculté polytechnique de Mons, University of Louvain, Université libre de Bruxelles, University of Liège, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Denmark: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
Finland: Teknillinen Korkeakoulu
Germany: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Technische Universität Berlin, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Technische Universität Dresden, Technische Universität München, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universität Stuttgart
Italy: Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, Università degli Studi di Padova, Università degli Studi di Trento
Norway: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Poland: Wroclaw University of Technology
Portugal: Instituto Superior Técnico
Spain: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Universidad de Sevilla, Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya
Sweden: Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, Kungl. Tekniska Högskolan, Lunds Tekniska Högskola
Switzerland: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
United Kingdom: Queen's University of Belfast, Imperial College London

Schools in America, Asia and Africa

ECL also has partners outside Europe, including:

Brazil: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, State University of Campinas
Japan: Keio university, Doshisha university, Tohoku university

Research at ECL

The École centrale de Lyon is very active in research. It has many professors who also have PhDs.

ECL has six research centers that work with the CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research). These centers study different areas:

Ampère: Focuses on electrical engineering, energy, and even microbiology.
ICJ: The Camille Jordan Institute for mathematical sciences.
INL: The Lyon Institute of Nanotechnology, which studies tiny materials and devices.
LMFA: Deals with fluid mechanics (how liquids and gases move) and acoustics (sound).
LTDS: Studies tribology (friction, wear, and lubrication) and how systems move.
LIRIS: Focuses on computer science, especially image and signal processing.

Ampère Lab

The Ampère lab studies how to manage and use energy wisely. It was formed in 2007 by combining two older labs and adding environmental microbiology research. They work on things like electrical materials, power electronics, and how bacteria adapt.

INL Lab

The Institute of Nanotechnologies of Lyon (INL) started in 2007. It combines three labs that worked on electronics, optoelectronics, and materials. INL does basic and applied research in micro- and nano-technology. Their goal is to create new technologies for many areas like semiconductors, energy, health, and biology. They have about 120 full-time staff and 95 temporary staff.

LMFA Lab

The LMFA lab studies how fluids behave and how sound travels. They look at things like turbulence, how different fluids mix, and how to reduce noise from cars or planes. Their research helps industries improve their products and reduce energy use and pollution. They work on topics like aircraft engines, noise reduction, and new energy sources.

LTDS Lab

The Laboratory of Tribology and Systems Dynamics (LTDS) was created in 1992. It studies friction, wear, and lubrication. They also look at how systems move and vibrate. This lab helps understand how machine parts work together and how to make them last longer.

LIRIS Lab

LIRIS (Laboratoire d’InfoRmatique en Image et Systèmes d’information) started in 2003. It brings together several labs that worked on communication and information technology. The lab has about 280 people, including professors and researchers.

LIRIS has two main departments:

Image department: This team studies how to analyze, model, and create images. They work on things like 2D, 3D, and video data.
Data, Knowledge and Services (DCS) department: This team focuses on managing data, knowledge, and services using information technology. They work on finding patterns in data and making systems more secure.

The lab also applies its research to real-world problems. This includes projects in:

Culture and history (like digital libraries and virtual museums)
Smart environments (like smart homes and security cameras)
Biology and health (like analyzing medical data)
Learning (like personalized education)
Digital entertainment (like video games)

Famous People from ECL

Many notable people have studied at École Centrale de Lyon:

Luc Court (1883), a French car maker.
Paul-Émile Victor (1928), a famous explorer.
Marc Riboud (1947), a well-known photographer.
Philippe Kruchten (1975), a software engineer and professor.
Hervé Renaudeau (1979), a former head of the Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Avancées.
Laurent Naouri (1986), a French opera singer.
Laurent Baumel (1989), a French politician.
Renaud Visage (1994), a French entrepreneur and investor.

Notable Teachers

Henri Dulac, a famous French mathematician, taught at ECL.

Graduate Programs

Besides the main engineering program, ECL offers many master's programs in science and engineering. These programs are for students who have already finished their first university degree.

ECL also has a PhD program. More than 100 PhD students work in the school's different research labs.