Laurie Rousseau-Nepton
Laurie Rousseau-Nepton in front of the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii. (Credit: Laurie Rousseau-Nepton)
- Job title: Astrophysicist
- Innu – member of the Mashteuiatsh community (Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation) in Quebec
Laurie Rousseau-Nepton studied physics and astronomy at Laval University, where she developed unique expertise. For her doctorate, she chose to study star formation in nearby galaxies with the SpIOMM instrument, at the Mont-Mégantic Observatory.
Following her hard work, the SpIOMM team, led by researcher Laurent Drissen, obtained funding to build the instrument's successor, named SITELLE, for the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
After she completed her Ph.D., Laurie Rousseau-Nepton was selected to be a resident astronomer at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. During her first year, she formed a team of 60 researchers from around the world for SIGNALS, an observing program designed to investigate massive star formation in numerous galaxies close to the Milky Way.
To maintain close ties with her community and the rest of Canada, she enjoys showcasing traditional knowledge of astronomy, and does a variety of presentations and videos online. She also continues to go moose hunting with her family in the Ashuapmushuan Wildlife Reserve.
She has a message for budding young scientists:
"Expand your horizons and believe in your own abilities. There is no limit to what you can do! At first, I didn't know which kinds of science I was interested in. I just knew that I wanted to learn, and science was my vessel for learning. Experiment, observe, try to understand and have fun! It's the best way!"