Dr. Louise Edwards Now: Astronomy Lecture at Yale Next: Assistant Professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo |
Biography
Moreno: Any final words?
Edwards: Reach out! Look for mentors in professors, peers or other people you trust.
*Jorge Moreno is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Cal Poly Pomona. He is also a member of
the AAS Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy (CSMA).
Dr. Louise Edwards grew up in Victoria, BC and completed an undergraduate degree in
Physics and Astronomy (with a Minor in Math) from the University of Victoria.
She spent 2 years in Halifax at Saint Mary's for an MSc and 4 years in Quebec
City at Laval for a PhD. She was a postdoc at Caltech/IPAC from 2008-2011 and
faculty at Mount Allison University (Canada) and has been on the faculty at
Yale for the past 4 years as a lecturer. Dr. Edwards uses telescopes in
Arizona, Chile and California to study the largest galaxy is the local
universe, and studies these systems with undergraduates in her research group
at Yale. She is excited to start as an Assistant Professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she plans to
continue working with undergraduate students through teaching and research. She
looked through her first telescope on her back porch with her dad at age ~12.
This interview is part of a series of posts on the Astronomy
In Color blog dedicated to recognizing achievements by outstanding astronomers
of color. Feel free to contact Jorge Moreno if you know any other person
of color in astronomy who has recently won an award or made any other
accomplishment.
Moreno: What was your reaction when you first learned that you had been offered a faculty position at Cal Poly?
Edwards: I was very excited! During my interview it felt like a really good match. I was glad to be in a position to apply for a job that seemed to be looking for exactly the skills and interests I'd developed over the years.
Moreno: Please tell me more about yourself. What’s your story?
Edwards: I grew up in Canada and completed an undergraduate
degree in Physics and Astronomy (with a Minor in Math) from the University of Victoria. I chose Physics because it allows one to ask answerable questions
about the universe. Also, I wanted to know if terms like 'photon torpedoes' I
heard in science fiction made any sense at all. I went to Graduate school in
Astronomy, as my undergraduate program allowed me to work as an astronomer's
assistant for a summer. I worked at the beautiful Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
in Victoria with Dr. John Hutchings. After graduate school, I spent 3 years in
Pasadena as a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech/IPAC and then started teaching
and running my own research program, mostly with undergraduates. I have been at Yale for the past 4 years as a
lecturer, and will be starting as an Assistant Professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the fall!
Moreno: What inspired you to pursue a career in astronomy?
Edwards: I remember seeing Saturn through a telescope for the first
time. That you could see its rings really blew me away! I enjoyed working with
data at the DAO and have always enjoyed Math and Science. I didn't grow up
knowing that 'Astronomer' was a really job – I sort of just enjoyed learning
about Physics and fell into the career.
Moreno: In your opinion, what qualities makes your work so unique and
compelling?
Edwards: I study massive nearby
galaxies that live in large clusters. These galaxies have been found to have
special properties – extra young stars, extra material to make new generations
of stars – that are a function of the environment they live in. I like the fact
that to understand them is to understand not only the galaxy, but also its
surrounding enviornment. My work invovles using imaging thoughout the
electromagnetic spectrum as well as gathering spectra to determine the chemical
composition of the galaxies.
Moreno: As a woman of
color, what challenges and obstacles have you faced in your career? How have
you overcome these challenges?
Edwards: I try to focus on doing the absolute best I can in my
teaching and in my research. These are things I can control. Little things happen all the time: people
often ask me about my hair rather than my science, or call me the name of a different
young woman of color. Usually, I try to ignore it. I find it helpful to meet
regularly with like minded individuals (be it friends, of persons of color
groups on campus.) Little examples like those above seem small, however, can
add up to being a significant reduction in how serious women of color are taken
in science in general. So, I choose to put my effort into creating positive
change for the community of underrepresented minorities at large. Thus, I spend
a lot of my time mentoring and engaging with the student of color community. I
serve on committees I believe are working to remove prejudice on campus, I give
talks and my time whenever asked – particularly if by communities who are
traditionally undeserved. I try to stay aware of my own biases, and keep up to
date with the research on how to reduce these in my classroom (eg. blind
grading).
Moreno: What advice would
you give to other young women of color interested in following your path?
Edwards: If you love it do it! Find a mentor. This can be anyone in a
senior position who has your back, and who you feel comfortable talking
to. If that is difficult, then find a
group of peers you can talk to comfortably about your day. There are also
online programs you can sign up for, if no one in your school fits for you - eg. MentorNet. Lots of campuses have groups
for students of color to meet, and if yours does not have one, you could look
into starting one yourself. There are many different paths to being an
astronomer. I was personally interested in teaching early on, so started with a
postdoc that was half teaching-half research, and taught a course on the side
during my pure-science postdoc, and then spent an incredibly enjoyable year as
a visiting professor and 4 years as a lecturer before landing a tenure track
job. There is on one right way!
Moreno: Any final words?
Edwards: Reach out! Look for mentors in professors, peers or other people you trust.
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