Louise Edwards

2817 Prior Street
Victoria, BC V8T 3Y2
Canada


email: louise@ipac.caltech.edu


Date of Birth: November 21, 1978
Citizen: of both Canada and The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Languages: Native speaker of English, fluent in French

PhD.: Physics (Université Laval 2007)
M.Sc.: Astronomy (Saint Mary's University 2003)
B.Sc.: Major, Physics & Astronomy with a Minor in Mathematics (University of Victoria 2001)
High School Diploma: Reynolds High School, French Immersion Program (1996)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

SESSIONAL FACULTY: Responsible for the lectures and observing sessions for the Introductory Astronomy course at Trent University (Fall 2007). This includes preparing the presentations, assignments and exams, marking, and conducting the Observing Sessions.

PART-TIME INSTRUCTOR: At Saint Mary's University I was hired as a part-time instructor and was in charge of preparing and demonstrating review topics covered in the lectures and labs in my own tutorial session.

TEACHING ASSISTANT: I have been a teaching assistant for the past six years having worked with professors at UVic, Saint Mary's University and Laval University. I have been hired as a teaching assistant for the Math Assistance Center, for a second year Mathematical Physics course, as well as an Introductory Astronomy class and first year Physics classes. I have become a conscientious and fair marker, patient and creative when instructing labs and comfortable lecturing to a classroom full of college age students.

OTHER TEACHING POSITIONS: Recently worked as an English Monitor at La Camaradiere Secondary School, in Quebec City. Duties included developing and administrating activities for English as a second language students of all levels. Devoloped and ran a series of "mini-University" lectures at Trent University for grade 8 children. I was also an instructor for a children's science camp, Science Venture. I organized and ran a number of science activities for youth who came to the University of Victoria to attend our camp.

PUBLIC TALKS

O The Solar System, Victoria High School 2008, Victoria, BC
o Star Formation in Galaxy Clusters, Dalhousie University 2006, Halifax, NS
o The Big Bang and the Origins of the Universe, Queen Elizabeth High School 2006, Halifax, NS
o The Solar System, University of Waterloo Observatory 2005, Waterloo, ON
o Rare Objects in Astronomy, The Mars Amateur Astronomy Club 2005, Cape Rouge, QC
o The Big Bang and the Origins of the Universe 2005, St. Laurence College


TALKS

o Current and Recent Activity in the Cores of Brightest Cluster Galaxies, Invited Seminar, 2008, New Mexico State University Colloquium
o Star Formation in Brightest Cluster Galaxies, Gemini Telescope 2006, La Serena, Chile
o L'Evolution de l'Univers, Cegep Sainte-Foy 2006, Quebec City, QC
o Star Formation in Cooling Core Clusters, University of Waterloo 2005, Waterloo, ON
o L'Ecriture des demandes de temps, Atelier Etudiant 2004, Quebec, PQ
o L'Hydrogene moleculaire dans les amas de types Cooling Flow, Rencontre du Centre Observatoire de Mont Megantic 2004, L'Esterel, PQ
o Molecular Hydrogen in the Cooling Flow Clusters Abell 1795 and Abell 400, Atelier Etudiant 2003, Montreal, PQ
o Oral presentations of my work terms during my BSc Co-op program, 1997, 1998, 1999 et 2000, Victoria, BC
o An Introduction to Gravitational Lensing, Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference 1998, Kingston, ON


POSTERS

o Close Companions to Brightest Cluster Galaxies, Edwards, L.O.V., & Patton, D.R., CASCA 2008, Victoria, BC
o Integral Field Unit Observations of Brightest Cluster Galaxies, Heating and Cooling in Clusters 2006, Garching, Germany
o Molecular Hydrogen in a Sample of Cooling Flow Clusters, Edwards, L.O.V., Marleau, F. & Robert, C.,CASCA 2004,Winnipeg, MB
o Molecular Hydrogen in the Cooling Flow Cluster Abell 1795, Edwards, L.O.V., & Marleau, F., Riddle of Cooling Flows in Galaxies 2003, Charlottesville, VA


PUBLICATIONS

o Edwards, L.O.V., Robert, C., Molla, M. McGee, S. (2008) IFU Observations of Optical Line Emission in Cooling Flow and non-Cooling Flow Brightest Cluster Galaxies (Submitted)
o Edwards, L.O.V., Hudson, M., Balogh, M., et al. (2007) Star Formation in in the Brightest Cluster Galaxies of the NOAO Fundamental Plane and Sloan Digital Sky Surveys. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 379:100-110.
o Edwards, L.O.V. and Robert, C. (2007) IFU Observations of Halpha Emission in Cooling Core Cluster Brightest Central Galaxies. In the Proceedings for the Heating vs. Cooling in Clusters, Garching, 2006
o Freeman, K., Beaulieu, S., Edwards, L.O.V., et al. (2008) The Compact Blue Nucleus of the Starburst Galaxy NGC 5102 (In Progress)
o Edwards, L.O.V. and Marleau, F. (2003) Mapping the Molecular Hydrogen Emission in the Cooling Flow Cluster Abell 1795. In the Proceedings for: The Riddle of Cooling Flows in Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies, Charlottesville, VA, USA. May 31 -- June 4, 2003. (Editors. Reiprich, T. H\ ., Kempner, J. C., and Soker, N.)
o Hutchings, J.B. and Edwards, L. (2000) Galaxy Population Properties in the Rich Clusters MS 0839.8+2938, MS 1224.7+2007, and MS 1231.3+1542. The Astronomical Journal. 119: 1100-1110.

HONOURS AND AWARDS

o Canadian Astronomical Society Graduate Student Committee Chair - 2005-2006
o Laval University Graduate Student Assistanceship ($16,000) - 2003-06
o Saint Mary's University Graduate Scholarship ($15,000) - 2001-03
o NSERC Student Research in Industry Award - Summer 2000
o Work Term Report Junior Award - Spring 1999 Honourable Mention
o Junior Black Achievement Awards ($400) - 1996

I have had an interest in teaching and community outreach for many years. While at the Hertzberg Institute of Astrophysics, I aided in developing a week long set of activities for college students who visited the observatory, and also conducted occasional tours of the facility. I have also worked as an instructor for a children's summer science camp, where I worked as part of a teaching team developing and implementing activities for the children. I recently spent a few hours a week at a local high school as an English monitor for the students, where I organize activities to encourage conversation.

I was elected director at large for the University of Victoria Student's Society during my undergraduate career, as well as elected the president of the (UVIC) Physics and Astronomy Student's Society. I am a self-identified woman of colour, chaired the UVIC Students of Colour Collective and helped start a Women's Center at Saint Mary's University. During my doctoral studies at Laval University, I prepared and presented astronomy talks for the local astronomy club. I am also actively involved in the Graduate Student Committee for the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA), being the student representative for Laval University, translating the minutes from English to French, and having served as Chair for one year. This year I am representing Canadian Graduate students in Ottawa, lobbying with the Coalition for Canadian Astronomy.

My leadership training comes not only from an extra credit high school course I took, but also from SEVEC, an intense leadership/anti-racism training program. I have also developed excellent interpersonal skills having worked as a youth programmer at a local community centre.

As a result of 5 physics work terms, as well as 5 years as a graduate student, I am now very comfortable using the standard computer programs and platforms of Windows, MACOS, Unix and Linux. I regularly use IRAF, LATEX, FORTRAN, and SUPERMONGO for data analysis. I enjoy and am easily able to learn to use new software. I have already used WebCT. I have spent time observing at several world class telescopes including the Canada France Hawaii Telescope and Gemini North in Hawaii, as well as Gemini South in Chile. I work on a student project using the Quebec Mont Megantic Telescope, we produce a calandar of our own astronomical images each year.

I enjoy knitting, reading science fiction and playing several sports such as Soccer, Field Hockey and Gaelic Football.

EMPLOYER: Trent University, Peterborough, ON
PERIOD: September 2007-April 2008
DUTIES: Sessional Faculty. Lecturer for the first year Introductory Astronomy course. Created a series of astronomy lectures for grade 8 students. Also hired as postdoctoral researcher (companions around brightest cluster galaxies).

EMPLOYER: Gemini South Observatory, La Serena, Chile
PERIOD: June 2006-July 2006
DUTIES: Visiting Graduate Student. Observing on an 8m telescope, and reducing and analyzing the results.


EMPLOYER: Laval University, Physics Department
PERIOD: January 2004-April 2006
DUTIES: Teaching Assistant for Mathematical Physics and Introductory Astronomy


UNIVERSITY: University of Waterloo, Physics Department
PERIOD: September 2005-December 2005 and September 2006
DUTIES: Visiting Graduate Student. Galaxy cluster research with Michael Balogh and Mike Hudson.


EMPLOYER: Commission Scholaire de la Capitale (Quebec city school board)
SUPERVISOR: Brenda Pearson
PERIOD: October 2003-April 2004
DUTIES: English monitor at La Camaradiere secondary school. Duties include developing and administering activities for English as a second language students of all levels.

EMPLOYER: Saint Mary's University, Astronomy Department
PERIOD: September 2002 - April 2003
DUTIES: Part-time instructor for PHY 210.1 and PHY211.2. Duties include preparing and demonstrating review topics covered in lectures and labs, used WebCT platform.

EMPLOYER: Saint Mary's University, Astronomy Department
PERIOD: September 2001 - April 2002
DUTIES: Conducting public tours of our telescope, supervising tutorials for the first year Physics class, instructing the first year Astronomy labs and giving the occasional lecture to the same Astronomy class.

EMPLOYER: Hertzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
SUPERVISOR: Dr. John Hutchings
PERIOD: January - April 1998
DUTIES: Duties included research and analysis on three galaxy clusters using the Image Reduction and Analysis Facility (IRAF) in a UNIX based environment. Other projects included aiding in developing a week long set of activities for college students who visited the observatory, as well as giving occasional tours of the facility.


EMPLOYER: University of Victoria, Science Venture
SUPERVISOR: Taco Niet
PERIOD: May - August 1998
DUTIES: From May through June I developed and presented science workshops for children in local elementary schools. From July through August I organized and ran a number of science activities for youth who came to the University to attend our Summer Science Camp. These activities ranged from building simple electronics gates to touring various University Laboratory facilities.


EMPLOYER: Fernwood Community Centre
SUPERVISOR: Denise Robertson
PERIOD: May - August 1997
DUTIES: Planning, organizing and supervising summer youth programs for youth 6-14 years old.

REFERENCES Upon Request.