Talking Exoplanets, James Webb, Kepler, TESS, and galaxy formation with Dr. Nathalie Ouellette

Den of Lore

Dr. Ouellette has been active in science education and outreach for a decade, her activities ranging over a wide array of audiences, topics, and media. She has established herself as a key figure in the local Kingston education community by managing the Queen’s Observatory for nearly six years (2010-2016) and coordinating the majority of the Queen’s astronomy research group’s outreach activity. Under her management, the monthly Open House events at the Queen’s Observatory have seen an increase in popularity of over 400% and is now the most popular free science event on campus. She also hosted several school, camp, and scout groups on field trips at the Observatory every month during her tenure, introducing children from pre-kindergarten to senior high school ages to astronomy through her interactive presentations and telescope demos. Her work as the Observatory Coordinator was commemorated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Kingston Chapter, with a plaque. Her outreach work continues now with the new Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Centre (CPARC) as their Education & Outreach Officer, where she has been building an extensive portfolio of events and resources for the local and national communities including public talks, science exhibits located in the Queen’s Physics Department, and online content characterised by a fun sense of humour and wonder meant to best connect with today’s youth.