Stargazer shares excitement of science with others
As an astronomy educator working at the Centre of the Universe observatory in Saanich, Margaret Milne is combining the two fields she's always loved. "What I like best is telling stories," she says, "and it's easy to tell stories about astronomy."
Milne had her first taste of being an educator as an undergraduate in Ontario. She complemented her BSc in physics with a teaching degree and worked at two Ontario high schools, one of which focused on vocational learning. This meant she taught not only science and math, but also automechanics and baking.
"That was an experience," she said. "I learned how much I enjoyed the teaching process, and how varied it could be."
As much as she thrived on teaching, Milne decided to focus on research when she arrived at UVic for a master's in astronomy. Her thesis project focused on how galaxy clusters are formed. One existing theory suggests that small galaxies bash together to build bigger galaxies, and as a result, many small "dwarf" galaxies are left over in galaxy clusters.
Milne chose a cluster that had been studied before, but used pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope to search for even fainter dwarf galaxies. She discovered the cluster had more dwarf galaxies than had ever been counted.
An active member of the university community, Milne wrote for The Martlet, The BaG, was a participant in the SPARK (Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge) writing program, and hosted a bi-weekly show on campus radio that profiled UVic researchers.
Milne plans to remain at Centre of the Universe for a few years, but has a unique long-term goal in mind. "My boyfriend and I hope someday we can drop everything and sail around North America," she says. "I don't know when, but we'll do it some day."
During her studies, Milne received the R.M. Petrie Memorial Fellowship two years in a row and the Andy Farquharson Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching in 2003. |
