Canadian Astronomer Profile: Dr. Jaymie Matthews

Jaymie Matthews

Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

Professor Matthews posing beside the MOST space telescope
(on the table to the left - the satellite is to the right).
Photo: Canadian Space Agency (2003)

Education Background:

• B.Sc. University of Toronto (Physics & Astronomy)
• M.Sc. University of Western Ontario (Astrophysics)
• Ph.D. University of Western Ontario (Astrophysics)
  
• Killam Fellow and NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia
• Attaché de Recherche at the Université de Montréal
• Currently an associate professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia

Research Interests:

"I like to think that I study the "body language" of stars. You can learn a lot about a person from how she moves and acts. If she's cold or nervous, she might quiver, for example. It turns out that many stars quiver as well, not because they're cold, but because of sound waves bouncing around inside their gaseous interiors. If we
can record the vibrations at the star's surface, it tells us about what that star is like inside, and about its stage in life.

"The Sun vibrates in this way, but its oscillation signal is so subtle that we would not be able to see it if we were looking at it from the point of view of another star. The turbulence of the Earth's atmosphere, which causes stars to twinkle, is the main problem. The twinkling swamps the tiny variations in light associated with the vibrations.

"Therefore, a Canadian team spanning government (Canadian Space Agency),
industry (Dynacon Inc.) and the Universities of British Columbia and Toronto joined together to build a satellite that could study other stars in this way from the vantage point of space. I am the Mission Scientist and Principal Investigator of the project. The satellite is called MOST (Microvariability & Oscillations of STars) but because of its small size and budget has been nicknamed the "Humble Space Telescope".

"MOST was launched into space from northern Russia on 30 June 2003 and became Canada's first space telescope, and the first all-Canadian science satellite in over 30 years. (Few people realize that Canada was the third country - after the former Soviet Union and the US - to build a satellite, Alouette 1.)

"We plan to use MOST to probe the interiors of other stars like the Sun, measure the ages of some of the oldest stars in the Galaxy (and thereby set a limit on the age of the Universe), and even detect reflected light from exoplanets orbiting other stars, to study their atmospheres for the very first time."

Why study in Canada?

"As part of my research, I travel extensively. For example in the last year, I have been to Portugal, Austria, England, Mexico, the United States, South Africa, France, and Russia. But as much as I enjoy these and other countries, I have yet to find a place I'd prefer to live more than Canada.

"Canada has always been a world leader in astronomy far out of proportion to our population and gross national product. Canada is now a key partner in many of the most exciting new astronomy projects on the horizon - from what will be the world's largest radio array (the Atacama Large Millimetre Array to be built in Chile) to the Next Generation Space Telescope, not to forget the Humble Space Telescope too."

Interested in becoming an Astronomer?

"If you dream of becoming an astronomer and studying the Universe, don't become discouraged. You could make a lot more money in another field with a lot less training, but nobody goes into astronomy for the money. It's a passion. You can't lose by following your dream, even if it doesn't lead you where you expect when you start.

"Make sure you take physical sciences and maths in high school so you have the basic tools you need. In university, you might enroll in a physics programme, since only a few universities offer undergraduate degrees in astronomy. Still, most schools will have some astronomy courses to whet your appetite and give you some background. Once you're in university, you may discover other areas that interest you even more than astronomy and you can pursue those.

"While an undergrad, try to make connections with professors doing astronomy or physics research. You may be able to work with them during the school year or the summer break to gain real research experience and maybe even publish a scientific paper. This will give you a leg up for your future studies and possible scholarships. The federal and provincial governments have many programmes to support students working in research labs. Check these out.

"After your B.Sc., if you're still committed to becoming an astronomer, you'll apply for graduate school, where again you can explore whether astronomical research is right for you.

"It is a long haul, and to be honest, only a few people who start actually end up as full-time professional astrophysicists. However, every student I know who started in astronomy and left at some point for different reasons, ended up in a challenging and lucrative job using the skills they acquired in their astronomy studies. Most of them had starting salaries higher than my current salary as a prof, in fields like medical imaging, telecommunications, software, even solving differential equations for the stock market.

"There's a silly old cliché, but in this case it applies: If you aim for the stars, you're bound to at least hit the moon."

Related Links:

• Astronomy as a career
• Other Canadian Astronomer Profiles
• Notable Canadian Astronomers

compiled by the CASCA education Webteam, (2008)