Emily Levesque
Emily Levesque
astronomer & professor at University of Washington
Q&A
What do you love about your job?
Since I’m a scientist, I literally love the science. I love that I get to come to work every day and study how the universe works. I also love teaching and sharing my excitement about science with others.
What is one of your greatest discoveries?
In 2005, my collaborators and I discovered the three largest stars in the known universe. The discovery was presented at the AAS meeting and was covered by worldwide media.
Who is a female role model of yours?
It’s difficult for me to choose a specific person, but growing up I loved seeing female scientists in movies or news programs. I was a super-geek in school and I loved watching science shows! It was really cool when I’d watch a women being interviewed and think that I could do that too.
Background
Emily is renowned for her work on massive stars and using these stars to investigate galaxy formation. Her long-term research program is focused on massive stellar astrophysics, using a combination of observational
modeling resources to improve our understanding so that we can effectively use these stars as cosmological tools.
photo by sfgirlbythebay.com
more about me...
when i was little i wanted to be...
A scientist! I’ve been interested in science since I was 2. I’d pick up a rock and wonder where it came from or turn on the sink and see how long it takes to overflow… just all these little experiments.
my proudest career moment was...
Winning the Annie Jump Cannon prize from the American Astronomical Society Atronomy (AAS). The cool thing about this award is that it’s named in honor of a groundbreaking early 20th century female astronomer. While Annie was working as an astronomer at Harvard, she invented the first system that classifies stars, known as the Harvard Classification Scheme. I literally use her systems everyday! So, winning an award in her honor was really amazing.
the world needs more..
People who love science! It would be helpful if more people
understood why science matters and why people choose to
study it.
Words of Wisdom
"I want girls to know that being a girl, and doing whatever you love, are completely compatible".
