Alexandrine L’Heureux wins the Lumbroso Grant for IREx Ambassadors in 2024

Alexandrine L’Heureux, IREx member and doctoral student at Université de Montréal, is this year’s recipient of the Lumbroso Grant for IREx Ambassadors.

On October 28, she had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Sylvain Lumbroso, the donor behind the grant, over lunch. Her thesis supervisor, our director, René Doyon, and Marie-Eve Naud, our Education and Public Outreach Coordinator, were also present. Alexandrine then presented her research projects and scientific communication initiatives to all members and to Mr. Lumbroso at a weekly IREx afternoon meeting.

Alexandrine is interested in the study of small temperate planets orbiting low-mass stars. She uses NIRPS and SPIRou, spectrographs installed on large telescopes in Chile and Hawaii, to measure their mass and determine their overall composition. She particularly interested in the TRAPPIST-1 system, that includes seven rocky planets around a small star.

Alexandrine demonstrating indirect methods for safely observing a solar eclipse at AstroMIL in October 2023. Credit: A. Philibert, Université de Montréal.

From her undergraduate studies, Alexandrine understood the crucial importance of scientific communication. She became involved with Cap Campus, where she designed and led workshops for secondary students. Since joining IREx, she has fully engaged in the institute’s educational activities, seizing every opportunity to share her passion for astronomy. As an Eclipse Ambassador, she particularly shone during our event at the MIL campus, which brought the university community together to witness the total eclipse on April 8. Alexandrine also participates in numerous events for youth and the general public, such as the Grande conférence de l’IREx, the AstroMIL, and the Séjour découverte for college students. Among her most significant projects, she mentored a team of college students as part of InitiaSciences throughout the 2023-2024 year. In September 2024, she had the opportunity to travel to Tunisia to serve as an instructor at the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers.

In the years to come, Alexandrine aims to deepen her research while continuing her exemplary commitment to passing on her knowledge. All members of IREx extend their warmest congratulations to Alexandrine!