It becomes scientific to 50 years old

Photo Martin Alarie
The novelist Sylvie Ouellette also love to live in his lab at Concordia University, in Montreal.

Martine Turenne

Saturday, February 3, 2018 01:00

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Saturday, February 3, 2018 01:00

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After a career in communications, Sylvie Ouellette is now looking mysterious enzymes in a laboratory at Concordia University.

This shift occurred while she was head of communications for an international consortium on the study of the proteomes of humans. The contact with the researchers has brought her back to his passion : science.

“It gave me the taste to do,” says the woman, 52-year-old, who has also, among other things, wrote several erotic novels and historical (The mystery man of Sandy Cove), and even an essay on humor, Writing humor, this is not joke, released this fall.

Then in the mid-forties, she began a bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology at Concordia, a university that facilitates part-time studies. At the same time, she continued her contract of communication.

Not so clear

The result was not so clear to Sylvie. Until the moment when, in the last year of his tray, then she has to blow out its 50 candles, she participates in a research project.

“I got the bug. And a teacher said to me : do you want to do your master’s degree ? “

This meant for Sylvie to start, full-time, this time, in this new adventure.

“I’ve gotten big scores over the course of my degree,” says the one who has always been a first class. “So I got the help of grants from Council of scientific research. “

They him enough. “I saw not much. My two children are grown, and their studies are paid. I don’t have a car, I do a few exits, I buy few clothes. I lead a very simple life. “

She is already a phd and in the laboratories for the coming years.

The team with which she works tries to establish the relations between the various bacteria present in the E. coli. A long, very long process. “I love this project and I want so much ! I have found this love abandoned in the 1980s. “

How is it to be a “young” scientist at 52 years old ?

“I have a special status. I am obviously older than the other students, but also that several of my profs. At the beginning, some thought I was high. And then when they saw my academic results, they have taken me seriously. So with 50 years of living, so that there is less techno, but it has more maturity and work ethic. And I’m studying out of pure interest. Not because I look forward to “graduating” ! “

On his return to full-time studies are grafted to a separation and moving on. “Change of career, address, and status… It has been a big upheaval, but it was wanted, and it was done without a conflict. “

When people tell him : “Oh ! just thinking about it, I don’t know how you did ! “she retorted :” Well, precisely, I think not. We need to stop asking questions. There is nothing permanent in any way. I have two passions, science and writing. And I intend to continue both for as long as possible. “