Agnes Lèbre: The observer at the observatory

Astronomer Agnes Lèbre has something extra. Like her university peers, she is involved in research and teaching, but her department also has an observation mission. In 1993, she was the first researcher at the UM to be granted CNAP(Conseil national des astronomes et physiciens) status, a special government body that allows one-third of her time to be devoted to observational services for the astronomy community. " Today, there are four CNAPs at the UM," boasts the woman who led the way in defending this status 30 years ago. 

Ecosystem monitoring with Oreme

In practice, she began by working with the Pic du Midi Observatory to prepare the nights of observation for the research teams using the famous Bernard Lyot telescope perched at 2800 meters in the Pyrenees. At the same time, she has been conducting her own research into very special stars, the super red giants: she observes the surface of these stars, which are older and larger than the sun, to study their magnetism.

Her job as an observer predisposed her to join one of France's 25 observatories for the sciences of the universe, the one in Montpellier, created in 2009. " I came to the position of deputy director of the Observatoire de recherche montpelliérain de l'environnement (Oreme) in 2016 through my mission as part of an observatory service," recounts Agnes Lèbre, who by then had already headed several research units, including her Laboratoire univers et particules de Montpellier(LUPM) as deputy director from 2015 to 2016. I opened up to new scientific communities, in the earth and water sciences, but also in ecology and the environment," says the astronomer, who emphasizes the importance the Montpellier observatory places on monitoring ecosystems. In particular, the challenge is to assess the effects of anthropogenic activities - from local pollution to climate change - on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. "

"From supergiant star to pollen grain

In August 2024, she took over as director of Oreme from hydrologist and academician Eric Servat. The new director likes to defend the " scientific continuum " covered by OREME's many observation programs, " from the supergiant star to the pollen grain, and even to bacteria! That's the diversity of systems covered by our observations. " 

Attached to the University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD and INRAE, OREME now boasts thirty observation services. The subjects studied range from the vulnerability of Mediterranean forests to climate change, to antibiotic resistance in the Lez river, to the evolution of the Thau lagoon. While many observation programs are based in the Occitanie region, others concern the southern hemisphere, such as coastal monitoring around the Mediterranean or a hydro-climatological observatory in West Africa. Observation services are provided by the eight laboratories associated with Oreme, which work in the region as well as in the South. " Around 250 of the 1,200 researchers on these teams work directly with us as part of their research.

Long-term data collection

In addition to geographical and disciplinary coverage, observatories for the sciences of the universe must guarantee long-term data collection. " As Agnes Lèbre points out, " Oreme's resources ensure the continuity of measurements and the preservation of data. It can count on several large pieces of equipment and some twenty administrative and technical staff to keep them running. These include an experimental platform for geochemical sample analysis, the Medimeer platform dedicated to the study of marine ecosystems, the Sète marine station and two boats for conducting marine expeditions. 

And to manage all the data collected? " An information system certifies the data and makes it available in the form of usable databases. One of Oreme's missions is to disseminate information as widely as possible, sometimes after an embargo period pending scientific publication of results, for example ", explains the director, who adds that this mission of disseminating information to the scientific community and the general public is " particularly important to her".

Oreme regularly organizes conferences and scientific days. The next event will be a day entitled "Voyage en Géosciences, de la planète habitable aux ressources minérales critiques", on November 12, 2024 at La Panacée. " While the morning is reserved for the scientific community of Oreme's laboratories, the afternoon is open to the general public. This year, for the first time, the conference has been included in the training program for secondary school teachers, and the event will also be broadcast live on the Internet! " enthuses the woman who is always happy to take part in initiatives to popularize science.