Let there be light...A love for photons

Last year, we had Francis Boulva (A well-known star of recent science fairs). This year, we have Julien Brousseau. They're the real Wayne Gretzkys of science."

These impressive words don't just come from your average person, they come from a true science talent scout—somebody who knows good science when he sees it. His name? Jacques-Yves Gauthier, Chief Judge of Super Expo-Sciences Bell, and a chemist at the pharmaceutical drug giant Merck Frosst.

And the Julien Brosseau that Gauthier is praising so highly happens to be a 14-year-old whiz kid who's blazing a trail through the science world and stirring up comparisons with the "Great one" of hockey. And he's doing it by combining youthful exuberance with a grown-up passion for science, research, and photonics-based experiments.

Already a veteran of the science fair circuit at his tender age, one of Julien's recent projects has been making quite an impact. In fact, for "Microparticles in Solution" Julien was presented with the Stanley Cup of science. At the Quebec City area Séminaire des Pères Maristes, the Grade 9 high school student won First Prize (all categories) in the Quebec Final of Super Expo-Sciences Bell. Then, at the Canada-wide Science Fair in Saskatoon last May, he won the Gold Medal, Intermediate Physical Sciences (Grades 9 and 10), as well as the Science Communication Award sponsored by Dow Chemical Canada Inc. for his excellent presentation (in English no less). And in July 2003, he'll be representing Canada at the International Science Fair in Moscow.

You just have to read Julien's project report to appreciate the merits of his rigorous scientific approach, as well as the quality of his writing and deep thinking. "His display was very strong visually," says Gauthier. "His tables and graphics were crystal clear, and the key elements were well emphasized. And you should have seen him talk about his results. Enthusiastic, convincing, clear, and poised. He's not shy at all!"

Despite his charming way with an audience, Julien's chosen topic doesn't have the necessary "sexy" elements to be a real audience grabber. That doesn't bother Julien who prefers to let the science speak for itself. At his fair display, you won't find any of the teasers that work overtime trying to make science fun and exciting. No flashing lights, no talking robots, and no references to Star Trek. Just an interesting, high-calibre scientific concept and a well-designed set-up to demonstrate it. Plain and simple.

Julien explains the basics of his experiment: "In a solution, you often have non-dissolved particles in suspension. I wanted to develop a simple and fast method to measure their concentration. The data would eventually help to eliminate the particles if necessary." It's an approach that could eventually be applied to the treatment of waste water, and could also help to keep our rivers clean.

To try out his theories, Julien filled his test tubes with microscopic flakes of latex with a uniform and standardized size (in the world of chemists, the flakes were the equivalent of lab rats). To see these flakes, the budding scientist used a laser light-beam that passed through the test tube containing the solution-knowing that any light that hits latex particles is scattered. A lens then focused the scattered light on a sensor that measures its intensity in millivolts. The higher the concentration of the suspended particles, the greater the degree of scattering. The end result (after some mathematical wizardry) is a single number that can be used to derive the exact concentration of the latex particles.

Why did Julien pick photonics? Photonics (the science of light) has fascinated him since he presented his first project at a Science Fair in Grade six. "I was initially fascinated by fibre optics," he explains. "I was amazed to find out they could carry information at the speed of light. Since then, I've always put together science fair projects in photonics—except in Grade eight when I did a project on the spring flow of sap." Quite normal for a boy who grew up in the country near a sugar bush.

"What I like about photonics is that you get concrete and immediate results since the measuring tool is light." However, the mathematical and physical aspects of the project gave Julien a hard time. "Since I'm only in Grade 9, I had to master theories of trigonometry and wave physics that I hadn't yet learned at school. I had to dig through a lot of books to find the information I needed."

To overcome the sizeable obstacles, Julien was fortunate to have some seasoned help from Bernard Drouin, a physics teacher at Collège François-Xavier-Garneau in Quebec City. Right from the start, Drouin was impressed by his young protégé. "From day one, I realized that he was an exceptional student. Such a passion for science is rare at age 14." Having spent quite a few weekends in the lab with Julien, he praises the student's dedication and perseverance. "He took all the time required to truly digest his subject matter and to get a thorough understanding of what he was doing."

Julien figures he has spent about 400 hours so far taming his microparticles in suspension. But that's far from the end of it. For next year's Super Expo-Sciences Bell, he wants to make his apparatus even more sensitive and accurate.

Aside from photonics, does Julien have other hobbies? "No, the rest of the time I work on my parents' farm in Saint-Jean-Chrysostome," he says, "we have a wood lot, a garden, and some farm animals—sheep, pigs, hens, poultry, rabbits—that we raise for our own use." It's hard work that the Brousseau family only does in its spare time since dad's a financial planner and mom's a nurse. A busy schedule and a life divided between the farm and photonics leave Julien with little time to hang out with friends. And what about a girlfriend? Don't think so.

For the moment, Julien has only one role model—his 18-year-old brother Mathieu who's also a science fair superstar. Mathieu's environmentally focused projects have taken him to a variety of places from Stockholm to Grenoble to Atlanta.

Captivated and energized by their older brothers' activities, the younger Brosseau kids are also looking to make an impact on the world of science and innovation. Charles, age 10, has put together a small project on Joseph-Armand Bombardier and presented it at his school. Patricia, age 7, has traded her Barbie dolls for felt tip pens and prepared displays explaining the mysterious world of lichens.

With all this young innovation under one roof, it's a safe bet we haven't heard the last of the Brousseau kids.