The Honourable Doctor Isabelle Auberjonois CE BSc MMath MSc PhD | |
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Incumbent | |
Assumed office 10 May 2010 | |
Preceded by | Samuel Oak |
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Born | 10 February 1978 (age 46) Montréal, QC, Canada |
Political party | Social Democratic Party (2012—) Communist Party (2010—2012) |
Alma mater | University of Waterloo |
Religion | Atheist |
Dr. Isabelle Auberjonois (born 10 February 1978) is a Disparuean physicist and politician. She is the second and current Minister of Science and Technology, and a member of the Executive Council of Disparu. Formerly a member of the Communist Party, she is now a member of the Social Democratic Party.
Early life[]
Auberjonois was born in 1978 at Montréal, Quebec to an average middle class family of French descent. Auberjonois was an only child; originally raised as a Catholic, she became an atheist after being disillusioned by the nature of religion in general.
Auberjonois had always been interested in science since childhood, as both of her parents worked in different fields of science. She was mainly interested in astrophysics, however her interest in science grew broader as she grew older. Auberjonois took several courses in science in high school, such as biology, chemistry and physics. After graduating from high school two years early in 1993 with full honours, Auberjonois moved to Waterloo, Ontario in order to study at the prestigious University of Waterloo. Known for her extensive knowledge and work ethic, Auberjonois completed her Bachelor of Science degree in just a span of two years.
She continued her studies within the university, completing her Master of Mathematics degree and Master of Science degree in 1998, and eventually became a Doctor of Philosophy in 2003.
Scientific career[]
After a few months of working as a researcher at the University of Waterloo, Auberjonois was offered a position at Fermilab, a high-energy particle physics laboratory located near Chicago, Illinois. Auberjonois accepted, and quickly moved to Chicago. During her time in Chicago, Auberjonois' socialist and rationalist political stance began to develop, and she was involved in many political movements.
In 2006, Auberjonois resigned from her post at Fermilab after accepting a job offer at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located in the border between Switzerland and France. During her time working at the LHC, Auberjonois was fascinated with European and Swiss culture, and even considered renouncing her Canadian citizenship in favour of Swiss citizenship. Auberjonois continued to work as a scientist at the Large Hadron Collider until the facility was promptly shut down following the formation of Großgermania on 12 December 2008. Auberjonois, along with thousands of other scientists and workers, launched a petition to save the program from being completely scrapped and terminated. The petition, however, was unsuccessful largely due to the withdrawal of Großgermania from CERN on January 2009, and the subsequent implementation of harsh anti-technology laws in the country.
Auberjonois remained in Germanian Switzerland (which had been renamed to Helvetica) after the Large Hadron Collider was shut down. Auberjonois lived off her bank account, and was nearing bankruptcy when she decided to return to Montréal. Auberjonois used her remaining funds to purchase a flight ticket to Montréal, which was then under the jurisdiction of Committee-controlled Disparu. Upon her return to Montréal, Auberjonois worked for a research company. Auberjonois continued to participate in several political movements in Disparu that were in line with her own political beliefs.
Political career[]
Auberjonois' political career was sparked in 2009, after she wrote a letter to then-Minister of Science and Technology Samuel Oak about her dissatisfaction at Disparu's slow progress in its scientific endeavours. When she never received a reply for her letter, Auberjonois decided to launch a campaign to raise awareness about the lack of progress and innovation within Disparu's scientific pursuits. Auberjonois wrote letters to three major political parties, hoping that they would take action. Auberjonois also wrote several letters to scientists and experts throughout Disparu, pleading them to support her campaign.
After her concerns were dismissed by all three political parties, Auberjonois decided to run for the office of Minister and Science and Technology as an independent candidate at the next elections. Her hopes were dashed when the Democratic Party passed electoral reforms in 2010, which made ministerial positions appointed rather than democratically elected. However, her work did not go to waste. The Communist Party, which was planning to run candidates for the next federal elections, asked Auberjonois to be their choice as Minister of Science and Technology. Auberjonois quickly accepted the invitation.
Minister of Science and Technology[]
Auberjonois became Disparu's second Minister of Science and Technology on 10 May 2010, after the position was allocated to the Communist Party by former Chancellor Cynthia Celeste after the 2010 federal election.
Under Auberjonois, the Ministry of Science and Technology flourished and launched successful initiatives and projects, such as the Disparuean Space Agency. Her Ministry also increased funding for public scientific and research institutions throughout the country, and also created a grant program for independent and private researchers. She created a program that renovated and reactivated derelict science facilities in Disparu, most of which were constructed during the Communist era.
Behind the scenes, however, she also led research initiatives by the Ministry of Defence. Engineers and scientists working for the Ministry were tasked with developing new weaponry and vehicles in response to the Unknown War. In the turbulent period that followed the war, her Ministry was tasked with developing complex defence systems that would be used against invading forces.
Controversy[]
More controversially, she began two initiatives that, due to their sensitive nature, she was forced to hide from Parliament (and thus making them unaccountable).
The first project was Project Arceus, a joint project with the Ministry of Defence. Project Arceus was tasked with developing nuclear weapons for the Disparuean Forces. The project became successful after securing a source of uranium; several nuclear-armed ICBMs were developed, many of which were used during another war with the Great Lakes Provinces, and the liberation of Eterna (now Férin) during the FLQ Crisis. The use of nuclear weapons on both occasions caused a backlash against the Government; in fact, the second event would later indirectly cause the fall of Disparu.
The second project was the construction of a top-secret laboratory in northern Disparu, purportedly funded and managed by a foreign organization. The project's classified status has prevented knowledge about it from being known to the public; however, available public records show that the project was deliberately hidden from Parliament in order to expedite the laboratory's construction, and prevent the project from being tangled in red tape. The scarce information known about the project sparked criticism for the Minister's actions.
Second Quiet Revolution[]
Following the fall of Disparu, she returned to Montréal and worked as a researcher for McGill University. In the Second Quiet Revolution that followed, she was located and put on trial by the National Tribunal, an extrajudicial court formed by the National Convention, for her alleged contempt of Parliament during her time as Minister of Science and Technology.
The National Tribunal presented documents against her from inquiries of Disparuean courts into her Ministry prior to the fall of Disparu. The documents detailed projects launched by her Ministry that were not officially approved by Parliament, as well as some of her deliberate attempts in hiding these projects in order to prevent being entangled in red tape. Representing herself in court, she argued that she was not mandated by any law to state her projects in Parliament, and that she merely needed to justify her Ministry's expenditures in general areas. When asked by the tribunal's judges about her opinion on her conduct as Minister, she replied, "Je ne regrette rien!" ("I regret nothing!"), a phrase that was quoted by many newspapers on that day. After several days in court, during which many of her colleagues voluntarily testified on her behalf, including Lance Pikachurin, she was finally cleared of all charges on 16 March 2012.
Following the reestablishment of Disparu, the Social Democratic Party, which had formed a governing coalition with the Liberal Party, invited her to their party, and asked her to resume her role as Minister of Science and Technology. Feeling that she would be able to improve Disparu's scientific capabilities better as Minister, she quickly accepted.
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