Presentation
Alain Couté’s research career is undoubtedly atypical. In parallel to his scientific studies in Paris, he started working as a high school supervisor and PE teacher in the provinces. Then, he joined the military navy to teach sailing, dreaming of embarking on « L’Etoile » or « La Belle Poule », flagships of the French fleet.
His experience as a sailing teacher continued during two years at the Ecole Navale. Back in Paris, he passed with success his certificates: physics, chemistry, biology… while working as a physics teacher and geology thesis translator from German to French. He was ranked first at his Master’s degree in Algology, and gained a lot of knowledge during his numerous field trips.
His PhD was dedicated to the study of endemic macroscopic algae in the region of Banyuls, France. He was the first to cultivate these algae outside their natural environment — Quai Saint-Bernard in Paris. At the same time, he learned scuba diving and became instructor. Then, he applied for the French National Museum of Natural Histories where he was enrolled as a research assistant. He became assistant professor, lecturer and assistant director of the Cryptogamy lab. Eventually, he ran the Cryptogamy lab for ten years. Ever since he entered the Museum, he has put all his energy in the study of microscopic algae, which he meticulously lists and has become a world-class specialist. Today, he goes regularly to new Caledonia in order to catalog the algae of this archipelago.
Alain taught himself terrestrial and underwater photography. His research, which involves using photography on a daily basis, helped developing his artistic sensibility. Expert in optical and electronic microscopy, his practice as a photographer is a real painstaking job. Constantly looking for perfection, every alga is dried and isolated from its environment using micro-pipettes. Besides him, only a handful of people are able to manipulate algae as he does — photographing an isolated alga can take up to ten hours. Today, Alain claims to be « a researcher, a drawer, a photographer and a field man », and transmits with passion his experience to the youngest.
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His experience as a sailing teacher continued during two years at the Ecole Navale. Back in Paris, he passed with success his certificates: physics, chemistry, biology… while working as a physics teacher and geology thesis translator from German to French. He was ranked first at his Master’s degree in Algology, and gained a lot of knowledge during his numerous field trips.
His PhD was dedicated to the study of endemic macroscopic algae in the region of Banyuls, France. He was the first to cultivate these algae outside their natural environment — Quai Saint-Bernard in Paris. At the same time, he learned scuba diving and became instructor. Then, he applied for the French National Museum of Natural Histories where he was enrolled as a research assistant. He became assistant professor, lecturer and assistant director of the Cryptogamy lab. Eventually, he ran the Cryptogamy lab for ten years. Ever since he entered the Museum, he has put all his energy in the study of microscopic algae, which he meticulously lists and has become a world-class specialist. Today, he goes regularly to new Caledonia in order to catalog the algae of this archipelago.
Alain taught himself terrestrial and underwater photography. His research, which involves using photography on a daily basis, helped developing his artistic sensibility. Expert in optical and electronic microscopy, his practice as a photographer is a real painstaking job. Constantly looking for perfection, every alga is dried and isolated from its environment using micro-pipettes. Besides him, only a handful of people are able to manipulate algae as he does — photographing an isolated alga can take up to ten hours. Today, Alain claims to be « a researcher, a drawer, a photographer and a field man », and transmits with passion his experience to the youngest.
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When was Alain Couté born?
The year of birth of the artist is: 2019