Greetings,
If you can see grass, where you are, then Happy Spring! If not, it's coming, I promise! As always, there is lots to share in this newsletter, so let's dive right in!
Also, a reminder to join and check out the Canadian Astroparticle Physics LinkedIn Group. The group is open to anyone involved in the Canadian astroparticle physics community and aims to provide a forum where people can ask questions and have discussions about the various aspects of studying, working, and researching in the field.
Do you have some astroparticle physics news or would like to do a write-up on a recent result or publication? Get in touch and we'll make sure that the community gets to hear your story!
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The Drift: Art and Dark Matter Online Exhibition is here!
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In June and October 2019, artists Josèfa NtJam, Nadia Lichtig, Anne Riley, and Jol Thoms visited the Agnes Etherington Art Centre and the astroparticle physics labs and visitor centre at the McDonald Institute at Queen’s University. The artists then travelled to Sudbury to visit SNOLAB. They toured the clean rooms and chemistry labs in the surface facility and went underground to see the neutrino and dark matter experiments.
During the residency, the artists met with experimental physicists, theorists, outreach experts, museum guides, and astronomers and many of these connections continued remotely after the artist's visit. Other special guests were invited to join the virtual dialogue providing perspectives from diverse topics such as Indigenous studies, cultural studies, and feminism.
The artists have each responded to the project in dramatically different ways and the full exhibition is now open for in-person viewing at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.
The Online Exhibition is also now available. The artworks are presented in rich detail, and dynamic multimedia tells the story of “Drift: Art and Dark Matter.” Enjoy!
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Josèfa Ntjam, Luciferin Drop, 2020, glass, metal, ABS filament and luminescent liquid and Myceaqua
Vitae, 2020, video with sound. Collection of the artist. Installation view from Drift: Art and Dark
Matter. Photo: Tim Forbes
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The Drift project is about expanding perspectives, opening up to new possibilities and new ways of thinking. Exhibition curator Sunny Kerr makes a parallel between the Drift project and the dark matter detectors in SNOLAB, which are “drifting through space and waiting for a signal.” The Drift project itself is an experiment, and even now, with the artwork on display in the gallery, we don’t know what the results will be. Art needs observers to create meaning and there are infinite ways that individuals can engage with the project.
Read about the residency in more detail here.
Drift: Art and Dark Matter Virtual Events:
Agnes is hosting “Deep Looking” virtually on March 23rd. This is a guided viewing of select Drift artwork in which participants are encouraged to make a meaningful connection with the work.
The “What is Dark Matter?” virtual event on March 27th features McDonald Institute Education and Outreach Officer Dr. Mark Richardson and Dr. Renée Hložek, Assistant Professor at the Dunlap Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. The pair will present a dark matter primer and discuss links with the Drift exhibition.
Stay tuned for more ways to engage with the project.
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Akanksha Katil wins the Best Undergraduate Student Presentation Prize at the 58th annual Winter Nuclear Particle Physics Conference |
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The Winter Nuclear Particle Physics Conference (WNPPC) completed its 58th consecutive year with a virtual version hosted by McGill University and TRIUMF on February 9-12, 2021. The WNPPC is a Canadian meeting for the subatomic physics community, focusing on creating a welcoming and relaxed space for junior researchers to present their work and discuss research.
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Katil presented an algorithm that will successfully distinguish high energy tau neutrino events from background radiation in Phase 1 of P-ONE, in conjunction with an estimate of ~1 tau neutrino event detected per year. This algorithm and prediction provide insight into what may be expected in the early stages of P-ONE.
Congratulations on winning the Best Undergraduate Student Presentation Prize, Akanksha Katil!
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Introducing the Highly Qualified Personnel Advisory Committee (HQP-AC)
In an effort to strengthen a sense of community among early career researchers, the McDonald Institute has organized the creation of the inaugural Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) Advisory Committee.
The committee consists of eight HQP from across Canada, at various academic levels, recommended by staff and faculty for their dedication and passion for astroparticle physics and their community. The committee will provide input into the investments and program development for the HQP community through experience and peer recommendations. Simultaneously, the HQP-AC looks to connect the network with the wide range of opportunities available to them.
In early November, the McDonald Institute team analyzed the Canadian Networks of Centers of Excellence to gain an understanding of which models of HQP governance have shown effective engagement with their communities. Internal and external consultation followed in addition to a thorough literature review. For a lean and effective committee, eight leadership positions were created.
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The community recommended members, and an internal election, among HQP, determined the committee positions. Benjamin Tam from Queen's University was elected President, with Austin De St.Croix from the University of British Columbia filling the seat for Vice President. Soud Al Kharusi from McGill University was elected Director of Events. Karen Macías Cárdenas from Queen's University was elected to the role of Director of Communications. The four remaining seats for regional representatives are held by Dilraj Ghuman (Queens University), Yi-Hsuan "Cindy" Lin (SNOLAB), Sharlotte MkHonto (Queen's University) and Pietro Giampa (SNOLAB).
The vision for the inaugural committee is to establish the recognition of the advisory structure in hopes that an HQP lead election can take place in the upcoming year. The HQP elected to the committee will gain leadership and community development experience within the astroparticle physics network.
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Celebrate a virtual 412 Day with the McDonald Institute!
Named for the McDonald Institute HQP office number in Stirling Hall at Queen's University, this exciting virtual event celebrates the Astroparticle Physics Community and showcases the exciting opportunities available to astroparticle physics students and researchers. This year's 412 Day, happening on April 14th from 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, will be set in an exciting new, yet familiar, virtual environment. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet new faces in the Astroparticle Physics community and engage with highly relevant speakers.
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While this year's 412 Day may not have the delicious and coveted snack spread, we are still thrilled to provide a day of socializing, activities and training to our HQP. Attendees will also learn about all the upcoming opportunities available to connect with the greater McDonald Institute community across Canada.
Please consider attending if you are currently engaged in the Astroparticle Physics community. We openly welcome other disciplines aside from Physics who have touchpoints with our community.
Stay tuned for the 412 Day agenda, and sign up here to RSVP.
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Canadian Astroparticle Physics Summer School (Virtual) |
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May 25-28 2021
The Canadian Astroparticle Physics Summer School (CAPSS) is an intensive week-long undergraduate school that will introduce students to the current topics in the field of astroparticle physics at Queen’s University and SNOLAB. For 2021 the summer school will be held online, but we are exploring how we will still allow for hands-on training by sending participants at-home kits.
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SNOLAB Future Projects Workshop 2021
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As part of the long-term planning process, SNOLAB is undertaking a community-wide review of potential future projects interested in access to the underground campus at 2070m in the Creighton mine. The Future Projects Workshop (FPW) is part of a horizon scanning exercise. Experimental collaborations that have an interest in using any space underground, including any of the large-scale experimental areas within SNOLAB, over the next five to ten years are invited to present their capabilities, R&D projects, status, plans, and infrastructure requirements. Moreover, the workshop will cover required R&D efforts for future projects.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the workshop will be hosted remotely on May 10-13, 2021.
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March 24, 2021
Grab your digital hard hats and travel underground to SNOLAB, the deepest cleanest lab in the world! What is astroparticle physics? Why is SNOLAB underground? What research did the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) collaboration win the Nobel Prize for? Tune in online for free and travel 2 km underground to the deepest cleanest lab space in the world!
Direct from an Underground Science Lab is generously sponsored by the McDonald Institute, providing free access for all viewers. This event is open to all but is best suited for students grades 9-12.
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Winter 2021 Opportunities for Self-Guided Learning
In partnership with the Human Rights and Equity Office at Queen's University, we are pleased to provide the McDonald Institute community with several online, self-guided learning modules focusing on principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization (EDII). We believe that EDII is foundational to our everyday professional and personal experiences and are excited to provide these opportunities to the network!
To review the available self-guided sessions please follow the link below. We encourage students, postdocs, engineers, staff, and faculty to bolster their individual and team training in EDII. Whether you take the self-guided modules on your own, or you coordinate a training session with your lab or research group – now is the time to engage in these training opportunities! Please check back with the Professional Development and Learning website frequently for updates.
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Previously Recorded Sessions now available
We have updated the Professional Development and Learning series website to improve navigation and provide access to previously recorded sessions. Further sessions will be added, so be sure to check in with the website in the future!
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We are delighted to host Dr. Kristin Sprong (Director, Business Development at Mitacs) this month to lead a session on grant writing in the sciences, tomorrow Wednesday, March 17th, at 2:30 pm. For more information and to register for this session geared towards students and postdoctoral fellows, please register below.
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27-29 April 2021
This workshop will introduce attendees to the LISA mission and science goals, feature speakers from leading roles within the LISA Consortium and ESA, and highlight collaboration opportunities with Canadians contributing to LISA science. The workshop is particularly geared for researchers who may be interested in getting involved with LISA and would like to learn more about the mission and available opportunities. No previous experience with gravitational wave astronomy is assumed.
Please register by April 29 to receive connection details. There is no fee for registration.
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McDonald Institute Seminars
March 16: Evan McDonough (U. Chicago) Constraining Early Dark Energy with Large Scale Structure
McDonald Institute Seminars are typically held on Tuesdays at 2:30 pm Eastern Time. For connection details, please contact Aaron Vincent at aaron.vincent@queensu.ca
SOLAB Seminar Series
March 22: Dr. Daniel Egana-Ugrinovic (Perimeter Institute) Sources of low-energy events in low-threshold dark matter detectors
March 29: Prof. Karim S. Karim (U of Waterloo) BrillianSe – development and applications of the world’s highest spatial resolution direct conversion x-ray detector
April 12: Dr. Maria Laura Divacri (PNNL) Direct method for the quantitative analysis of surface contamination on ultra-low background materials from exposure to dust
April 19: Dr. Giulia Brunetti (Milano Bicocca University) The ENUBET Project – monitored neutrino beams
SNOLAB Seminars are typically held on Mondays at 1:00 pm Eastern Time. For connection details, please contact Silvia Scorza at Silvia.scorza@snolab.ca.
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CASCA is the annual Canadian astronomical meeting and will be entirely remote this year.
CASCA is a great opportunity for students and faculty to present their work and advertise their research groups to the broader Canadian community. There are also opportunities to submit abstracts related to EDI and Sustainability or Education / Public Outreach. Please consider submitting a talk and/or poster submission, or encouraging a member of your group (such as an undergrad) to submit an abstract.
The deadline for poster submissions is April 9th
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The McDonald Institute YouTube Channel |
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We’re increasing the use of our YouTube channel for public events. If you were not available to join us for IGnite on March 4th with Kevin Deluzio, Elise Laende, Nahee Park, and Emma Ellingwood, we encourage you to view the event below. Browse through our playlist to enjoy our previous events.
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Thank you for reading the whole newsletter!
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This month we're bringing you a cam filter you can actually use during your Zoom calls. Download Snap Camera for PC and Mac here, copy and paste the lens link,
and voila! Virtual McDonald Institute swag!
To use this filter with Zoom, open Snap Camera first, then open Zoom and select Snap Camera as your camera.
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Thank you for your continued interest in the Canadian astroparticle physics community.
If you would like to view past newsletters from the McDonald Institute, please visit the: Newsletter Archive.
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The McDonald Institute at Queen’s University is situated in the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe & Haudenosaunee First Nations. The Institute is part of a national network of institutions and research centres, which operate in other traditional Indigenous territories. Visit www.whose.land to learn the traditional territories where astroparticle physicists are grateful to live and work across Canada.
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