Hi Zachary,

Happy New Year! We hope 2025 is going well for you so far!

Top of the pile today is the McDonald Institute Cross-Disciplinary Internship Program. The deadline has been extended to January 31st! We are doing our best to spread the word about this program, but we could use your help! If you know of someone or a group of non-physics people who might be interested in working with us, please pass this along! Over the past 5 years, this program has had some incredible projects, and we're excited to see the vibrancy and diverse scope of projects continue.

The Cross-Disciplinary Internship (CDI) program offers an exciting chance for students from non-physics fields, such as the social sciences and humanities, fine arts, health, law, and business, to dive into the world of astroparticle physics. Open to full- or part-time students in university or college in any non-physics or physics engineering majors, this paid internship connects curious minds with Canada’s top astroparticle researchers, allowing participants to expand their research skills, foster collaborations, and gain unique insights into this cutting-edge field. By bringing cross-disciplinary skills into physics spaces, students provide fresh perspectives that enrich the research environment and enhance problem-solving approaches.

If you’re interested in building new knowledge and advancing research through this program, we encourage members to advertise broadly and seek student applicants.

Postdoctoral fellows focused on astroparticle physics can serve as supervisors in the CDI program, bringing fresh expertise and dynamic mentorship to cross-disciplinary student projects.

New this year, Indigenous students are especially encouraged to apply, with applications considered beyond the program's standard quota to support Indigenous representation in astroparticle physics research.

The deadline to apply is January 24, 2025.

Visit https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/cdinternship/ for application details.





On Monday, January 20th, join us at the Royal Tavern 2.0 at 344 Princess St. Kingston for an evening of science-themed poetry performed with improvised music.

The event features McDonald Institute Poet-in-Residence Meg Freer reading new poems written during her residency and recent visit to SNOLAB in Sudbury. Kingston poets Sue Publicover, Jan Allen, Gurveen Dang, and Selina Chiarelli will also contribute readings and local musicians Deb Schuurmans and Michael Casteels will provide improvised musical accompaniment.

https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/events/meg-freer-science-themed-poetry/

McDonald Institute Seminar Series:

January 16, 1:30 - 2:30 PM EST

Gonzalo Alonso Alvarez (Toronto)

"Dark Astronomy with Dark Matter Detectors"

Details

McDonald Institute HQP Seminar Series:

January 29, 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST

Robert Collister (Carleton)

"Extracting Individual Ions for Rare Decay Searches"

Join on Zoom.



If you are, or someone in your group may be, interested in giving a talk as part of the MI HQP Seminar Series, please contact Robert Collister at rcollister@physics.carleton.ca



Marie-Cécile Piro awarded 2024 Dorothy Killam Fellowship

Photo credit: National Killam Program and Indigo Events

Photographer: Ira Kotliar

We'd like to offer a huge congratulations to Marie-Cécile Piro (Alberta/Dalhousie) for being awarded a 2024 Dororthy Killam Fellowship. "This prestigious fellowship provides me with the invaluable opportunity to dedicate my entire time and energy to advancing my research in dark matter." Said Piro on LinkedIn after receiving the prize.

A video of the 2024 National Killam Program Celebration of Excellence, featuring Art McDonald is available on YouTube here.

GRIDS 2025

The Graduate Instrumentation and Detector School (GRIDS) is a two-week summer school for graduate students and new post-docs in nuclear, particle, and astroparticle physics to get hands-on training with the detector and instrumentation technology used in modern experiments. It is aimed primarily at those students and postdocs with limited experience with experimental hardware. GRIDS 2025 will be held May 26 - June 6, 2025. The application period is now open and closes in late January 2025.



Find out more here: https://indico.triumf.ca/event/574/





CAPSS 2025 - Apply Now

The Canadian Astroparticle Physics Summer School (CAPSS) is a free week-long undergraduate school that introduces students to current topics in astroparticle physics. It is held at Queen’s University and then underground at SNOLAB. CAPSS will be held from May 4 to May 10, 2025.

The application period closes on Feb 2. For more information: https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/capss/capss-info/.



New opportunities in astroparticle physics!

• SNOLAB Research Scientist (two positions)

• McDonald Institute Education and Outreach Officer

• Perimeter Institute Postdoctoral Program

• TRIUMF KEK-TRIUMF Exchange Program for Early Career Researchers

• Research Design Engineering Intern (SWEP), Queen’s University

The Careers in Astroparticle Physics website features jobs, research positions, and other career-building opportunities in the field in a highly discoverable way. Prospective and current students can easily find current postings to take their careers to the next step, or just to keep them inspired and optimistic about their future.

View the Careers website.

We hope you find this community resource helpful!



Monday, February 3rd, at 2:00 pm ET

(First Monday of every month at 2pm ET)

The MI-HQPAC (McDonald Institute Highly Qualified Personnel Advisory Committee) invites you to join in an open, drop-in virtual Town Hall meeting. This event is open to all members of the astroparticle physics research community. It focuses on issues relevant to the HQP community (students, postdocs, and early career researchers, engineers, and technicians). The Committee holds the monthly Town Hall meetings the week before the monthly committee meeting, where topics brought up during the Town Hall can be discussed in more detail and put into action.

This meeting is an opportunity to connect with others who are passionate about making the HQP experience the best it can be. It is a chance to talk about all issues, ideas, and questions with the people who are working to address them. It is also a great way to become familiar with the Committee and is recommended for anyone who is considering joining the committee.

Details here.



Our newsletter provides the astroparticle physics community with updates, programs, and opportunities and we want to help share your story! We invite all members of the community to contribute to this newsletter.



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 about the traditional territories where astroparticle physicists are grateful to live and work across Canada.



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