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This 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.
TONIGHT - Queen’s Entrepreneurship Expo - Astroparticle physicists at Queen’s can watch an in-person Shark-Tank styled pitching event tonight at the Mitchell Hall Rose Event Commons between 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. The event will feature entrepreneurs talking about their own experiences turning technical insight into practical value-creating enterprises and will conclude with them assessing real funding propositions from new entrepreneurs. Queen’s students can register here to attend this free event and learn about the earliest stages of technology venture creation and growth.
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Each year, around the end of October, when many are celebrating Halloween, particle physics laboratories and institutions worldwide celebrate Dark Matter Day. Members of the public are invited to join in both in-person and virtual events that include talks, activities, and fun for all ages.
This international outreach initiative aims to shed light on the mystery of dark matter in our universe with events highlighting the global search for dark matter, the many fascinating ways scientists work to learn more about this elusive substance, and the value of devoting scientific resources to unravelling this cosmic riddle. Those interested in attending and participating can find a list of the 2024 Dark Matter Day events happening around the world here.
Sponsored by the Interactions Collaboration, an international community of particle physics communication specialists, Dark Matter Day celebrates the work being done in laboratories and institutions around the world and shares what we do know about this cosmic puzzle with audiences worldwide.
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Astronomy on Tap in Kingston is flying to Burnaby, BC to hold a special Pints of Particles edition!!
Mark Richardson will host astroparticle physicists Gopi Mohlabeng and Yan Liu, who will discuss uncovering the mysteries of dark matter using some of the coolest places in the Universe. There will be lots of opportunities to chat with the speakers and other local scientists. There will also be a trivia session with questions related to astronomy physics, with prizes given out to the winners!
This free 19+ event is in the BierCraft UniverCity back room, (8902 University High St, Burnaby, BC) on Oct 30th at 6:30 pm.
BierCraft serves alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks, and food will be available to be ordered. Some light snacks will also be provided for the event.
More information here
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Join us for an engaging afternoon on dark matter! This free afternoon masterclass for high school students will cover the essence of science, the astronomical evidence of dark matter, how particle detectors work, and a hands-on activity looking at real data from a dark matter detector at SNOLAB. We’ll conclude with a tour of the visitor centre and Queen's Physics labs and then enjoy a pizza dinner.
The workshop will end in time for students to join the Queen's Observatory Open House starting at 7pm.
Registration details here.
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SNOLAB hosts 2nd annual Dark Matter Day poster design contest:
Everybody loves a mystery - and dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in our universe today. SNOLAB is Canada’s deep underground science laboratory that hosts large, international experiments; some of these experiments are designed to help unravel the mystery of dark matter. To celebrate Dark Matter Day, known as Halloween to many, SNOLAB is hosting a creative poster design contest. Students and members of the community are invited to design original, two-dimensional visual artworks, in any medium, that explore the theme of dark matter.
Participants can be as creative as they like, letting their design shine as bright as the stars! Imagine an individual dark matter particle, or how it holds the universe together! Draw an existing detector, dream up a cosmic blueprint for an experiment, or travel deep into space following the imagination into the oldest parts of the universe.
Winners in each age category (Primary: ages 4-8, Junior: ages 9-11, Intermediate: ages 12-16, Senior: ages 17-19, Universal: ages 20 -100+) will be awarded SNOLAB prize packs and all contest submissions will be displayed at SNOLAB. The winning entries will be printed, laminated, and displayed in the SNOLAB underground refuge, and sent back to the winners at the end of the underground exhibit.
The deadline to enter is October 27th at 11:59pm ET. More information along with the form to submit and a list of FAQs can be found on the SNOLAB website. Please reach out to outreach@snolab.ca with any questions.
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In 2021, The McDonald Institute, in partnership with The Agnes Etherington Art Centre, and SNOLB, hosted an art and science residency. Artists Anne Riley, Nadia Lichtig, Josefa Ntjam, and Jol Thoms visited Queen’s and SNOLAB, met with scientists working in astroparticle physics and created artwork inspired by the experience. The work was exhibited in Kingston, Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa.
Last year, the artists, organizers, and invited guests contributed to co-author DRIFT: Art & Dark Matter. The 182-page, full-colour book is both a catalogue of the exhibition artworks and a further dialogue about the project and its layers of insight into art, science, and the research ecosystem.
This free, in-person event features short talks from several of the book’s co-authors, Nobel Laureate and Professor Emeritus Dr. Art McDonald, Director of the Agnes, Emelie Chhangur, Agnes Curator and book editor Sunny Kerr, and program coordinator Zac Kenny. Artists Jol Thoms and Nadia Lichtig will join remotely from the UK and France, respectively and share their experiences with the project and discuss their contributions to the book. Mark Richardson and Charlotte Gagnier will also give an interactive taste of the classroom resource they developed to accompany the exhibit.
Join us at the Downtown branch of the Kingston Public Library on Monday, November 18th, from 5-7 PM for this special event. Copies of the book will be available for sale, and a few will even be given away! Light refreshments will be provided.
More information here.
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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, 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.
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Several astroparticle physicists are co-organizing the 9th annual McGill Physics Hackathon, running from Nov. 15-17 at the Trottier Space Institute. Hackathons are commonly operated as short-term competitive events where small teams have 24-48 hours to demonstrate an alpha-prototype technological solution to a problem.
The long-running McGill event is hosted by its physics department and challenges teams of 2 to 5 students to demonstrate original software that uses or demonstrates key physics concepts. Drs. Thomas Brunner, David Gallacher, and PhD student Regan Ross are members of the organizing committee. The McDonald Institute is a minor sponsor of this year’s event as it continues to encourage students from all disciplines to collaborate as problem solvers as a complement to research training.
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CAPSS 2025 - Open for Applications
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 at SNOLAB.
This school is targeted towards 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate students. We also welcome students in their 4th or more senior years of undergrad who will preferably not have graduated by the time they attend CAPSS. Both Canadian and international students are welcomed to apply.
More information here.
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New opportunities in astroparticle physics!
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Perimeter Institute is currently accepting applications for two Teaching Fellows to join their Academic Staff in support of our education and training mandates for the 2025-2026 Academic year.
This position will be offered as a 3-year fellowship to commence August 2025, though exceptional candidates may be considered directly for permanent Teaching Faculty positions. Successful incumbents will be called upon to provide outstanding support to all aspects of the programs offered by the Training Programs department.
Teaching Fellows are also encouraged to actively engage in research while at Perimeter in their field(s) of interest. Monetary support in the form of an annual research fund will be provided, and active participation in ongoing research-related activities at Perimeter will be encouraged.
The deadline for applications is November 8, 2024.
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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!
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In last month's newsletter, there was an error in the article about the CASST Student Talk Competition winners. Grace Champagne was listed as being at Queen's, when in fact, she is a McGill University Student. Apologies for the mistake, and congrats again!
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.
Thank you for your support. If you would like to view past newsletters from the McDonald Institute, please visit the: Newsletter Archive.
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