Carleton’s new science exhibit, New Eyes on the Universe, a showcase of the science of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) and its lab (SNOLAB) opened in Residence Commons on Oct. 4.
According to a press release, the 800-square-foot exhibit celebrates SNOLAB discoveries and displays 40 panels detailing the development of both SNO and SNOLAB. The release states that it also has interactive video kiosks, and visitors can take a virtual tour of SNOLAB.
According to SNOLAB’s website, the lab is a “world-class science facility located deep underground in the operational Vale Creighton nickel mine, near Sudbury, Ontario.” The website states that SNOLAB focuses on sub-atomic physics, largely neutrino and dark matter physics.
On Oct. 3, an opening ceremony was held before the exhibit officially began. The exhibit was hosted at the Canadian Embassy in London, England last year, and will be open to Carleton students and the general public until Oct. 23.
Dwight Deugo, the dean of the Faculty of Science at Carleton, opened the ceremony. He said he was proud the exhibit opened on the same day as the Nobel Prize in Physics announcement, which he referred to as a celebration of “experiments that are at the heart of fundamental research in to how we really came in to being.”
According to Deugo, the exhibit helps improve Carleton’s research abilities.
“Physics students and graduate students in the program benefit from the research undertaken by their faculty members, because they bring all the information back and apply it in the university,” he said.
Art McDonald, the SNO project director and a Nobel Prize in Physics recipient, also spoke at the event. Nigel Smith, the director of SNOLAB, joined McDonald in speaking about collaboration and teamwork among stakeholders.
“It is the most exciting time for Canadian science,” Smith said.
McDonald touched on Carleton’s contribution to SNOLAB, emphasizing the university’s involvement in the DEAP 3600 experiment that explores dark matter, and the Exo experiment that questions where humans come from.
The last two speeches before the cutting of the ribbon came from David Sinclair, the former deputy director of SNOLAB and a research professor at Carleton, and Alastair Summerlee, Carleton’s president. They both spoke about how there are just as many people involved behind the scenes as on the front-lines of science.
“Only 17 per cent of the universe is matter that has been described, so more than 80 per cent is unknown—a fact that I find awe-inspiring,” Summerlee said. “Second, and perhaps as a non-physicist, to me, the greater lesson is the idea of collaboration among so many people of different expertise, of different backgrounds, and from different countries as a metaphor for human kind to appreciate that we can and should learn to work together to achieve ‘the impossible dream.’ ”
Sinclair and Summerlee mentioned that the exhibit is meant to educate the community and communicate with them about all the progress that’s being made in science and research in Canada.
“The role of Carleton in the projects has not been appreciated by the internal and the external community. The exhibition creates an opportunity to showcase the role of Carleton in this project and I hope to inspire the next generation of scientists to work on such incredible projects and imponderables,” Summerlee said.
According to Sinclair, SNOLAB has expanded to undertake major new experiments to address questions past SNO experiment results have raised, such as trying to show why the universe is made of just matter instead of a mix of matter and anti-matter.
Over the next few weeks, the display will include a guided tour of the exhibit by the Science Café on the Oct. 11, The SNOLAB Legacy with Sinclair on the Oct. 17, and From the Sun to the Universe: Your Hidden Connections to the Cosmos with Lawrence Krauss, a professor from the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University and Carleton alumnus, on Oct. 22.
Photo by Meagan Casalino
