Not one but two Nobel prize laureates were on hand July 28 as Science North officially launched the New Eyes on the Universe exhibit, which explores the science of SNOLAB.
Canadian astrophysicist Art McDonald and Japanese astrophysicist Takaaki Kajita, who were jointly awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics, were both at the event, which also featured speeches from local politicians and officials from the science centre.
McDonald received the prize for research done at SNOLAB, a two-kilometre-deep underground neutrino and dark matter physics laboratory at Creighton Mine, located near Lively.
New Eyes on the Universe is a travelling exhibit developed jointly by SNOLAB and Science North.
It originally opened at Canada House in London, England on July 1, 2016, but has recently come home to Science North. Sudburians can view the exhibit for free in the science centre's lobby until Aug. 28.
The exhibit features a 1:50 scale model of the original SNO project, artifacts from the lab and even a full-scale video projection of McDonald himself.
McDonald, who, along with Kajita, was in town to attend a physics conference at Laurentian University, said he hopes the exhibit allows the community to understand what's being done at SNOLAB.
“We really want the community to understand that we're very appreciative of all the support we have and tell them just what we're doing,” he said.
“We are pushing the boundaries of science. We do it with public funds. We are doing things that help us to understand our universe more completely.
“We now understand better how the sun burns, which may in the future enable us to use the power of fusion here on Earth by confining the sun in a bottle.”
Science North has had exhibits about the science behind SNOLAB since the 1990s, but the science centre decided to put together a comprehensive travelling exhibit after McDonald's Nobel win, said Science North's science director.
“It is an exhibit that communicates the science of the Nobel prize winning SNOLAB research, but also what's happening in the future,” said Julie Moskalyk. "It's all about the science that's coming out of SNOLAB in a way that's understandable for everyday people.”
Moskalyk said it was an honour to have both McDonald and Kajita attend the Science North opening of New Eyes on the Universe.
“That's pretty amazing, isn't it?” she said.
“I personally have not been in the presence of two Nobel prize winners at the same time. So it's a pretty big deal that both of these amazing research scientists are here in Sudbury at Science North at the opening of this exhibition.”
