New Eyes on the Universe opens at Science North

(SUDBURY, ON) — Science North and SNOLAB invite visitors to learn more about the excitingresearch happening locally through the special travelling exhibit New Eyes on the Universe.Produced by Science North on behalf of SNOLAB, New Eyes on the Universe tells the story of how Nobel Prize winner Dr. Art McDonald’s results from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), alongside experiments currently underway at SNOLAB, are providing new insights and pushing frontiers in particle astrophysics. The exhibition was officially launched at Canada House, Trafalgar Square in London, England in July 2016 and has since been on an international tour managed by Science North. 

The informative exhibition animates the science of SNO and of SNOLAB that is being conducted right here in Sudbury in a research facility in Vale’s Creighton mine. Visitors to the exhibition will experience a virtual tour of SNOLAB, artifacts of unique experiment components, spectacular imagery, video kiosks, a model of the original neutrino detector, a life sized video “presenter” of Nobel laureate Dr. Art McDonald describing the discoveries of SNO, and the new SNOLAB experiments.The exhibition will be in Science North’s main lobby until August 28th and is free for the public to view. The travelling exhibition will continue its tour after Science North to Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.The awarding of the Nobel Prize to Dr. Art McDonald and Dr. Takaaki Kajita is also featured along with stories of inspiration for young scientists. 

This exciting exhibition was made possible through the generous support of: Ontario Ministry of Innovation and Science, FedNor, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada Foundation for Innovation, the City of Greater Sudbury, Science North, Vale, the University of Alberta, the University of Guelph, Carleton University, the University of British Columbia, Queen’s University, Université de Montréal, Laurentian University, Air Canada, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, TRIUMF, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation. 

Quotes:

“We are thrilled to have collaborated with SNOLAB and other leading partners to develop this exciting travelling exhibition. Since the beginning of the SNO project in the early 1990’s, Science North has been communicating this complex science to the public with educational, interactive science exhibits and multi-media theatre experiences. We are excited to share the SNO story through New Eyes on the Universe to showcase the capabilities of the science research community in Sudbury to our local audience.”- Guy Labine, Science North CEO 

“SNOLAB is delighted to have the New Eyes on the Universe exhibition hosted at Science North. This provides a great opportunity for us to show the local community the work that we have been engaged in, and the future projects we expect to be developing at our underground research facility. This exhibition is a tremendous example of the collaborative nature of Canadian research and outreach, with many supporters from academia, government and industry working together to tell the story of the SNO and SNOLAB projects, which led to the Nobel-prize winning work of Dr. Art McDonald and the SNO collaboration. It has been a pleasure working with Science North in the development of the exhibition, and we hope that our story will inspire and inform, and make the local community proud in the knowledge that they have a world-leading research facility in their midst.”- Dr. Nigel Smith, SNOLAB Director 


“Just over a year ago, I had the privilege of travelling to London for the opening of the New Eyes on the Universe exhibit with Guy Labine and Art McDonald. I have never been more proud as a Sudburian than to see the Nobel Prize winning research being conducted right here in Sudbury on display overseas. I encourage all Sudburians to visit the New Eyes on the Universe exhibit and Science North this summer. I know I’ll be back, and I hope I see you there.”- Paul Lefebvre, MP / Député Sudbury 

“I am delighted to welcome ‘New Eyes on the Universe,’ Science North’s newest special exhibit about the story of SNOLAB’s Nobel Prize-winning research in advanced particle astrophysics, back to Greater Sudbury, the home of SNOLAB and where Doctors McDonald and Kajita’s ground breaking research took place. I would like to commend Science North for developing this excellent special exhibit that highlights SNOLAB and the Greater Sudbury science community’s dedication to excellence in advanced research and pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.”- Marc Serré, MP for Nickel Belt 

“I am pleased to welcome this display home to Sudbury, it had a very successful debut in Canada House at Trafalgar Square, but now it is home. It is a celebration of the amazing accomplishments that have been done here in Sudbury. This exhibit will give every visitor to Science North a better understanding of the ground breaking research being done, and it will give inspiration to the future generation of ‘neutrino hunters’.”- Glenn Thibeault, Sudbury MPP 

“The recognition and exposure that SNOLAB and Nobel Prize winning Dr. Arthur B McDonald have brought to our community is phenomenal. The New Eyes on the Universe exhibit, which I was proud to unveil at Canada House in London, England, is now finally home in Greater Sudbury and I know that visitors to Science North will be so fascinated by the story and the science behind Dr. Arthur B McDonald’s Nobel Prize winning results at SNOLAB. The City of Greater Sudbury is a proud sponsor of this exhibit and I encourage all residents to check it out at Science North.”- Brian Bigger, Mayor, City of Greater Sudbury 

About Science North
Science North is Northern Ontario’s most popular tourist attraction and an educational resource across the province, operating the second- and eighth-largest science centres in Canada. Science North’s attractions include a science centre, IMAX® theatre, planetarium, butterfly gallery, special exhibits hall, and Dynamic Earth: Home of the Big Nickel, a separate science centre focused on mining and earth sciences. Science North also oversees an award-winning-Large Format Film production unit, as well as an International Sales unit, which develops custom and ready-made exhibits for sale or lease to science centres, museums, and other cultural institutions all over the world. Science North, in partnership with Laurentian University, offers North America’s first and only comprehensive Science Communication program, a 10-month joint Master’s program. As part of its mandate, Science North provides science experiences throughout Northern Ontario including outreach to schools and festivals, summer science camps and more, and has a permanent base in Thunder Bay providing outreach to the Northwest. Science North is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For more information please visit sciencenorth.ca  

About SNOLAB
SNOLAB is an underground science laboratory specializing in neutrino and dark matter physics. Located 2 km below the surface in Vale’s Creighton Mine located in Sudbury OntarioCanada, SNOLAB is an expansion of the existing facilities constructed for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) solar neutrino experiment. 

Media Contact:
David McGuire
Senior Marketing Specialist Science North & Dynamic Earth
705-522-3701 x211
dmcguire@sciencenorth.ca

Samantha Kuula Communications Officer
SNOLAB
705.692.7000, Ext. 2222
samantha.kuula@snolab.ca