We hope your semester is winding down nicely. You may have already heard that we have some exciting news to share, so let's get to it! | |
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If you know of an opportunity, event, or recent science milestone, please forward it to communications@mcdonaldinstitute.ca so that we can share it here, or through our other channels.
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McDonald Institute receives $45.5 million in federal funding | |
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The Government of Canada revealed in its 2024 budget that it intends to fund the McDonald Institute with a five-year, $45.5-million commitment. The funding reflects the government’s strategic intent to enhance Canada's position as a global leader in our fast-evolving field. The support for the McDonald Institute underscores a clear commitment to fundamental science and research that extends knowledge of the universe’s fundamental building blocks. The investment also aids in securing further foreign investments and developing next-generation global-scale experiments.
“This is very exciting news.” says Scientific Director Tony Noble, “We are thrilled with the opportunity this presents and that the government has recognized the value of the world-class research community that has been developed across Canada. We are eager to be able to move forward quickly with our long-term vision.
Tony Noble is now in discussions with our institutional partners and researchers in the community to consult on aspects of a new five-year budget plan. This new support will constitute an entirely separate grant from our current 2016 CFREF support and will have an independent governance structure. We currently expect spending eligibility rules for the new grant to be similar to those of an NSERC MRS grant and are working with ISED and NSERC to establish the exact funding mechanism and eligibility criteria. The Institute’s governance will be established over the next few months to enable funding to flow, possibly as early as August 2024.
The $45.5- million allocation is part of a broader allocation of $734 million aimed at supporting major research and innovation infrastructure across the country, including a $399.8- million five-year commitment to TRIUMF. The government also reaffirmed its intent to launch the Council on Science and Innovation, which signals some progress on the Bouchard-and Naylor-report recommendations for long-term research support strategies.
The McDonald Institute's mission will remain to serve as a central network for Canada’s astroparticle physics research community. This network includes experimental, theoretical, and technical expertise. It fosters significant scientific initiatives and international collaborations aimed at addressing some of the most pressing questions in science today, such as the nature of dark matter and the properties of neutrinos. The Institute not only supports cutting-edge research but also develops technical capabilities across Canada that contribute to innovation.
Read the Queen's Gazette article for more.
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McDonald Institute Annual National Meeting - Aug 7-9 &
HQP Workshop Aug 6
The McDonald Institute is pleased to share that this year’s Annual National Meeting will be held from Wednesday, August 7, to Friday, August 9. While the final agenda is still being developed, registration on the meeting’s Indico site is now open.
As in previous years, we will offer HQP registrants the option to attend a day of special workshops on Tuesday, August 6. All national meeting registrants are welcome to attend the HQP social event on the 6th. If this is of interest to you, please indicate your preference for the workshop topic on the registration form.
Please note that the McDonald Institute will be providing caregiver and childcare support to those who require it.
Please register to attend at: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1412503/
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The SummEr PartIclE AstrophysIcs WOrkshOp (EIEIOO) is on from May 7-17.
This workshop series is directed at incoming undergraduate and master's students new to the field of particle astrophysics. Any individuals with an interest in the material (or looking to refresh their skills) are welcome to join for any aspects of the workshop. No prior knowledge is required for participants to attend.
Sessions consist of introductory lectures, experimental talks, and coding workshops.
The workshop is running in hybrid form this year. All sessions will be broadcast live over Zoom with closed captioning enabled. Speakers at Queen's University will present in person in Stirling Hall with live streaming over the same Zoom line. Lectures will be recorded and made available after the workshop.
Register at: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1394318/
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McDonald Institute Supports Dalhousie University’s Implementation of the DEAP Tool
In April, Alex Pedersen (Manager for EDII Capacity Development) and Heidi Penning (Equity Advisor, Human Rights and Equity Office, Queen’s University) travelled to Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia to support the Faculty of Sciences implementation of the Diversity and Equity Assessment Planning (DEAP) Tools. During the day-long workshop with students, staff, and faculty, Alex and Heidi offered lessons learned and advice for implementing the DEAP Tool at various levels (in the lab/research group, academic and non-academic units, and governance). One of the tools, the DEAP Tool for Researchers, is a self-assessment and planning workbook co-developed by the McDonald Institute and the Human Rights and Equity Office (HREO, Queen’s), and is freely available to members of the astroparticle physics community and beyond. The Dalhousie participants were inspired by the presentations and look forward to continued collaboration with Heidi and Alex.
The McDonald Institute would like to thank Dr. Kevin Hewitt (Associate Dean of EDI, Physics Professor, and an NSERC Chair for Inclusion in Science and Engineering) for his generous invitation to join the Dalhousie EDI Champions workshop day. We hope our presence helped to seed the development of a comprehensive community of practice and support EDI leadership amongst departments in the Faculty of Science. We look forward to continuing this relationship with Dalhousie and supporting next steps for future developments.
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Have you considered the following books and articles for your summer learning or journal club?
Black, Brown, and Bruised: How Racizelied STEM Education Stifles Innovation. By Ebony Motola McGee. 2020. Harvard Education Press.
This book draws on narratives from hundreds of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous individuals. Dr. Ebony Omotola McGee examines the experiences of underrepresented racially minoritized students and faculty members in the United States who have succeeded in STEM. Based on this extensive research, McGee advocates for structural and institutional changes to address racial discrimination, stereotyping, and hostile environments in an effort to make the field more inclusive.
Successful STEM Mentoring Initiatives for Underrepresented Students: A Research-Based Guide for Faculty and Administrators. By Becky Wai-Ling Packard. 2016. Stylus Publishing.
The book describes the real and perceived barriers that underrepresented students—to include women, racialized students, transfer students, and first-generation college students—encounter when considering enrollment, or participating, in science courses; considers the issues they face at the various transitions in their education. The author poses questions through three running case illustrations of common dilemmas and walks readers through the process of matching the best design options with the particular needs and resources of their own department or campus. Intentionally brief and to the point, the book is nonetheless a comprehensive guide to the full range of mentoring models and best practices that also cover issues of institutional and departmental climate and teaching methods and offer insider insights to help designers avoid pitfalls as they create effective, sustainable mentoring initiatives. This guide can assist administrators working on new initiatives to broaden access and improve persistence and graduation in their programs, as well as apply for research grants, by clarifying objectives and identifying the effective evidence-based practices to achieve them.
Cochran, Geraldine. "Demystifying and Defending Diversity, Equity, and Inclu-sion."
This paper offers a concise, global perspective on the conceptualization of diversity, equity, and inclusion and suggested methods for communicating across differences. The paper provides a defense of diversity, equity, and inclusion and a discussion of implications for the physics community.
Maries, Alexandru, and Chandralekha Singh. "Towards meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion in physics learning environments." Nature Physics 20.3 (2024): 367-375. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-024-02391-6
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McDonald Institute Visiting Scientist Program
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The Visiting Scientist Program offers financial reimbursement for researchers seeking to enhance their work through research visits, ranging from 2 to 12 months, in aggregate. Recognizing the diverse needs of researchers, the program offers the flexibility to structure visits according to individual requirements, including multiple shorter-term or multi-location visits.
The program is designed to complement, not replace normal supports provided by host institutions. Participants can receive up to $15,000 in reimbursement. This can cover either eligible travel and accommodation expenses, or provide subsistence support equal to half of any salary reduction (e.g., sabbatical year salary adjustments).
Applications are now open, with awards given until the budget is fully committed. We encourage interested researchers to apply early to take advantage of this opportunity https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/visiting-scientist-exchange/
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New opportunities in astroparticle physics!
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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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HQP - Highly Qualified Personnel includes Graduate students, Postdocs, and early career researchers. Undergraduate students with a keen interest in astroparticle physics are also encouraged to participate in HQP programming.
Would you like to be more involved in the research community? We invite motivated students and early career researchers to participate in the McDonald Institute Highly Qualified Personnel Advisory Committee (HQPAC). The committee meets regularly to discuss issues and strategize long-term goals for ways to enhance the experience of everyone in astroparticle physics.
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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