With the Nobel Prize ceremony just a week away, Queen’s University took time to honour Professor Emeritus Arthur McDonald (Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) on Thursday with a special send-off event.

Hundreds of well-wishers filled Grant Hall to mark Dr. McDonald being awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, along with Takaaki Kajita of the University of Tokyo, “for their key contributions to the experiments which demonstrated that neutrinos change identities.” The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences made the announcement on Oct. 6.

“We are here today to honour Professor Emeritus Art McDonald and his extraordinary scientific achievements,” says Daniel Woolf, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “The dedication, perseverance, and passion for his field that he has demonstrated over many years cannot be overstated. The entire Queen’s community is extremely proud of Dr. McDonald, and of the hard work of everyone involved in the success of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.”

Dr. McDonald took time to recognize the many contributors to the research, at Queen’s and around the world.

“I am truly honoured to receive the Nobel Prize in physics,” Dr. McDonald says. “This award represents the culmination of the hard work and perseverance of colleagues at Queen’s and our other Canadian and international institutions that have been so essential for our success. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all those at Queen’s who have been so supportive of our research with SNO and SNOLAB over more than 30 years.”

While in Stockholm, Dr. McDonald will be participating in a number of events throughout Nobel Week, which culminates with the awarding ceremony on Dec. 10 at 10:30 am (EST).

On Dec. 7, Dr. McDonald will be participating in the Nobel Laureate Press Conference and will deliver the Nobel Lecture in Physics on Dec. 8.

Each of the events will be livestreamed via the Nobel Prize Organization’s website.

On the day of the awarding ceremony, the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy will be hosting a special viewing of the broadcast at Stirling Hall, starting at 10:15 am in Lecture Theatre D.