NEWS-G & the Dark Matter Day

On October 31, 2017, the world celebrated the historic hunt for dark matter. Global, regional, and local events were planned on and around that date by institutions and individuals looking to engage the public in discussions about what we already know about dark matter and the many present as well as planned experiments seeking to solve its mysteries.

Dark Matter Day at Queen’s University

The first international Dark Matter Day organized by CPARC – Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Center – (in collaboration with the Dunlap Institute – University of Toronto) and hosted by Queen’s University was held on October 23^rd. The event included public talks featuring several astronomers and physicists who perform cutting-edge research on the subject of dark matter. Before and after the talks, interactive displays were delivered to the public by various dark matter research groups at Queen’s, including three NEWS-G members. Sean Crawford and Jacob Morrison exhibited a NEWS-G detector made of glass along with a live display of data acquisition from a functioning detector, while Daniel Durnford was in charge of presenting a poster summarizing the NEWS-G experiment. The event was a success, with over 200 people learning a bit more about dark matter!

Highlights in Pictures

Jacob Morrison and Sean Crawford with the glass sphere display

Speaking with guests

In conversation with a guest

Daniel Durnford and his poster

Daniel Durnford's poster presentation

A talk on Dark Matter

On the 31st of October, CPARC provided a unique opportunity for 31 students (from grades 10-12) to discover the mysterious subject of dark matter. These students received an introduction to the topic from faculty and students working on dark matter search experiments at Queen’s University. Hadiya Ma, one of our undergraduate summer researchers, gave a presentation on her experience with the NEWS-G team and her adventure in studying physics at the university level, aiming to inspire the next generation of physicists!