Photo Credit: Queen’s University Communications

It is with great pride that Ontario universities congratulate Dr. Arthur McDonald, a professor emeritus at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., on being awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Dr. McDonald shares the prize with Japanese researcher Takaaki Kajita, for their work in neutrinos – elusive particles produced in the heart of the sun – that can change their identity from one type, or “flavour,” to another while travelling through space. Thanks to this ground-breaking work, we have a better understanding of the innermost workings of matter.

It is Dr. McDonald’s dedication to science, research and teaching that are a hallmark of our universities and this remarkable achievement embodies the spirit of creativity that gives higher learning such immeasurable value and relevance to our world.  It underscores the importance of the research and innovation conducted on university campuses across Ontario and through big science resources like SNOLAB underground science laboratory.

Born in Sydney, N.S., in 1943, Dr. McDonald earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Dalhousie University. He got his Ph.D. in physics from California Institute of Technology in 1969. He worked for Atomic Energy of Canada from the late 1960s until 1982, when he moved to Princeton University for seven years. He has been at Queen’s since 1989 and has been a professor emeritus since 2013.

This is a wonderful day of celebration for our community of scholars, alumni, colleagues, and friends around the world and I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. McDonald and to Queen’s University.

Prof. Bonnie M. Patterson
President and CEO
Council of Ontario Universities