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Nobel Laureate in physics Dr. Arthur McDonald has deep roots in Atlantic Canada. Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, his passion for math and physics was instilled in him by his high school math teacher. By going out of his way to offer extra classes beyond the curriculum, this teacher was able to truly engage Dr. McDonald and other motivated classmates. Despite his clear affinity for mathematics, when Dr. McDonald went on to Dalhousie University for his undergraduate degree he was unsure of which science he intended to pursue. Another mentor, this time his first-year physics professor, showed Dr. McDonald the power of using mathematics as a tool for understanding and describing the universe. From here, Dr. McDonald embarked on a lifelong partnership with physics.
Dr. Arthur McDonald - approved by Dr. McDonald
When asked by eager students how they should go about choosing a career, Dr. McDonald draws on his own experience and emphasizes the importance of enjoying what you choose.
“Take the things that you like to do, the sort of thing that when you get up in the morning and go to work you enjoy, pick a few of them and find out what you’re good at… I not only liked physics, the way in which you apply math to figure out how the world works, I found out I was very good at it.”
Dr. McDonald’s first research experience revolved around measuring gravity on roads in Nova Scotia and he ended up detecting an anomaly in some of the measurements. This anomaly was eventually turned into a profitable gypsum mine. After completing his undergraduate degree in physics, he stayed at Dalhousie one extra year to also obtain a M.Sc. degree studying positron annihilation in materials. Positron annihilation occurs when an electron collides with a positron (the electron’s antiparticle) and releases photons. In fact, a paper that stemmed from this project remains one of his most highly cited papers, even today.
After touring several distinguished institutions in the United States with a classmate, Dr. McDonald decided to leave the maritimes and attend CalTech for his Ph.D., despite his acceptance into several Ivy League schools on the East Coast. He was attracted to the excitement California provided and was thoroughly impressed by the university. A highlight of his time at CalTech was the constant discussion surrounding the latest breakthroughs in physics. Friday nights consisted of seminars on exciting physics research and parties at a Professor’s house. A motto stated by the leader of the laboratory, Nobel Laureate William Fowler, was “to the stars through hard work and fun,” a phrase Dr. McDonald has respected throughout all aspects of his life.
Career
Dr. McDonald proceeded to do research at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, Queen’s University, and eventually Princeton University as a full Professor. In 1984, he and several other motivated scientists became highly interested in the Solar Neutrino Problem. Solar neutrinos are tiny elementary particles emitted from the sun. Billions of these particles pass through our bodies every second without us knowing. The group had a plan to use 1000 tons of heavy water to detect these neutrinos and set out to build the detector. Dr. McDonald stepped into a Director position at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) Institute in 1989. It became as much an engineering project as a physics project to build the detector 2 km deep underground in a mine in Sudbury, Ontario. Data collection finally began in 1999 and the first results were published in 2001. These results showed that neutrinos change flavour as they travel from the sun to the earth. Flavour is the technical description for a property that distinguishes the different types of elementary particles. Fundamental theories in physics state that particles can only change flavour if they have mass.Therefore, Dr. McDonald and his team showed that neutrinos must have mass. This breakthrough earned Dr. McDonald and his team the 2015 Nobel Prize in physics, shared with Prof. Kajita and the SuperKamiokande collaboration who were doing similar research at the same time.
Dr. Arthur McDonald - approved by Dr. McDonald
Moving forward, Dr. McDonald almost feels as if he is starting over. Upon completion of the Nobel Prize-winning neutrino research at SNO lab, he and his collaborators at the expanded SNOLAB underground facility have shifted to studying other intriguing physics concepts. The lab is investigating further properties of neutrinos with the hope of explaining anti-matter decay in the early universe using an update of their previously built facilities and attempting to observe dark matter particles with new detectors.
Philosophy
To the average person, winning a Nobel Prize is the pinnacle of achievement for a scientist. However, when asked how he measures a successful career in research, Dr. McDonald made it clear prizes do not define a good scientist. Instead, the real joy came from pushing the bounds of scientific discovery.
“If you ask one of our scientists about the real eureka moment, it was not the announcement of the Nobel prize… It was when all of us together realized we had just done something fundamental… The accomplishment in science is what gave us the strongest satisfaction.”
Outside of research, Dr. McDonald has put an admirable amount of effort into promoting science to youth. He is particularly focused on the gender imbalance in physics and has committed a portion of his prize money to establish scholarships and opportunities for women in physics. Dr. McDonald recognizes the important role mentors played in his life and now serves as a passionate science ambassador to aspiring young scientists around the world.
Dr. McDonald’s story should serve as a guideline for what is possible with a combination of passion and hard work. Growing up in a small town in Atlantic Canada did not stop him from accomplishing his goals, so it should not put a cap on yours either.
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