News - Trottier Space Institute at McGill

Prof. Robert Brandenberger awarded 2021 CAP Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Physics

Dec 9, 2021, CAP Newsroom

MSI Prof. Robert Brandenberger was awarded the 2021 CAP Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Physics, to recognize his coupling of ground-breaking developments in theoretical cosmology with recent dramatic advances in observational astronomy of the early universe.

Call for Applications: MSI Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021

Oct 25, 2021, MSI

We are currently accepting applications for MSI Postdoctoral Fellowships. See job posting for full details. Deadline: 01-Dec-2021.

Neutron stars: A cosmic gold mine

Oct 21, 2021, Astronomy Magazine

MSI Director Vicky Kaspi spoke to Astronomy Magazine about the potential of neutron stars to solve some of physics' greatest mysteries.

The largest space telescope in history is about to blow our minds

Sep 22, 2021, Vox

Exploring strange new worlds. Understanding the origins of the universe. Searching for life in the galaxy. These are not the plot of a new science fiction movie, but the mission objectives of the James Webb Space Telescope, the long-awaited successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA is building and launching the Webb in partnership with the European Space Agency and Canada MSI graduate student Lisa Dang will be among the first batch of astronomers to get time on the new instrument!

Vox's

Sep 22, 2021, Vox Media, Unexplainable

After decades of planning, NASA is finally (finally!) set to launch the successor to the Hubble. The new Webb telescope will be a paradigm shift for astronomy, exploring places in the cosmos that have been completely invisible to us until now. But first, it has to safely reach a point nearly a million miles away from the Earth.

Ten McGill researchers honoured by the Royal Society of Canada

Sep 7, 2021, McGill Reporter

Prof. Daryl Haggard named a Member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. The Members of the College are Canadians who, at an early stage in their career, have demonstrated a high level of achievement. Fifty-one Canadian universities and the National Research Council nominate members to the College, which is the first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for Canadian intellectual leadership. Each new cohort represents an emerging generation of scholarly, scientific, and artistic leadership from coast-to-coast.

Provost awards 27 McGill professors with distinguished rank

Jul 12, 2021, McGill Reporter

MSI Prof. Eve Lee was named one of these year's William Dawson Scholars by McGill's Office of the Provost and Vice Principal (Academic). The William Dawson Scholar award recognizes a scholar developing into an outstanding and original researcher of world-class caliber who is poised to become a leader in their field.

Abstract Ep. 54: Exoplanets & Telescopes ft. Lisa Dang

Jun 13, 2021, Abstract Podcast

MSI grad student Lisa Dang is featured on Ep. 54 of the Abstract podcast (created by McGill alumnus, Jeremy Ullman). Episode description: Lisa Dang is an enthusiastic, outgoing and optimistic PhD student in Astrophysics at McGill University. During her graduate degree, she also held a research position at the NASA Spitzer Science Center at Caltech in Pasadena, California. Right now, she’s studying the diversity of exoplanets and their climate, with a variety of space telescopes, and most excitingly with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. She hopes to understand how planets form and evolve, to ultimately uncover the recipe for habitable planets! When she’s not busy scratching her head looking at copious amounts of data, you can find her traveling, drawing, or taking care of her plants!

Over 500 new FRBs detected in single year due to CHIME telescope

Jun 9, 2021, McGill Newsroom

Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, blaze for a few milliseconds before vanishing without a trace. Their origins are unknown, and their appearance is unpredictable. In the decade following their discovery in 2007, only 140 FRBs had been seen. Now, thanks to the launch of a large stationary telescope in the interior of British Columbia in 2018, the number of new FRBs detected has almost quadrupled – for a total of 535. Moreover, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME/FRB), a McGill-led inter-university collaboration, has put together the first CHIME/FRB catalogue, which will be presented this week at the American Astronomical Society Meeting.

Victoria M Kaspi and Chryssa Kouveliotou Receive the 2021 Shaw Prize in Astronomy

Jun 1, 2021, IAU Newsroom

The Shaw Prize in Astronomy 2021 is shared equally by Victoria M. Kaspi, Professor of Physics and Director of McGill Space Institute, McGill University, Canada and Chryssa Kouveliotou, Professor and Chair, Department of Physics at George Washington University, USA for their contributions to our understanding of magnetars, a class of highly magnetised neutron stars that are linked to a wide range of spectacular, transient astrophysical phenomena. This prestigious award is one way in which the Shaw Prize Foundation seeks to promote astronomy, a mission shared by the IAU and one which the two organisations have ongoing collaborations to pursue.