[News-releases] SNOLAB Grand Opening Today

[Tim Meyer]

WATCH THE NEWS CONFERENCE LIVE STARTING AT 11AM
EST: www.snolab.ca/about/snolab-grand-opening-event 

SNOLAB is excited to announce the official Grand Opening of the Underground
Facilities! Today's event will celebrate the completion of all construction
and the clean
status of the entire laboratory space. The SNOLAB underground laboratory is
an
expansion of the original SNO (Sudbury Neutrino Observatory) facility and at
a depth of
two km below ground, it is the deepest and cleanest laboratory in the world
dedicated to
this type of work. SNOLAB provides an opportunity to conduct experiments in
an
environment with the lowest possible interference from environmental and
solar
radioactivity.

SNOLAB is an international, unique and collaborative facility; oversight and
governance
of the SNOLAB facility and the operational management is through the SNOLAB
Institute Board of Management, whose member institutions are Carleton
University,
Laurentian University, Queen’s University, Université de Montréal and the
University of
Alberta. Researchers at these institutes are fully active participants in
the research
programme at the SNOLAB facility. The SNOLAB Institute, on behalf of these
member
institutions and other stakeholders, provides direction in all affairs of
the organization to
ensure the organization has the means, quality, depth and continuity of
management
required to realize its major scientific and operational objectives.

Dr. David Sinclair, Director of Facility Development for SNOLAB expressed
his
excitement regarding the opening. “We are delighted to have reached the
point in this
project where the construction of the laboratory is complete and the
implementation of
the scientific program can proceed. The science of SNOLAB addresses
fundamental
questions about the universe we live in – what is the matter which fills the
universe but
which has so far evaded detection? What are the properties of neutrinos
which are the
most abundant particles in the universe? Can we exploit the neutrinos to
learn more
about energy production in the Sun, the make-up of the Earth, or distant
astrophysical
events such as Supernovae? Can we understand why the universe is made of
matter?
These questions go to the very roots of our understanding of physics.
Finding answers
will be challenging but the facilities we open today provide the
infrastructure in which we
can carry out the search. We look forward to an exciting period of discovery
in the years
ahead.”

While particle astrophysics is the primary focus for SNOLAB, there is a
growing interest
in other scientific fields to exploit deep underground laboratories and
their associated
infrastructure. In particular, there has been interest expressed in the
fields of seismology
and geophysics with interest in precision, long-term measurements at great
depths, and
in the field of biology where there is a growing interest in deep
underground life.
"SNOLAB puts Canada at the forefront in the international search for new
forces and
forms of matter.” Said Dr. Pekka Sinervo, Chair of the SNOLAB Institute
Board of
Management. “It also has been designed to provide researchers from numerous
disciplines and countries the opportunity to perform experiments that can
only be done
with the shielding provided by the 2 km of rock."

The research being undertaken at SNOLAB is designed to answer some of the
critical
questions in science today:

o Why does matter dominate over anti-matter in the universe?
o What is the nature of “dark matter”?
o What physics, if any, exists beyond the Standard Model of Particle
Physics?
o What are the mechanisms by which heavy elements are produced in the
universe?

"As SNOLAB marks its formal opening, our science workshop has given us the
chance
to reflect on the vibrant international science programme that we host, with
world
leading science results already being delivered by projects at SNOLAB, and
great
promise from the future projects being developed,” says Dr. Nigel Smith,
Director of
SNOLAB. “SNOLAB provides a tremendous opportunity for Sudbury and for Canada
to
lead the world in the rapidly evolving field of astroparticle physics, a
testament to the
foresight of those who developed, and our partners who funded, the SNOLAB
facility."

Building on the international success of an original sunset project (SNO),
the SNOLAB
project was granted funding from several partners for a significant
expansion of physical
space, as well as the construction of a surface building, which celebrated
its grand
opening in the fall of 2005. The construction of the underground
laboratories of
SNOLAB has been funded by the International Joint venture program of the
Canada
Foundation for Innovation (CFI), The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund
Corporation,
Ontario Research Fund (ORF), Vale and FEDNOR. Operating costs have been
supported by The Ontario Research Fund's research Excellence Program, by the
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Vale by CFI and
by the
member institutions. The city of Sudbury is providing a 5-year grant for
public education
for the new developments at SNOLAB.

-30-

Samantha Kuula
Communications Officer
SNOLAB
(705) 692-7000 ext. 2222
Samantha.Kuula at snolab.ca
www.snolab.ca

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