SNOLAB
@snolabscience.bsky.social
Canada's deep underground science lab. Celebrating research, innovation, and the people behind it.
This extreme precision and attention to detail is made possible by our incredible team of Cleaner Maintainers.
📸 Photo 1 features Colin Ockenden, a proud SNOLAB Cleaner Maintainer for 19 years and counting!
📸 Photo 2 by Sarah Reese
📸 Photo 3 by Mary Katherine Keown
🧵[2/2]
📸 Photo 1 features Colin Ockenden, a proud SNOLAB Cleaner Maintainer for 19 years and counting!
📸 Photo 2 by Sarah Reese
📸 Photo 3 by Mary Katherine Keown
🧵[2/2]
January 13, 2026 at 4:52 PM
This extreme precision and attention to detail is made possible by our incredible team of Cleaner Maintainers.
📸 Photo 1 features Colin Ockenden, a proud SNOLAB Cleaner Maintainer for 19 years and counting!
📸 Photo 2 by Sarah Reese
📸 Photo 3 by Mary Katherine Keown
🧵[2/2]
📸 Photo 1 features Colin Ockenden, a proud SNOLAB Cleaner Maintainer for 19 years and counting!
📸 Photo 2 by Sarah Reese
📸 Photo 3 by Mary Katherine Keown
🧵[2/2]
Did you know that SNOLAB’s underground laboratory space is maintained as a class-2000 clean lab?
Every piece of material that comes in, from nuts and bolts to large pieces of acrylic, is carefully cleaned. This lets us manage our lab as an ultra-clean environment.
🧵[1/2]
Every piece of material that comes in, from nuts and bolts to large pieces of acrylic, is carefully cleaned. This lets us manage our lab as an ultra-clean environment.
🧵[1/2]
January 13, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Did you know that SNOLAB’s underground laboratory space is maintained as a class-2000 clean lab?
Every piece of material that comes in, from nuts and bolts to large pieces of acrylic, is carefully cleaned. This lets us manage our lab as an ultra-clean environment.
🧵[1/2]
Every piece of material that comes in, from nuts and bolts to large pieces of acrylic, is carefully cleaned. This lets us manage our lab as an ultra-clean environment.
🧵[1/2]
📢 The Canadian Association of Physicists 2026 Annual Congress will be held in Ottawa, ON from June 22-26. The deadline to submit an abstract is coming up on January 15, 2026.
Find more details on abstract submission on the CAP website: cap.ca/congress-con...
Find more details on abstract submission on the CAP website: cap.ca/congress-con...
January 12, 2026 at 6:30 PM
📢 The Canadian Association of Physicists 2026 Annual Congress will be held in Ottawa, ON from June 22-26. The deadline to submit an abstract is coming up on January 15, 2026.
Find more details on abstract submission on the CAP website: cap.ca/congress-con...
Find more details on abstract submission on the CAP website: cap.ca/congress-con...
Reposted by SNOLAB
There's still space left for our CV and Cover letter writing workshop this week with Profs Stephen Sekula (@snolabscience.bsky.social) and Miriam Diamond (@utoronto.ca). Join us in person at Queen’s or virtually on Zoom.
January 12, 2026 at 5:50 PM
There's still space left for our CV and Cover letter writing workshop this week with Profs Stephen Sekula (@snolabscience.bsky.social) and Miriam Diamond (@utoronto.ca). Join us in person at Queen’s or virtually on Zoom.
SNOLAB is excited to be welcoming a new group of students for the Winter 2026 co-op term! These students are going to get some great hands-on experience working on a variety of projects ranging from data analysis on dark matter experiments to improving IT systems.
January 7, 2026 at 7:10 PM
SNOLAB is excited to be welcoming a new group of students for the Winter 2026 co-op term! These students are going to get some great hands-on experience working on a variety of projects ranging from data analysis on dark matter experiments to improving IT systems.
Congratulations to Roseann Runte, former president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation and vice-chancellor of Carleton University, on being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. www.gg.ca/en/appointme...
#InnovationInCanada #WomenInLeadership #CanadianExcellence
#InnovationInCanada #WomenInLeadership #CanadianExcellence
December 31, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Congratulations to Roseann Runte, former president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation and vice-chancellor of Carleton University, on being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. www.gg.ca/en/appointme...
#InnovationInCanada #WomenInLeadership #CanadianExcellence
#InnovationInCanada #WomenInLeadership #CanadianExcellence
Did you know SNOLAB provided valuable work experience to 44 students over 3 cohorts last year? The majority (72%) come from Ontario institutions. 64% of SNOLAB alumni begin their careers in Ontario.
Read more in SNOLAB’s latest Annual Report here: www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
Read more in SNOLAB’s latest Annual Report here: www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
December 29, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Did you know SNOLAB provided valuable work experience to 44 students over 3 cohorts last year? The majority (72%) come from Ontario institutions. 64% of SNOLAB alumni begin their careers in Ontario.
Read more in SNOLAB’s latest Annual Report here: www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
Read more in SNOLAB’s latest Annual Report here: www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
Did you know SNOLAB hosts more than 1,200 facility users and collaborators from 166 institutions across 26 countries? 24% of users are from Canadian institutions.
Read more in SNOLAB’s latest Annual Report here: www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
Read more in SNOLAB’s latest Annual Report here: www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
December 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Did you know SNOLAB hosts more than 1,200 facility users and collaborators from 166 institutions across 26 countries? 24% of users are from Canadian institutions.
Read more in SNOLAB’s latest Annual Report here: www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
Read more in SNOLAB’s latest Annual Report here: www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
SNOLAB continues to be a leader in underground science, training, outreach, and in the community. Read about it all in SNOLAB’s latest annual report - Innovation Lives at SNOLAB: Ontario’s training ground for scientists, technologists, and tradespeople. www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
December 23, 2025 at 9:07 PM
SNOLAB continues to be a leader in underground science, training, outreach, and in the community. Read about it all in SNOLAB’s latest annual report - Innovation Lives at SNOLAB: Ontario’s training ground for scientists, technologists, and tradespeople. www.snolab.ca/wp-content/u...
This indicates that, in the absence of natural radiation exposure, yeast growth is restricted, suggesting that natural environmental radiation exposure may be important for normal cell function.
🧵[3/3]
🧵[3/3]
December 23, 2025 at 2:55 PM
This indicates that, in the absence of natural radiation exposure, yeast growth is restricted, suggesting that natural environmental radiation exposure may be important for normal cell function.
🧵[3/3]
🧵[3/3]
Yeast cultured underground is shielded from naturally occurring external radiation and has been shown to grow more slowly. It has an average colony area that is approximately 20% smaller than the normal radiation-exposed controls that are grown on the surface of the Earth.
🧵[2/3]
🧵[2/3]
December 23, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Yeast cultured underground is shielded from naturally occurring external radiation and has been shown to grow more slowly. It has an average colony area that is approximately 20% smaller than the normal radiation-exposed controls that are grown on the surface of the Earth.
🧵[2/3]
🧵[2/3]
The fifth and last image featured on our annual Holiday Card is a representative photograph of yeast colonies grown on a solid agar nutrient mix. Their growth was quantified by measuring their relative colony area (black spots).
🧵[1/3]
🧵[1/3]
December 23, 2025 at 2:53 PM
The fifth and last image featured on our annual Holiday Card is a representative photograph of yeast colonies grown on a solid agar nutrient mix. Their growth was quantified by measuring their relative colony area (black spots).
🧵[1/3]
🧵[1/3]
By carefully controlling the colour and brightness of this light, scientists can check how the detector sees and measures events and ensure that they are recorded accurately. This reduces uncertainty and increases confidence in what SNO+ sees.
🧵[2/2]
🧵[2/2]
December 22, 2025 at 6:33 PM
By carefully controlling the colour and brightness of this light, scientists can check how the detector sees and measures events and ensure that they are recorded accurately. This reduces uncertainty and increases confidence in what SNO+ sees.
🧵[2/2]
🧵[2/2]
The fourth image on our annual Holiday Card features the SNO+ laserball, a tool used to help calibrate the SNO+ detector. The laserball is a special light diffuser connected to a fibre optic cable that sends light to the detector’s photomultiplier tubes.
🧵[1/2]
🧵[1/2]
December 22, 2025 at 6:32 PM
The fourth image on our annual Holiday Card features the SNO+ laserball, a tool used to help calibrate the SNO+ detector. The laserball is a special light diffuser connected to a fibre optic cable that sends light to the detector’s photomultiplier tubes.
🧵[1/2]
🧵[1/2]
The quartz vessel will be maintained under precise conditions to prevent the fluid from boiling. When a particle interacts, it will create a bubble. Each bubble can be analyzed by taking photos of the quartz vessel and listening; scientists can see and hear particle interactions happening.
🧵[2/2]
🧵[2/2]
December 19, 2025 at 5:50 PM
The quartz vessel will be maintained under precise conditions to prevent the fluid from boiling. When a particle interacts, it will create a bubble. Each bubble can be analyzed by taking photos of the quartz vessel and listening; scientists can see and hear particle interactions happening.
🧵[2/2]
🧵[2/2]
The third image on our annual Holiday Card highlights the PICO-500 pressure vessel, a component of a next-generation dark matter experiment. PICO-500 will use 250 litres of super-heated liquid contained within a specially manufactured quartz vessel.
🧵[1/2]
🧵[1/2]
December 19, 2025 at 5:49 PM
The third image on our annual Holiday Card highlights the PICO-500 pressure vessel, a component of a next-generation dark matter experiment. PICO-500 will use 250 litres of super-heated liquid contained within a specially manufactured quartz vessel.
🧵[1/2]
🧵[1/2]
This allows quantum computers to solve certain specialized problems faster than classical computers. At our Cryogenic Underground Test Facility, we study how cosmic rays and natural radiation affect how long a qubit can hold its state.
🧵[2/2]
🧵[2/2]
December 18, 2025 at 4:04 PM
This allows quantum computers to solve certain specialized problems faster than classical computers. At our Cryogenic Underground Test Facility, we study how cosmic rays and natural radiation affect how long a qubit can hold its state.
🧵[2/2]
🧵[2/2]
The 2nd image on our annual Holiday Card shows a qubit sample holder. Qubits are building blocks of quantum computers, much like transistors are for classical computers. Unlike classical bits that are either 0 or 1, qubits can exist in combos of both, using the rules of quantum mechanics.
🧵[1/2]
🧵[1/2]
December 18, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The 2nd image on our annual Holiday Card shows a qubit sample holder. Qubits are building blocks of quantum computers, much like transistors are for classical computers. Unlike classical bits that are either 0 or 1, qubits can exist in combos of both, using the rules of quantum mechanics.
🧵[1/2]
🧵[1/2]
This allows the experiment to detect phonons or tiny vibrations produced from particle interactions. The SuperCDMS experiment is currently in an exciting phase of its construction, with detector cooling underway, and the majority of the experiment is now in place.
🧵[2/2]
🧵[2/2]
December 17, 2025 at 5:53 PM
This allows the experiment to detect phonons or tiny vibrations produced from particle interactions. The SuperCDMS experiment is currently in an exciting phase of its construction, with detector cooling underway, and the majority of the experiment is now in place.
🧵[2/2]
🧵[2/2]
The first image on our annual Holiday Card is a bird's eye-view of the nested cryogenic cans in SuperCDMS, which house very sensitive dark matter detectors. These cans are cooled to temperatures just a few millikelvin above absolute zero, or –273 degrees Celsius.
🧵[1/2]
🧵[1/2]
December 17, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The first image on our annual Holiday Card is a bird's eye-view of the nested cryogenic cans in SuperCDMS, which house very sensitive dark matter detectors. These cans are cooled to temperatures just a few millikelvin above absolute zero, or –273 degrees Celsius.
🧵[1/2]
🧵[1/2]
Happy holidays from the team at SNOLAB! Each year our holiday card features experiments at our facility. Throughout the week we will be diving into the components of this year’s card.
❄️ Stay tuned for some cool science.
❄️ Stay tuned for some cool science.
December 16, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Happy holidays from the team at SNOLAB! Each year our holiday card features experiments at our facility. Throughout the week we will be diving into the components of this year’s card.
❄️ Stay tuned for some cool science.
❄️ Stay tuned for some cool science.
SNOLAB research group manager Stephen Sekula dazzled Sudbury Rotarians with SNOLAB science at their meeting yesterday. His talk told the story of a dead star and how SNOLAB is contributing to the search for the next supernova.
Thank you to the Rotary Club of Sudbury for supporting SNOLAB science!
Thank you to the Rotary Club of Sudbury for supporting SNOLAB science!
December 16, 2025 at 2:25 PM
SNOLAB research group manager Stephen Sekula dazzled Sudbury Rotarians with SNOLAB science at their meeting yesterday. His talk told the story of a dead star and how SNOLAB is contributing to the search for the next supernova.
Thank you to the Rotary Club of Sudbury for supporting SNOLAB science!
Thank you to the Rotary Club of Sudbury for supporting SNOLAB science!
Last week, the SNOLAB community came together to enjoy over a dozen talks from this term’s students. This event has students share their experience from the term to their peers and the broader SNOLAB community. To read more and see the winners, visit here: www.snolab.ca/news/student...
Students present on term work at symposium | SNOLAB
Academic and research excellence was on display last Friday when students from the Fall 2025 cohort of students presented on their work at the student talk symposium. This symposium, done at the end…
www.snolab.ca
December 15, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Last week, the SNOLAB community came together to enjoy over a dozen talks from this term’s students. This event has students share their experience from the term to their peers and the broader SNOLAB community. To read more and see the winners, visit here: www.snolab.ca/news/student...
New breakthrough in detecting ‘ghost particles’ from the Sun at SNOLAB. The SNO+ experiment has recorded the first observation of carbon-neutrino interactions, findings that open new frontiers in nuclear and particle physics. #Physics #SNO+
www.snolab.ca/news/new-bre...
www.snolab.ca/news/new-bre...
New breakthrough in detecting ‘ghost particles’ from the Sun | SNOLAB
Neutrinos are one of the most mysterious particles in the universe, often called 'ghost particles' because they rarely interact with anything else. Trillions stream through our bodies every second…
www.snolab.ca
December 12, 2025 at 9:29 PM
New breakthrough in detecting ‘ghost particles’ from the Sun at SNOLAB. The SNO+ experiment has recorded the first observation of carbon-neutrino interactions, findings that open new frontiers in nuclear and particle physics. #Physics #SNO+
www.snolab.ca/news/new-bre...
www.snolab.ca/news/new-bre...
The search for dark matter is part of an effort to better understand our universe - and SNOLAB isn’t the only facility researching it.
Check out this article and interactive map by @symmetrymagazine.org to find out more: www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/dark...
Check out this article and interactive map by @symmetrymagazine.org to find out more: www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/dark...
Dark Matter: A Worldwide Search
Something is out there. As far as scientists know, just 15% of the matter in the universe is the ordinary kind we can see. The other 85%, called dark matter, remains beyond detection, invisibly affecting the movements of galaxies and subtly warping our view of the stars.
www.symmetrymagazine.org
December 9, 2025 at 6:01 PM
The search for dark matter is part of an effort to better understand our universe - and SNOLAB isn’t the only facility researching it.
Check out this article and interactive map by @symmetrymagazine.org to find out more: www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/dark...
Check out this article and interactive map by @symmetrymagazine.org to find out more: www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/dark...