Maureen Ewan, a long-time social worker at the Ban Righ Centre and wife of Queen’s Professor Emeritus Dr. George Ewan, passed away on March 25th in Kingston. Three weeks before her death, she attended the inaugural Ewan Lecture, the first in an annual series of lectures the couple funded through a generous gift to Queen’s.
The series was created to bring leading scientists to Queen’s to discuss their work in terms that, as Dr. Ewan explained, “don’t require a PhD to understand.”
His inspiration, he said, was Maureen, who typed his entire doctoral thesis without understanding a word of it. “It was interesting once he explained it to me,” she said. “I believe most people would find it fascinating if it was communicated in a way that people could understand.”
As part of Dr. Ewan's dream to make this research more accessible to the general public, the first event was held on March 5, 2018, with lecturer Dr. Barry Barish, co-winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics.
Einstein, Black Holes, and Gravitational Waves
George (L) and Maureen Ewan (R) surround Nobel Laureate and inaugural Ewan Lecturer Dr. Barry Barish, Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus California Institute of Technology.
The crowd at The Isabel waits eagerly for the lecture to start.
Tom Harris, Vice-Principal of the Office of Advancement addresses the attendees.
Per Dr. Ewan’s wishes, Dr. Barish explains his work in terms that don’t require a PhD to understand.
Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Centre (CPARC) Director Dr. Anthony Noble shares his thoughts about the Ewans’ generosity.
Dr. Noble and the Ewans celebrate a successful inaugural lecture.
Dr. Barish poses with a future particle astrophysicist.
Two Nobel Laureates backstage at The Isabel. (Dr. Arthur B. McDonald, centre, Dr. Barish, right)
The Ewans, bookended by Nobel Laureates.
Learn more about the Ewan's and their generous gift to Queen's in Investing in the Next Generation.
In memory of Maureen Ewan, please make a donation to the Maureen Ban Righ Foundation Endowment Fund, established to provide support for the Ban Righ Centre.
