Queen’s University Professor Emeritus Art McDonald officially received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics Thursday at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.

Dr. McDonald was named co-recipient of the Nobel in October for his research at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), which determined neutrinos, one of the fundamental particles that make up the universe, are capable of changing their type – an indicator that they have mass.

“Dr. McDonald’s research on neutrinos has revolutionized the world of particle physics and our understanding of the innermost workings of matter,” says Daniel Woolf, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University. “I offer my heartfelt congratulations to him on this tremendous achievement.”

Dr. McDonald has already received a number of awards and recognition for his research at SNO, including the Killam Prize in the Natural Sciences, and the European Physics Society HEP Division Giuseppe and Vanna Cocconi Prize for Particle Astrophysics. In 2006, he was made and Officer of the Order of Canada.

“It is a great honour to receive this prize,” says Dr. McDonald. “It is wonderful to share it with many of my SNO colleagues and their partners here in Stockholm and with hundreds more who contributed so much to our success, at Queen’s and our other Canadian and international institutions.”

Earlier this week, Dr. McDonald delivered his Nobel Lecture – a customary public lecture on a subject related to the topic of their prize. Dr. McDonald’s lecture, titled “The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory: Observation of Flavour Change for Solar Neutrinos,” discussed the measurements he and his SNO colleagues used to show neutrinos from the sun changed their “flavour” or type - implying that neutrinos have a non-zero mass.

“Dr. McDonald has made a remarkable contribution to our understanding of matter, and has done so through innovative and pioneering experiments at SNOLAB,” says Dr. Steven Liss, Vice-Principal (Research) at Queen’s University. “He is a shining example of the excellence in research at Queen’s, leadership and the importance of collaboration. We are very proud to share in this incredible achievement. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

During the ceremony, the Nobel Laureates received the Nobel Medal, Nobel Diploma and a document confirming the Nobel Prize amount from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.  

A live viewing of the ceremony was held at Queen's University.

Read the Gazette's full coverage of Nobel Week events, or learn more about the 2015 Nobel Prize ceremony at www.nobelprize.org.

It’s exam time at Queen’s University and that means increased levels of stress for students as well as others in the community.

Fortunately, there is a network of resources to help prevent stress from spiraling out of control.  

The first step is getting ahead of the game and being aware of what is available at the university, says Beth Blackett, Health Promotion Coordinator with Student Wellness Services. 

Powering through your studies as exams draw near just isn't the way to go. 

It's about staying healthy, managing your schedule and getting an adequate amount of sleep.

“Sleeping is our big push and it comes down to that idea that you want to study smarter not harder,” Ms. Blackett says. “Your brain needs sleep to consolidate the information you are trying to learn and then recall it for the actual exam. You’re not meant to pull all-nighters. You’re not all that great at recalling information or problem solving. Those skills go down quite substantially when you are really sleep deprived.” 

Getting out and doing some regular physical activity also will help, she points out, and it's a good idea to change up where you study from time to time. Breaks are important as well to help you recharge before getting back to the books, while eating properly is vital to be able to get the most out of your activities. 

It's also about staying in touch. 

“It’s really quite common for students to think they need to study 24/7 and they can isolate themselves, where they stop responding to phone calls, texts, to family and friends,” Ms. Blackett points out. “I think people underestimate how important those relationships are during times of high levels of stress. So the occasional check-in is really helpful for mental health.” 

These are all simple steps, but, of course, are easier said than done.  

That's where the support network comes in. 

Student Wellness Services will be running the fifth annual 15 Days of Exams Health Challenge starting Dec. 9. Each year, there are more students taking part, Ms. Blackett says, taking on the daily challenges that are posted through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, covering a range of health areas. 

It's not revolutionary, Ms. Blackett explains, but helps students set daily goals and taking a bit of time for their health.

Stress during the exam period will never be eliminated and no one should expect it to be. A certain amount of stress is normal and helps with motivation.

The problem is when stress builds up and tumbles out of control. But there is help at Queen's, including from Student Academic Success Services (SASS), which offers special pre-exam workshops in Stauffer Library as well as advice from Learning Strategists. 

One of the key tools offered is the Exam Study Schedule, which is available online at sass.queensu.ca/learningstrategies/decemberapril-exam-study-schedule. 

The strength of the schedule is its simplicity. In a high-tech world, sometimes the best way to get organized is by writing it all down on paper, and that includes time for breaks and eating properly. 

“At some point if you have too much stress your performance is going to decline,” Ms. Blackett says. “So that’s where Learning Strategies will help you create a study schedule where you can have some deadlines in there to just get that extra bit of motivation without leaving everything to the last minute.”

She adds that there isn’t a one-fits-all model for everyone. Each person is different and needs different help at different times.  

If you are a student and are feeling stressed about academics, you can book a Learning Strategies advising appointment by calling 613-533-6315.

Students who wish to make an appointment with Counselling Services can do so by calling 613-533-6000, ext. 78264. Embedded counsellors are located in various faculty and university buildings across campus: Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science (613-533-3447), Faculty of Education (613-533-2334), School of Graduate Studies (613-533-2136), School of Business (via Commerce Portal), Residence Counsellors (613-533-6000, ext. 78330 or 78034), the School of Medicine (613-533-6000, ext. 78264), and the Outreach Counsellor/Student Advisor in the JDUC (613-533-6000, ext. 78441).

Another resource available for students is Good 2 Talk, a 24/7/365 post-secondary student helpline which offers free, professional and anonymous support. They can be reached at 1-866-925-5454 to talk about any stressful issues students might be experiencing.  

The Queen's Gazette provides a daily update on Professor Emeritus Arthur McDonald's activities during his time in Sweden for Nobel Week

Queen's Professor Emeritus Art McDonald delivered his Nobel Lecture, titled The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory: Observation of Flavor Change for Solar Neutrinos on Tuesday morning. The lecture traced the path of the SNO findings, from early theories relating to neutrino oscillations, through the construction of SNO and the resultant findings. Dr. McDonald re-emphasized the collaborative nature of the SNO Experiment, with his final slide recognizing his 273 SNO co-authors.

Video of the lecture is available here or on nobelprize.org. 

• Dr. McDonald's 2015 Nobel Lecture in Physics - slides (PDF 9.2 MB)
• Dr. McDonald's 2015 Nobel Lecture in Physics - slides (PPT 7.2 MB)

Later in the day, Dr. McDonald attended a special reception in his honour hosted by Kenneth Macartney, Canada's Ambassador to Sweden.

On Wednesday, Queen’s will celebrate Dr. McDonald’s remarkable accomplishments at a luncheon for alumni, stakeholders and government officials in Stockholm. Later in the day, he will visit Norra Real High School, the oldest upper-secondary school in Stockholm. Photos of tomorrow's events will be available in the Nobel Week Flickr album, on Dr. McDonald’s Facebook page and here on the Gazette website.

Find the full list of Nobel Week activities...

The Queen's Gazette provides a daily update on Professor Emeritus Arthur McDonald's activities during his time in Sweden for Nobel Week.

This morning, Queen's Professor Emeritus Art McDonald took part in a press conference with his fellow Nobel Laureates in chemistry and economic sciences, as well as his co-recipient of the physics medal, Dr. Takaaki Kajita.

After the press conference, Dr. McDonald visited with Canada's Ambassador to Sweden, Kenneth Macartney, and his spouse, Susan Macartney, at the Canadian Embassy in Stockholm. Dr. McDonald, a long-time fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was presented with a personalized jersey by former Toronto Maple Leafs star Mats Sundin. In addition, Dr. McDonald met with, and was interviewed alongside, Sundin.

On Tuesday, Dr. McDonald will deliver his Nobel lecture, "The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory: Observation of Flavour Change for Solar Neutrinos," from 3:00 to 4:20 am EST. Viewers can watch the lecture live here, at kva.se or nobelprize.org. The lecture will also be made available afterwards at kvatv.se.

For the full list of Nobel Week activities, click here.