News - Trottier Space Institute at McGill

First early-career astronomers selected as Canadian SKA Scientists

Jun 2, 2025, Government of Canada

PhD candidate Alice Curtin and Dr. Fengqiu (Adam) Dong are the inaugural cohort of the NRC's innovative new program The SKA project is a global effort to deliver one of the most ambitious scientific facilities on the planet. The project is building the 2 largest radio telescope arrays in the world, which will become the SKA Observatory (SKAO). The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) represents Canada in the project.

Six striking images showcase scientific fieldwork

May 13, 2025, Nature

This image of the vast South Pole Telescope (SPT), situated at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole station, was taken six months into Aman Chokshi’s 14-month stay at the US-run Antarctic research station.

Volcanic Eruption in Deep Ocean Ridge Is Witnessed by Scientists for First Time

May 2, 2025, The New York Times

Researchers diving in a submersible in the eastern Pacific realized that the landscape they had studied the day before had been glassed over by fresh lava.

McGill outreach initiative introduces astronomy to girls in grades 5 and 6

Apr 29, 2025, McGill Reporter

Every Wednesday last fall, a group of girls in grades 5 and 6 at Coronation Elementary School in Montreal spent their lunchtimes learning about outer space. They were participating in a 10-week introduction to astronomy and telescopes run by members of the Trottier Space Institute and the McGill Physics Department. Called Science in Space: How to Telescope and supported through Dell Technologies’s Girls Who Game program, the initiative aims to encourage girls and gender-nonconforming students to see themselves as scientists and engineers.

Dead galaxies, live signals: Astronomers uncover a fast radio burst’s surprising location

Jan 21, 2025, McGill Reporter

McGill astronomers place FRB 20240209A in a region of space associated with a ‘dead’ galaxy, one that is no longer forming stars

Researchers link mysterious cosmic signals to collapsed stars

Jan 2, 2025, McGill Reporter

An international team of scientists led by McGill University researchers has provided the clearest evidence yet that some fast radio bursts (FRBs) — enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio waves from space — originate from neutron stars, the ultra-dense remnants of massive stars that have exploded in a supernova. This finding, based on an analysis of the radio signal of a single FRB, advances our understanding of one of the universe’s most perplexing phenomena.

News McGill researchers help uncover rare gamma-ray flare from a distant black hole

Dec 13, 2024, McGill Reporter

A high-energy gamma-ray flare from the super-massive black hole in the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy was observed in 2018 for the first time in nearly a decade, thanks to an international effort involving McGill University researchers. This discovery has yielded important insights into the physics of black hole jets, which are among the most efficient engines for distributing energy from the inside of a galaxy to the expanse of the Universe.

McGill-linked AXIS mission is one of two finalists in NASA selection process

Nov 28, 2024, McGill Reporter

Space probe co-led by McGill’s Daryl Haggard would aim to enhance understanding of black holes, galactic evolution and potential for habitable planets through advanced X-ray imaging technology

Five exceptional educators to be honoured at Fall Convocation

Nov 27, 2024, McGill Reporter

Five educators from four McGill faculties will be presented with a President’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching at the Fall Convocation ceremonies on Dec. 2. Created in 2000, the award honours outstanding teaching and its vital contribution to students’ academic experience. Adrian Liu is highly respected for his research and teaching, particularly his commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for students from diverse backgrounds. Praised for his compassionate mentoring, Liu uses strategies that support all learners, especially marginalized students. He has made key contributions to the Physics curriculum and, as Chair of the Outreach and EDI Committees, has invited speakers on topics like women in science and supporting underrepresented students. In 2020, Liu became the youngest recipient of the Department of Physics’ John David Jackson Teaching Award.

Admin and support staff honoured for going above and beyond

Nov 27, 2024, McGill Reporter

Organizing an eclipse party, reimagining the admissions process, supporting McGill’s academic mission: those are just some of the outstanding contributions made by the recipients of the 2023-24 President’s Awards for Administrative and Support Staff. Winners are being honoured for the quality of their work, service to the community, innovation and initiative. This year’s solar eclipse may have brought darkness to Montreal, but it was Carolina Cruz-Vinaccia’s time to shine. As the person responsible for programming portfolio for the Trottier Space Institute and the Department of Physics, Cruz-Vinaccia expertly organizes events such as the annual Undergraduate Summer Program. But her signature accomplishment this year was spearheading McGill’s 2024 Solar Eclipse events, a resounding success that garnered international attention and brought over 10,000 people to McGill’s campuses. Cruz-Vinaccia’s flawless execution of this ambitious, once-in-a-lifetime event testifies to her extraordinary leadership, foresight and professionalism.