News & Events

Many senior researchers in the field have written personal sentiments about the numerous and valuable contributions Bruce has made and we are pleased to present those notes and letters here with permission from the authors.

 

Dr. Erica Caden
“Bruce, it has been an honour to work with you for these years. I have always enjoyed the questions you ask at seminars, and the chats we had in your office.
I specifically remember your amusement when I brought in black Teflon tape to be counted. This was to block light and provide a good seal within the SNO+ UI/neck interface. Regular white Teflon tape just wouldn’t do, so I procured a material more commonly used by paintball enthusiasts! You dutifully counted the sample for me, even with your skepticism that such a dark material would never be radio-clean enough for that part of the detector.
Your impact on our scientific field is far-reaching. I hope you are able to enjoy your retirement.”

Dimpal Chauhan, M.Sc
“Bruce: It has truly been an honor to work with you and to know you over all these years. I still remember our first meeting—when my thesis advisor, Jacques Farine, brought me to SNOLAB for the first time. He spoke of your expertise in low-background projects, and that initial impression has only deepened over time.
I’ve learned so much from you, especially in areas like Electrostatic Counters, gamma counting, and calibration sources. Your guidance was invaluable when I was preparing the Chromosorb trap for the radon emanation system on the surface. Your mentorship has shaped my work and my approach, and I’m deeply grateful for all the support you’ve given me.
Wishing you a fulfilling and enjoyable retirement—you’ve certainly earned it. Thank you for everything.”

Dr. Nasim Fatemighomi
“Bruce, it has been an honour to know you. I met you first in 2009 when I was visiting SNOLAB for a postdoc interview. I found our conversation about
radioactive background of the neutrinoless double beta decay detectors very inspiring and I learned a lot by just having an hour of conversation with you.
Thank you very much for making a great physics possible by your outstanding scientific knowledge.”

Dr. Richard Ford
“I first got to know Bruce in the late 90s as a student traveling to Sudbury for SNO construction, and to install the laserball calibration system. I’m also pretty sure we did some acrylic vessel bond annealing shifts together. I enjoyed some wonderful conversations with Bruce. These likely helped my decision to stay in neutrino physics and move on to the Borexino experiment at Gran Sasso.
Returning to SNO in 2003, I enjoyed working closely with Bruce as we discussed and implemented ideas to reduce the radon and radium backgrounds in the heavy water for the critical neutral current detector (NCD) phase of the SNO experiment. As we planned SNOLAB, Bruce was key in the development of the low background facility and led the effort to relocate and refurbish the first low background PGT germanium detector and design a new shielding system for it.
It was also fun working with Bruce to organize the first Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT) workshop in 2004 at Laurentian University and to create the speaker agenda. I’m sure Bruce did most of the heavy lifting in editing the nearly 35 papers for the proceedings! Bruce was also the key person on the radioactive sources committee, deeply scrutinizing all source requests.”

Dr. Ian Lawson
“I first met Bruce during the early 2000s while I was a post-doctoral researcher on the SNO Experiment. During my early days at SNO, I worked on calibrations, simulations and data analysis and began working with Bruce during his time as the SNO database expert. Bruce began the development of the first germanium detector counting system at SNO in about 2005. This began with the relocation and refurbishment of the PGT detector in anticipation of expanding the lab and requiring an extensive material selection campaign for the new lab and potential
experiments. During this time, Bruce would regularly travel to Russia for extended periods so that he could continue to work on the SAGE experiment, and someone was needed to take over running the PGT detector while he was away. I was asked to help out and I have been working with the germanium detectors ever since.
We worked closely together developing and continuously improving the analysis methods which we still use today. The expansion of the counting facilities soon followed with the funding of SNO+ and DEAP, which allowed SNOLAB to acquire two additional germanium counting systems. Those detectors are still running today along with several more!
I truly enjoyed all the discussions we had about developing the analysis and your knowledge about uncertainties and limits which would be meaningful for the low statistics that germanium detectors often provide. The SNOLAB Low Background Counting group continues to follow these analysis techniques today to provide meaningful results to the scientific community.
It has been a pleasure working with you and learning from your scientific knowledge has been invaluable. I will fondly remember having meals at your place and discussing everything from science to politics, I hope that you have an enjoyable retirement and find contentment in spending more time with your family and friends.”