Phillip Urquijo delivers SABRE South talk in Stawell

As part of National Science Week, Centre Chief Investigator Phillip Urquijo travelled to Stawell to present a talk at the Town Hall.

The talk covered the basics of dark matter and why Centre researchers have built an underground laboratory in Stawell Gold Mines, provided an update on the project, and discussed similar projects around the world.

The Stawell community asked questions that ranged from the role of religion in the Big Bang to the implications of finding dark matter.

They also asked about whether the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory would be used for other research in the future. While the SABRE South experiment will be the initial major research carried out in the laboratory, it is planned that further research – whether in the areas of geology, biology or other fields – will be located on the site.

Professor Urquijo said the discovery of dark matter would solve a great mystery of the universe, and potentially lead to unknown scientific breakthroughs.

His talk was supported by SUPL Laboratory and Facilities Manager Kim Mintern-Lane.

The Centre is committed to partnering with the Stawell community in the SABRE South project, through its community and school outreach work.