BARTH NETTERFIELD, University of Toronto, likes to play with  balloons, but not just any balloons. Sporting names like  BOOMERANG, BLAST and SPIDER, his toys travel far up into the stratosphere carrying sophisticated telescopes that gather data  about the origins of the universe nearly 14 billion years ago. In  collaboration with colleagues from around the world, his balloon experiments study such phenomena as the process of star formation and the characteristics of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is the leftover radiation signature of the Big Bang. Dr. Netterfield is one of the top experimental cosmologists in the world, and his work on these types of astronomical phenomena has earned him an NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship.

CARL SVENSSON, University of Guelph, is searching for a previously unknown force of nature, and if he finds it, he will stand some of the current laws of physics on their head. That’s because the force he’s looking for behaves in a fundamentally different way from the ones we already know -- gravity, electro-
magnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces -- whose effects do not depend on the direction of time. This new force would explain the lack of symmetry between matter and anti-matter in the universe. Dr. Svensson has carved out an enviable reputation in the rarefied world of subatomic physics for both his experimental work and his leadership in designing and building the tools needed to probe the inner workings of atoms. His contributions have earned him an NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship.

The winners receive additional funding to support their research,  and their universities receive a salary contribution to fund a  replacement for the Fellow’s teaching and administrative duties, thus allowing the winners to focus on their research for two years. (For more information : www.nserc.ca/ news/2008/)