Business Meeting 2012

2012 CAP Congress DNP Annual Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order by DNP Chair-Elect Zisis Papandreou (ZP) circa 12:30 on Tuesday 12 June 2012, explaining that the Chair is enjoying a Nobel symposium in Stockholm. After presenting the agenda, he introduced the 2011-2013 DNP executive members listed below.

Chair: Jens Dilling (TRIUMF) jdilling@triumf.ca
Chair-Elect: Zisis Papandreou (Regina) zisis@uregina.ca
Secretary-Treasurer: Barry Davids (TRIUMF) davids@triumf.ca
Past Chair: Kumar Sharma (Manitoba) sharma@physics.umanitoba.ca

Secretary-Treasurer Barry Davids (BD) then presented a brief financial and membership report, summarized below.

1. Financial state

In the year from Dec 31 2010 – Dec 31 2011, we ran an operating surplus of $1260,
leaving our balance at $10 474. Our expenses during that period included only a $20 charge for the Congress Liaison Meeting. Offsetting this $20 expenditure were $1280 in revenues from 128 full memberships at $10 each.

2. Membership

In 2011 we had 128 full members and 87 student members, for a total of 215 members. This represents a small increase from 2010’s 126 full members and a small decrease from 2010’s 91 student members.

3. Financial outlook

If membership remains roughly constant as it has recently, we can expect to be able to spend ~$1300 per year without diminishing our cash reserves. With the usual annual expenditures of $1000 DNP thesis prize and $250 for WNPPC student prizes, we have a $10 000 surplus to spend on support for invited speakers, etc. Members were asked for input on how the surplus should be spent. Wim van Oers suggested that we increase the WNPPC student prizes and Juris Svenne proposed inviting a nuclear physics superstar to the 2013 CAP Congress. ZP promised the executive would take these suggestions into account.

BD then reminded those present that the division lacks bylaws and briefly described draft bylaws that he prepared for the division with helpful input from ZP. ZP will arrange for an email to go out from CAP to DNP members directing them to the website where the draft bylaws can be found and soliciting feedback. It was pointed out in response to a question that a vote of the membership is not required and only the executive need approve the new bylaws. Once the division has had a chance to respond, BD will communicate the draft bylaws to the CAP executive and ask that they approve them.

ZP reported on the 2011-2012 DNP Thesis Prize. This year’s winner was Richard Hydomako of the University of Calgary, whose thesis was entitled “Detection of Trapped Antihydrogen.” ZP was the chief judge and was joined by Sonia Bacca and Adam Garnsworthy. There were three high quality submissions this time, and the two who did not win will be automatically entered into next year’s competition. Two new judges will be sought.

ZP reported that this year’s DNP-TRIUMF-CAP Vogt medal for subatomic physics went to Prof. Rob Meyers of the Perimeter Institute and Waterloo. He reminded members that the subatomic physics representative on the CAP-NSERC Liaison Committee is Prof. Shelley Page. ZP then noted that scientists within 8 years of earning a PhD are eligible for the IUPAP Young Scientist Award to be presented at the INPC in Italy next year. ZP acknowledged the financial support of the CINP in bringing invited DNP speaker Herve Savajols to the Congress.

Three student prizes were awarded at the WNPPC this year. Each award includes a certificate as well as a cash award from the CAP (jointly funded by the Division of Nuclear Physics and the Division of Particle Physics). The winners were:
First place ($250 award): Marie-Cecile Piro, Universite de Montreal,
“Recent results from the PICASSO dark matter search experiment”
Second place ($150 award): Alex Laffoley, Guelph University,
“High-Precision Half-life Measurement for the Superallowed β+ Emitter 14O”
Third place ($100 award): Gang Li, McGill University,
“Measurement of νe angular correlation in 8Li decay.”

ZP mentioned the planned DNP photo web archive which is still under development.

The 2013 CAP Congress will be in Montreal and ZP solicited suggestions for session chairs and sessions.

Several issues were raised by ZP for discussion, namely post-LRP advocacy and the changes to NSERC grant programs, e.g., the elimination of the RTI program, the moratorium on MRS grants, and the shift to industrial and applied research.

The question of why the CINP membership rolls were smaller than the DNP rolls was asked. Two reasons were adduced: more extensive application requirements and a Canadian residency requirement. Kumar Sharma (KS) stated that nearly the entire difference is accounted for by students.

KS pointed out the importance of sending repeated reminders to faculty to nominate their students for the DNP thesis prize. Glen Marshall suggested that a chair’s confirmation letter template be put on the website to facilitate the thesis prize nomination process. A discussion of the number of nuclear physics theses ensued; Alan Chen pointed out that CAP maintains a list of Canadian physics theses and that the DNP can build a list of nuclear theses using CAP’s records.

The meeting was adjourned circa 13:10.