2021 CAP DNP Annual Business Meeting Minutes
The virtual meeting was called to order via Zoom by DNP Chair Corina Andreoiu (CA) at 12:33 PDT on Friday, June 11th, 2021. Thirty two DNP members were present at the online meeting.
The chair’s motion to approve the agenda was seconded by Secretary-Treasurer Barry Davids (BD), and in the absence of objections or additions the agenda was adopted. CA introduced the 2019-2021 CAP DNP Executive Committee:
Corina Andreoiu, Simon Fraser, Chair
Michael Gericke, Manitoba, Vice Chair
Gerald Gwinner, Manitoba, Past Chair
Barry Davids, TRIUMF, Secretary-Treasurer
The Chair summarized the Division’s participation at the virtual 2021 Congress. 26 DNP students entered the competition for best DNP student talks. There were 15 invited speakers, 5 of whom are women. There were 20 DNP sessions over 2 days of parallel sessions chaired by 19 different volunteers, including joint sessions with the divisions of theoretical physics and particle physics. There was no symposium. CA mentioned that postdoctoral researchers were asked to chair sessions and judge student talks this year. She invited members to consider possibilities now that there are funds available from Australian and Japanese sources for joint symposia.
Three DNP student prizes were awarded at the Congress.
1. Matthew Stukel, Queen’s $200
KDK: Measuring the unique third forbidden electron capture decay of K-40 for backgrounds in rare-event searches
2. Wolfgang Klassen, UBC $100
Optical magnetometry for the TUCAN nEDM experiment
3. William Porter, UBC $50
Charting the 𝑁=40 Island of Inversion with neutron-rich iron isotopes at TITAN
The Chair then announced that the winner of the 2020-2021 Thesis Prize, Dr. Ryan Dunlop of the University of Guelph. He was to speak at the 2021 Congress, but due to an omission by the Chair will instead be invited to give a talk at TRIUMF’s 2021 Science Week. Dr. Dunlop was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Guelph for his thesis “Measurement of r-process nuclei 128-130Cd and 131In with the Gamma-Ray Infrastructure for Fundamental Investigations of Nuclei (GRIFFIN)” under the supervision of Dr. Carl Svensson. Charles Gale (McGill University), Blair Jamieson (University of Winnipeg), and Timothy Friesen (University of Calgary) judged the three entries, all of which were judged to be of high quality.
The Chair expressed satisfaction with the strength of the Division’s finances, which she implausibly attributed to the stewardship of the Secretary-Treasurer. CA presented a financial and membership report prepared by the Secretary-Treasurer that is summarized below.
The Division started 2020 with an opening bank balance of $3666. During the year it spent $250 on student prizes for the Winter Nuclear and Particle Physics Conference, $1004 on the DNP Thesis Prize, and $350 for CAP Congress student prizes; the division received $1500 in membership dues, resulting in an operating deficit of $54 and an ending balance of $3612. The Division agreed in 2016 that a bank balance of approximately $2000 should be maintained. Hence there is a surplus of ~$1600.
As of June 1st, 2021 the DNP had 408 members, which is 31% more than last year’s 312. There were 111 full (and foreign regular), 109 graduate student, 176 undergraduate, 8 high school teacher, and 3 affiliate members. Though we have 53% more student members than last year, the number of (dues-paying) full members declined by 17% over the past two years.
CA reminded members that annual membership dues are free for students; she stressed that we ought to encourage students to join.
As 2021 is an odd-numbered year, an election of a Vice Chair and Secretary-Treasurer to serve 2 year terms during the 2021-2023 period was required. The new Vice Chair will succeed the Chair in 2023. Nominations were solicited by BD via an email sent by the CAP on April 8th, 2021 with a due date of May 1st. One nomination for Vice Chair and one for Secretary-Treasurer were received. Liliana Caballero (Guelph) and Barry Davids (TRIUMF) were therefore elected Vice Chair and Secretary-Treasurer, respectively, by acclamation.
The 2021-2023 CAP DNP Executive Committee will be as follows.
Michael Gericke, Manitoba, Chair
Liliana Caballero, Guelph, Vice Chair
Corina Andreoiu, Simon Fraser, Past Chair
Barry Davids, TRIUMF, Secretary-Treasurer
The Chair thanked Past Chair Gerald Gwinner for his service on the executive committee and mentioned her wish to see the DNP establish and maintain a social media presence, e.g. on LinkedIn and/or Instagram. She said that this had been discussed in the executive but nothing definitive decided; she contended that a new member of the executive should be added with responsibility in this area, and that a junior researcher would be ideally suited for the role. CINP Executive Director Garth Huber (GH) inquired if it wouldn’t be onerous to add another officer to the executive, given the requirement to amend the divisional bylaws, indicating that such an effort was quite involved within the American Physical Society. CA responded that she was uncertain of the constitutional issues but that Gwen Grinyer would help with Instagram while Zisis Papandreou and she would work on LinkedIn. She emphasized that a champion was needed and encouraged volunteers to contact Michael Gericke or her by email; GH agreed that it should be done but warned that it could be quite involved to make a change to the incorporation articles.
The Chair announced that the 2022 Congress was anticipated to take place in person at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON from 6-10 June.
Finally, Ritu Kanungo suggested that the DNP thank CA for her service as Chair and warm applause followed.
There being no further business, BD moved the meeting be adjourned at 13:01