In this News Bulletin, you will find updates on the following:
- The CAP Website is Back!
- Message from the President
- Members News
- 2026 Congress Highlights
- 2026 Annual General Meeting
- Undergraduate Conferences – CUPC 2026 and CCUW*iP 2027
- Science Policy and Advocacy
- CAP-NSERC Liaison Committee Update
- Physics in Canada
- 2027 CAP Lecture Tour
- Call for Volunteers
- Important Upcoming Dates and Events
CAP Website is back!
We are pleased to announce that the CAP website is back online after it was hacked by hijacking malware earlier this summer. We apologize for the inconvenience and the delay in restoring the site. It was necessary to hire a professional web developer to modernize the site security. Rest assured that your personal information in the CAP database was not compromised at any time. The division-specific sites and a few others are still being updated for security. We hope to restore those soon.
President’s message
The Executive team of the Canadian Association of Physicists for the 2026/2027 year includes continuing members Christine Kraus (SNOLAB, Treasurer), Pierre Bénard (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Past President), Cornelia Hoehr (TRIUMF, Vice President) and we welcome Ania Harlick (University of Toronto) as the Vice President Elect. I have the honour of serving as President. The Executive oversees the work of the CAP staff and a large number of volunteers, all supporting the CAP’s mission to champion physics, aiming for a vibrant and inclusive physics community that fosters discovery and innovation in Canada.
Yet the most important person in the Association is you, the member. We are so grateful you are here and encourage you to participate in the exciting CAP activities in the coming year. We invite you to review the latest issues of Physics in Canada and science policy and advocacy Newsflashes, submit nominations for CAP awards or for Lecture Tour speakers, and submit abstracts for one of the upcoming conferences. This year, undergraduates can attend the CUPC at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario or CCUW*P co-hosted by Université de Sherbrooke and Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec. And everyone is welcome at the 2027 Congress hosted by Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland next June. Finally, if you know someone who shares our passion for physics, please invite them to become a CAP member. The more the merrier!
Wendy Taylor, York University, FCAP
Member News
Led by p
hysicists, for physicists, the CAP is the voice of physics in Canada. Make the CAP the home base for your physics career. In addition to the many benefits of participating in our vibrant inclusive community that has championed physics in Canada since 1945, members are eligible for a discount with The Personal Insurance Company. If you are currently a member, you will be receiving an invitation to renew in December. If your CAP membership has lapsed, renew today by contacting membership@cap.ca.
2026 CAP Congress Highlights
Thank you for joining us in Ottawa! It was great to see everybody again. We had a successful congress with 740 registrants and 540 oral or poster contributions, our best numbers since Covid-19. The local organizing committee, led by Kevin Graham and Julia Wallace from Carleton University and Bela Joos from the University of Ottawa, did a wonderful job on local logistics; thanks also to our hosts, the Departments of Physics at Ottawa and Carleton, to the program committee for a wonderful program, and thanks to Ellen Molloy-Parent, Lexi Parachoniak, and Francine Ford in the CAP Office for their efforts and support.
Check below for Congress highlights.
Herzberg Lecture
What if the universe is far simpler than we have imagined?
The Herzberg Lecture was presented by Dr. Neil Turok, Director Emeritus of the Perimeter Institute.
In his talk, Dr. Turok explored a striking idea: that the universe may be far simpler, more ordered, and more predictable than many modern theories suggest. Drawing on evidence from cosmology and particle physics, he showed that observations of the early universe, the cosmic microwave background, black holes, and the Higgs boson point towards an astonishing simplicity in the laws of physics. He then ventured into bold and testable ideas involving CPT symmetry, a possible mirror universe extending beyond the Big Bang, possible explanations for dark matter, and new approaches to quantum gravity.
With humour, clarity, and intellectual daring, Professor Turok challenged some of the long-standing assumptions and invited us to consider whether a unified picture of the universe may be closer than we think—and what our place might be within it. View his lecture on the CAP YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CSQCA6PMg0 (Overview by Maryam Saleem, University of Toronto).
What can physicists contribute to the climate challenge?
In his plenary talk, Professor Normand Mousseau, Scientific Director of the Institut de l’énergie Trottier at Polytechnique Montréal and Professor at Université de Montréal, explored the important role physicists can play in addressing climate change and supporting the transition to a low-carbon future. Drawing on his work at the Institute, which advances research, innovation, and education to address global energy challenges, Professor Mousseau highlighted how physicists contribute through scientific reasoning, quantitative analysis, and problem-solving. He also emphasized that while global warming is fundamentally a problem of Earth’s energy balance, developing effective solutions requires collaboration across disciplines, integrating scientific expertise with economic, political, and social perspectives to help build a more sustainable future. (Overview by Michaela Hishon, University of Guelph.)
CAP Recognitions
The CAP Congress provides us with the opportunity to recognize members of our community. The recipients of the CAP’s research and teaching related medals were invited to present a talk at Congress. Medals were awarded to the CAP Medallists for 2026 at the Congress Recognition Event.
Medal winners and members of the Recognitions team attending the Recognition Reception (left to right), CAP President Wendy Taylor, Young-June Kim (Brockhouse), Jeffrey Rau (Herzberg), Bruce Gaulin (Lifetime Achievement), Viktor Zacek (Vogt), CAP Past President Pierre Benard, and Chair of the Recognitions Committee, Marie D’Iorio
We also officially recognized Fellows of the CAP selected in 2026 at the Recognition Event, presenting each attending recipient with a plaque and a Fellows pin.
[caption: Fellows and members of the recognitions team attending the Recognition Dinner[left to right), Chair of the CAP Recognitions Committee Marie D’Iorio, CAP Past President Pierre Bénard, Fellows Richard Boudreault, Barbara Frisken, Robert Fedosejevs, Manuela Vincter, Cliff Burgess, An-Chang Shi, Rowan Thomson, and CAP President Wendy Taylor]
Best Student Presentation Competition
The Best Student Presentation Competition was very busy with 172 participants competing for a total of 47 prizes, adjudicated by judging panels that involved a total of 77 member volunteers. Prizes were awarded by the CAP and its Divisions in both oral and poster categories. Congratulations to all, and many thanks to our volunteer judges!
BSPC Poster prize winners who attended the student award ceremony.
BSPC Oral prize winners at the Division and CAP levels who attended the student award ceremony.
Annual General Meeting
The 2026 CAP AGM was held on Zoom on May 27, 2026. Thank you to all those who attended. Below we try to capture a few highlights. For details, see the CAP website: https://cap.ca/about-us/governance/2026-virtual-agm-may27/
Pierre Bénard (President 2025-2026) presented an engaging report on activities during his term:
One of the main purposes of the AGM is to elect a new Board of Directors. The slate of directors as presented was approved at the meeting. The list of all members of the 2026-27 Board of Directors can be found on this CAP webpage. Your Executive for 2026-27 is:
President
Vice-President
Vice-President Elect
Ania Harlick, University of Toronto
Past-President
Pierre Bénard, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Secretary-Treasurer
Executive Director
Francine Ford, Canadian Association of Physicists
Undergraduate Physics Conferences – Virtual Grad Fair, CUPC 2026, and CCUW*P 2027
Virtual Grad Fair
This fall, join us for a virtual graduate fair showcasing physics graduate programs from across Canada. This event will offer undergraduate students a valuable opportunity to explore graduate school options, connect with faculty, and gain insights into research opportunities, funding, and life as a graduate student in physics. Join us September 27/28 to hear student perspectives and October 3/4 to meet representatives from different universities.
CUPC 2026
The Annual Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference (CUPC) will be held at McMaster University from October 15-18, 2026! Registration is now open! For more information, check out the CUPC website.
CCUW*iP 2027
The 14th Annual Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CCUW*iP) will be held at the Université de Sherbrooke from January 29-31! For more information, check out the CCUW*iP website.
Call for Hosts – 2027 CUPC
Call for Hosts – 2028 CCUW*IP
The Canadian Association of Physicists invites students to apply to host two undergraduate conferences: the 2027 Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference (CUPC) and the 2028 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CCUW*iP).
CUPC is a four-day annual event that brings together physics students from across the country to present research, attend invited lectures, tour local research facilities, and connect with graduate programs. CCUW*iP encourages undergraduate students from under-represented groups to pursue their physics education by networking with a diverse and inclusive group of physicists of all ages, with whom they can share experiences, advice, and ideas.
Hosting either conference is a unique opportunity to showcase your institution, support your fellow students, and contribute to a vibrant and inclusive physics community in Canada.
Interested in hosting? Check out the CUPC and CCUW*IP websites for more details.
Science Policy and Advocacy Update
As every year, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance has invited Canadians to participate in the planning of the 2026 Federal Budget.
The CAP’s Director of Science Policy and Advocacy, James Fraser, in collaboration with the CAP’s Science Policy Committee and input from our institutional partners, sister societies, and the CAP Board of Directors, prepared a strong submission with the following three recommendations:
Recommendation #1: Establish a Domestic Talent Retention Program
Launch a fully-funded Domestic Talent Retention Program to complement Budget 2025’s International Talent Attraction Strategy, focusing directly on increasing investigator-driven research funding.
Recommendation #2: Lifecycle Funding for Major Research Facilities
Formalize a comprehensive, portfolio-based lifecycle management framework for Major Research Facilities (MRFs) that guarantees sustainable funding from construction through operation and decommissioning.
Recommendation #3: Embed Foundational Physics into BOREALIS
Create frictionless funding pathways within BOREALIS and Defence Innovation Secure Hubs (DISH) that directly integrate university-level foundational physics, such as quantum sensing and industrially relevant photonics, into defence applications.
Click here to view a copy of the CAP’s full brief submitted for the 2026 federal budget consultations.
Copies of previous briefs and science policy news items can be found on the CAP’s science policy and advocacy webpage.
If you wish to contact the Science Policy and Advocacy Committee, please connect with the CAP’s Director of Science Policy and Advocacy, James Fraser, at james[dot]fraser[at]queensu[dot]ca.
CAP-NSERC Liaison Committee
The English version of the CAP-NSERC Liaison Committee website has been updated: https://www.phys-cap-nserc.org/. Congress featured a presentation by Catherine Harrison, Program Officer for Discovery Research Grant Committee 1505 (Physics). You can access a copy of her presentation here: https://www.phys-cap-nserc.org/documents/recent-presentations/. Please contact the Chair of the Liaison Committee, Melanie Martin (University of Winnipeg), m.martin@uwinnipeg.ca, with questions and concerns related to the work of the committee.
Physics in Canada
With Vol. 81(2), a special theme issue to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), posted in March, we are now working on two issues for 2026. Volume 82(1) is a theme issue focused on Climate and the Environment and will focus on contributions to this work by physicists from across Canada. Volume 82(2) will contain material related to the 2026 Congress and short reviews and educational articles submitted by our community.
The topic of the special theme issue for 2027, 83(1) will be Physics: From Science to Technology. Ideas for this issue are welcome as are suggestions for theme issues for future years.
We are welcoming submissions of feature articles, interviews, and physics education articles that inform and educate. You are also invited to submit photographs of beautiful or unusual physics phenomena that may be selected to appear on the cover of Physics in Canada. Please send ideas, submissions, and possible cover images to the Editor-in-Chief of Physics in Canada, Béla Joós, at pic-pac@cap.ca. For more information on submissions and the call for cover art, check out the Physics in Canada section of the CAP website.
2027 CAP Lecture Tour
The 2026 CAP Undergraduate Lecture Tour had eleven speakers give captivating talks at 20 different institutions across the country. Recordings of talks from 2025 and past years are available on the CAP YouTube channel. We hope to post the 2026 lectures soon! The CAP Lecture Tour is supported by the CAP Foundation.
The 2027 lecture tour program, which will be organized by our dedicated team of Lecture Tour Coordinators, will take place between January and March next year. Look for the call for potential speakers that was circulated September 18. Please help support our program by nominating a potential speaker. Self-nominations are welcome. Click here for more information about the lecture tour program and nominating speakers.
Call for Volunteers
- Communications: The Communications Operating Committee is looking for volunteers interested in helping produce newsletters, emails and webpages. In particular, we are looking for a senior CAP member who might be interested in joining the team, and eventually taking on the Communications portfolio; perhaps a recent retiree? And we are always looking for students interested in helping out! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Barbara Frisken, COC Chair, at frisken@sfu.ca.
Important Upcoming Dates and Events
- September 18 – Opening of the call for nominations for 2027 CAP Lecture Tour speakers (Deadline for submissions October 5)
- (Approximately) October 1 2026 – Opening of the call for 2027 CAP medal and fellow nominations (Deadline for nominations December 1 2026). Start planning your nominations!
- (Approximately) October 1 2026 – Opening of the call for 2027 CAP/CAPF graduate student scholarship applications (Deadline for nominations January 15 2027)
- October 15-18 2026 – CUPC will be held at McMaster University
- (Approximately) December 15, 2026 – Opening of the call for abstracts for the 2027 CAP Congress
- January 29-31 – The 2027 conference for under-represented undergraduate physics students in Canada (CCUW*iP) will be held at the Université de Sherbrooke
- January – March 2027 – The CAP 2027 Lecture Tour, with speakers presenting to undergraduate students across the country
- June 7-11 2027 – The 2027 CAP Congress will be held at Memorial University of Newfoundland
Bookmark the 2027 CAP Congress website!
https://cap.ca/congress-conference/2027-cap-congress/
See you next year in St. John’s!
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