As you will read elsewhere in this Bulletin, there has been quite a lot going on at the CAP office of late. We are of course gearing up for the Congress to be held at Queen’s University between the 29 May and the 2 June 2017, the 2017 CAP Lecture Tour is in full swing, and the Lloyd G. Elliot University Prize Exam was written by undergraduate students across Canada on 2017 February 7th; results should be available soon.
Perhaps the most exciting set of developments are in the implementation of our communications strategic plan. Most notably, a wholly revamped web site will be unveiled within the next few weeks. There is an update on some of the much needed foundational communications work later in the Bulletin; keep an eye out for further updates regarding our pending website launch.
Since our last Bulletin, we have had staff changes. Now that the CAP’s IT support needs have outgrown the capability of programmers, Chris Brûlé’s position as webmaster/programmer has been outsourced to an IT firm. We thank Chris for his support during his tenure with us and wish him well as he progresses in his career. In December 2016, Danielle Legault left the CAP office after four years of excellent service to the Association, to join the Federal Government. Many thanks, Danielle, and best of luck to you! We welcome both Éloïse Boileau, who joined us in Sept. 2016 as our new Program Manager, and Polina Tarasenko, who has recently joined us as our new Communications Coordinator.
I attended an American Physical Society meeting in November (photo on left), where I gave a presentation on the latest developments at the CAP and took part in discussions on issues of relevance to the APS. Since that meeting was held only a few days after the US election, it is not difficult to imagine what one lively subject of discussion was! In December, Roy Sambles, President of the Institute of Physics (our British counterpart) met with Francine and myself at the CAP office (photo on right). We had a very fruitful exchange of ideas. Strengthening our relationships with those two organizations, and indeed with sister societies in Canada and around the world, can only be beneficial to all involved.
The above is just a sampling of our recent activities and developments. I invite you to read the entire Bulletin to learn more. If you wish to get involved in the CAP in any way, your help would be appreciated; please contact me or the CAP office at cap@uottawa.ca