Welcome to TRIUMF!

 It's been a few years since my last blog post, but I intend on bringing my blog back to life this year and thought I should start with my current adventure: a week at TRIUMF as part of the CAP Excellence in Teaching Physics Award!


Arriving here this morning, I was greeted by Jesse Abney, the Program Manager for Outreach & Engagement.  He took me on a quick tour of the facility and got me set up with keycard and dosimeter so that I can further explore TRIUMF throughout the week.  Seeing this facility and starting to learn about how it works was an incredible experience!

TRIUMF has a rich history in Canada, having been formed in 1968 and the cyclotron first firing up at the end of 1974.  Today, TRIUMF has been repurposed many times over to find new cutting-edge purposes with this extraordinary physics machine.  There are now a wide variety of research and industry experiments taking place, from precise measurements of isotopes to curing cancer to quantum materials and astrophysics. 

After the tour, I had the opportunity to take part in some of the annual Science Week talks.  The highlight of this afternoon's talks was from Nicole Vassh as she talked about her work on the r- and s-processes of neutron capture to make the heaviest elements in the universe.  Her talk was delivered in a way that was accessible to people even without a background in physics, showing what a great science communicator she is.

Tomorrow, I get to start the day with the Particle Physics talk which includes The Status and Future of Particle Physics and information about the Alpha-G experiment, HyperK, and work with CERN's ATLAS experiment.  In the afternoon, I get to do a deep dive into TRIUMF's medical radionuclides program with Dr. Valery Radchenko and a tour of the proton therapy facility with Dr. Connie Hoehr.

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