CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICISTS

ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE DES PHYSICIENS ET PHYSICIENNES

CANADIAN ORGANIZATION OF MEDICAL PHYSICISTS

ORGANIZATION CANADIENNE DES PHYSICIENS MÉDICAUX

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) are pleased to announce that the 2004 CAP/COMP Memorial Peter Kirkby Medal for Outstanding Service to Canadian Physics is being awarded to Dr. Robert Barber of the University of Manitoba for his many years of unselfish service to both the Canadian physics community within the CAP and NSERC, and internationally within the IUPAP.

Bob Barber is an outstanding physics citizen and an exemplary candidate for the 2004 Peter Kirby Memorial Medal. For over 30 years he has quietly provided substantial and unselfish service to the Canadian physics community, both nationally within the CAP and NSERC, and internationally within the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP).

Bob’s service for Canadian Physics began in 1972 when he became a member of the Commission on Nuclidic Masses. From that modest start he later served as Secretary (two terms), Chairman (two terms) and member (for two terms) of the amalgamated commission on Symbols, Units, Nomenclature, Atomic Masses, and Fundamental Constants (SUNAMCO). Service for 21 consecutive years must be a record for any IUPAP Commission. Bob was subsequently elected to two terms as Associate Secretary General (1993-1999) and then as Vice President at Large (1999-2002) of IUPAP. Among the many duties Bob performed, mostly behind the scenes, the ones most visible to physicists were the dissemination of IUPAP news and actions through the writing and publication of the IUPAP ìNews Bulletinsî and the creation and maintenance in Manitoba (until 1999) of the IUPAP web site (www.iupap.org ). By virtue of his election to positions in IUPAP, Bob also served for 30 years on the Canadian National IUPAP Liaison Committee (CNILC) from 1973 to 2002. Here his knowledge of IUPAP was much appreciated by the CNILC, especially in helping to prepare large numbers of nominations of Canadians physicists(most of whom were elected) to positions on the various Commissions. Along the way Bob was a member of the organizing committee of 9 conferences, 2 of which he helped bring to Canada.

For the Canadian Association of Physicists Bob served as Councillor for Manitoba, (1974-76), Member of the Organizing Committee for the CAP annual Congress at the University of Manitoba (1991), Director - Full Members (1988 – 2000) and as Chair of the Professional Certification Committee (1999 – present). Bob has also given freely of his time to NSERC, serving as member and later Chair of the International Postdoctoral Fellowships Committee (1993), and member (1991-3) of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowships Committee for many years.

Bob Barber’s tireless efforts in strengthening the Canadian physics community and enhancing the profession of physical scientists as well as his dedication, fairness, and honesty exemplify the spirit of the Kirkby Medal.

The Peter Kirkby Memorial Medal was introduced in 1996 and is awarded biennially. Dr. Barber will receive the 2004 Prize during the CAP's awards banquet to be held at the Delta Hotel in Winnipeg on June 15th, 2004.

The Canadian Association of Physicists, founded in 1945, is a professional association representing over 1600 individual physicists and physics students in Canada, the U.S. and overseas, as well as a number of Corporate and Departmental Members. In addition to its learned activities, the CAP also undertakes a number of activities intended to encourage students to pursue a career in physics.

The Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists is a scientific and professional organization composed of 350 medical physicists and graduate students working in the areas of medical imaging, cancer therapy, and medical biophysics, plus Corporate Members who are involved in these areas. The COMP also has a close relationship with the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM), which is the national certification body in Canada for clinical competence in physics applied to medicine.

For more information, please contact:

Canadian Association of Physicists
Tel: (613) 562-5614
Fax: (613) 562-5615
E-mail: cap@physics.uottawa.ca

or

Nancy Barrett
Executive Director,
Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists
Tel: (613) 599-3491
Fax: (613) 599-1949
Email: nancy@medphys.ca