Welcome and News from the Director

Welcome to TRIUMF. I hope you can take the time to explore the information on the pages of this web site and learn more about science in Canada and around the world.

TRIUMF is Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics and related sciences. It is owned by seven Canadian universities and has formal agreements with fifty-five institutions from around the world. The scientific user community numbers nearly one thousand, over a quarter of which come from outside of Canada.

Every five years, TRIUMF reviews its program. Our operating funds come from the Federal Government of Canada via a contribution through the National Research Council (NRC). We are now preparing our next Five-Year Plan, a proposal to the NRC and Federal Ministry of Industry. The plan will outline and describe the scientific program for the period 2010-2015.

This is an exciting time. All the particle and nuclear physicists in Canada are involved, as well as many medical and material scientists. International advice is crucial too, as TRIUMF hosts many scientists from around the world for their research. This process of open discussion with international colleagues leads to a better plan for TRIUMF — and for Canada. We very much appreciate their participation and advice in this process.

The plan is only just beginning to take shape. TRIUMF presently accelerates protons and heavy ions, and we are now engaged in the design of a new electron accelerator to push the research forward and place TRIUMF in a world-leading position to study exotic nuclei. This electron accelerator would greatly expand Canadian's research and development toolset by exploiting superconducting radiofrequency technology or SRF. The SRF electron accelerator will vastly enhance the competitiveness of our abilities to create new materials and medical isotopes for research. The world investment in this field over the next decade will likely exceed several billion dollars. Canadians can be proud of TRIUMF's position in this elite group of world laboratories.

I firmly believe basic research is the engine that drives a large fraction of our economy. Jobs are born by new ideas. Canada will remain globally competitive only when our young students, thinking about their futures, get excited about the science projects led by their country. The process of how an individual becomes a scientist or engineer, or starts a high tech company is complex, but one theme is most always present: a bright mind excited by new ideas and opportunities. Our Five-Year Plan — TRIUMF's and Canadian scientists' vision for the future — must aim high to generate that excitement. Once interested, these students will go on and drive our economy, improve our health system, advance the sophisticated world of communications, and meet the energy and environmental challenges of the next decade.

- Nigel S. Lockyer