TRIUMF is Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics. This means that the laboratory has nearly 50 official research scientists who apply for competitive, peer-reviewed research funding from agencies like NSERC, CIHR, and so on. But what about the other 400+ people?
That's where the magic comes in --- and that's where the deeper value of TRIUMF as a national resource becomes apparent. Supporting the research program, infrastructure, and operations are highly trained technicians, engineers, and IT professionals --- a group of people with specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. In fact, this concentration of publicly-supported, technical talent at TRIUMF is likely unmatched anywhere else in the country. TRIUMF was founded more than four decades earlier by Canadian universities to design, build, operate, and maintain infrastructure for research that no single university could manage on its own. The team that has blossomed at TRIUMF does exactly that.
TRIUMF's technologists and technicians are recognized as technical specialists and apply their knowledge in support of TRIUMF's program of work. The uniqueness of the projects assigned to our technical team provides ongoing professional challenges that result in an increased portfolio of transferable skills that are highly valued.
In the field of engineering, TRIUMF's staff members are recognized by their professional peers. One designation is the "P.Eng" credential, short for "Professional Engineer." This formal licence is earned by a combination of post-secondary training, experience in the field, a written examination, and registration with the professional body of engineers. In BC, the organization is known as APEGBC, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC.
At present, TRIUMF has approximately 20 licenced engineers on staff with the P.Eng. designation and close to a half-dozen Engineers in Training (EIT). Some arrived at TRIUMF with these credentials, and others secured them as part of their professional development at the lab (most recently, Aurelia Laxdal, Grant Minor, and Bob Sidhu). Aurelia is presently the only woman at TRIUMF with the P.Eng. designation (although not the first ever). And finally, Dan Rowbotham is formally recognized as a Professional Engineering Manager.
You can learn more about TRIUMF's highly-skilled professionals by visiting the career-profiles site at http://qr.triumf.ca/174.
Although this article is but a short glimpse into the enormous talent pool at TRIUMF (see a forthcoming feature about the role of technicians and technologists), it is an acknowledgment of the standards of excellence, performance, and integrity upheld by everyone at the lab. Hats off!
-- by T.I. Meyer, TRIUMF's Head of Strategic Planning & Communication