On August 25, the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State for Science and Technology, and Member of Parliament (London West), visited TRIUMF during a trip to Vancouver. Minister Holder met with members of TRIUMF’s leadership team, including Director Jonathan Bagger, as well as researchers, engineers, and technicians during a tour of ARIEL. During the meeting, topics of discussion included the laboratory’s strong reputation for scientific excellence, contributions to international projects, and its history of successful engagement with the private sector. Director Bagger and the Minister engaged in conversation regarding the importance of STEM education and promotion, noting that TRIUMF is investigating options to strengthen its programs in these areas.
With the Government of Canada’s ongoing support for TRIUMF, and in particular the $222.3M base funding announcement in Economic Action Plan 2014, the Minister’s visit was timely. The next five-year cycle holds a number of promising developments for the laboratory, such as the completion of ARIEL and the establishment of the Institute for Accelerator-based Medical Isotopes (IAMI).
Moreover, with its commercialization partner, AAPS Inc., TRIUMF has the know-how to move innovation from the lab to the market place. For instance, the Minister was pleased to learn about TRIUMF’s partnership with PAVAC, Inc. for the development and production of SRF cavities that have commercial applications outside of their use in ARIEL.
At the conclusion on the visit, the Minister had a quick opportunity to visit the Electron Hall, where activities continue for the installation of ARIEL’s e-linac. In the photograph above, the Minister is standing next to a SRF cavity – not only a key component for accelerator physics, but also a symbol of the “Made in Canada” leading-edge technology developed at TRIUMF.
Minister Holder acknowledged TRIUMF for its science and innovation, and expressed a desire to see more of the facility during his next visit.
–Melissa Baluk, Communications Coordinator
Photography credits to Richard Lam. View more photos from Minister Holder's visit at TRIUMF's Flickr page.
Read about the visit from Minister of State (S&T) Greg Rickford.