Chief Editor Dave Niven talks with Sheila MacMahon, a new member of the CRPA board of directors. Sheila talks about being a long-time CRPA member, her desire to give back to the association, and where she hopes to take the organization in the next few years.
Instead of forecasting CRPA’s plans for the coming year, our editor in chief, Dave Niven, looks back on the organization’s incredible past year. He also welcomes new board members, celebrates the newly formed social media team, reflects on the organization’s first in-person conference since the pandemic, and extends gratitude to the President’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion before sharing his excitement for all the amazing things to come in 2024.
Over the years, Dave has written a lot about the benefits of attending conferences, not the least of which are the relationships people build at these events. In this editorial, he remembers one of his first “conference friends,” Adelene Gaw, who passed away in June, was a constant presence within CRPA, as well as the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA). She was also a regular contributor to the CRPA Bulletin. She will be missed.
Regular readers of the CRPA Bulletin have come to expect Dave Niven, chief editor, to interview incoming CRPA presidents. In this issue, Dave continues his interview series by talking with Jeff Fleming, CRPA’s president-elect. Jeff tells us about his job as an inspector in the Operations Inspections Division at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, about joining CRPA when he was looking for a network of professionals to help him grow and learn, and about the CRPA board of directors’ plans to launch a naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) taskforce.
Dave was very excited to be writing an editorial for the first conference issue of the CRPA Bulletin since 2019! While he concedes that there may be a bit of conference rust to shake off after four years, he is looking forward to the professional development, networking, and socializing—especially at the hospitality suite, which he says is one of the things that make the CRPA conference stand out from other events. He has no doubt that everyone attending the conference in Halifax this year will make up for lost time.
Chief Editor Dave Niven interviews Tara Hargreaves, a new member of CRPA’s board of directors. Tara says, “CRPA is the way to connect with those working in radiation safety across Canada. . . I would feel rather alone if I weren’t a member.”
