New IRPA Executive Council Meets
The IRPA Executive Council with six newly elected and appointed members conducted its first full meeting since IRPA 12. The meeting was held February 27 through March 1, at the headquarters of the U.S. National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) in Bethesda Maryland, USA.
The first day of the meeting was devoted to a full day planning session intended to establish objectives for the IRPA program up to IRPA 13 in Glasgow in 2012, as well as discussing long term objectives for several years following the next International Congress. The discussions addressed:
- Future Vision for the IRPA EC.
- Future structures and strategies for the E.C. and IRPA Committees.
- Resources needed to support the Vision
- Next steps and process for implementing key decisions made in the preceding discussions.
At the end of the day, the Executive Council came away with a clearer view of the issues that need to be addressed. It was especially helpful in giving the new members a clear view of E.C. issues and operations, as well as helping the E.C. as a whole develop a focus of the future program. In particular, the remit for the IRPA committees will be reviewed and their roles strengthened to help contribute to a stronger and more pro-active IRPA organization in support of the Associate Societies.
The Saturday and Sunday agenda addressed IRPA operations, with emphasis on preparations for IRPA 13, May 13-18, 2012 in Glasgow Scotland. Roger Coates, Vice President for Congress Affairs, gave an extensive overview of the work of the International Congress Organizing Committee (ICOC) and provided the following list of ICOC members and their responsibilities. The ICOC has employed Congrex UK Ltd as the Professional Congress Organizer (PCO) to assist with the organization and conduct of the Congress. Clearly, preparations are well under way. The IRPA 13 Web Site iswww.irpa13glasgow.com
| Committee Member | Responsibilities | |
|---|---|---|
| Roger Coates | coates.roger@tiscali.co.uk | ICOC Chairman, Congress President |
| Bobby Corbett | rhcorbett@btopenworld.com | General Secretary and Technical Visits Coordinator |
| Cornelius Lewis | Cornelius.lewis@kcl.ac.uk | Treasurer |
| Rachel Smith | Rachel.smith@hpa.org.uk | International Congress Programme Committee Secretary |
| Chris Perks | Christopher.a.perks@btinternet.com | Marketing and Publicity Coordinator |
| George Sallit | George.sallit@dft.gsi.gov.uk | SRP and Partner Society Liaison |
| Colin Partington | partingtons@gmail.com | Exhibition & Sponsorship Coordinator |
| Geoffrey Webb | webb.geoffpat@sky.com | International Support Committee Liaison |
| Sheila Liddle | sheilaliddle@btinternet.com | Social Programme Coordinator |
Ted Lazo from the Nuclear Energy Agency of the OECD is Chairman of the International Congress Program Committee (ICPC). He attended the last day of the E.C. meeting to offer a briefing on the result of the ICPC planning meeting held in early February. It is clear that the ICPC intends to make the most of available digital, presentation and communication technology to make the scientific aspects of the Congress as effective and efficient as possible.
Following the normal agenda of E.C. Officers reports; discussions of preparations upcoming Regional Congresses in Helsinki, Nairobi, and Medellin; review of involvement with other international organizations; education and training; and continuing activities, Ken Kase and Rodger Coates concluded the meeting with the signing of an Agreement between IRPA and the IRPA 13 Glasgow Limited, the company establish to run the 13th International Congress of IRPA in May 2012.