I wanted to send along my best wishes and those of the rest of the Accelerator Section Board of Directors for a happy and prosperous holiday season. I have had the opportunity to talk recently with many of our section's members by telephone. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I was calling to ask that each of you encourage one fellow Health Physics Society (HPS) member (who is not currently an Accelerator Section member) to consider joining the Accelerator Section for 2003. The process is relatively easy as the person needs only to check the Accelerator Section on the HPS membership renewal form and enclose an additional $5.00 with their renewal. Thanks to all of you who have made personal contacts to help increase our section's membership.
I have received several excellent comments and suggestions on how the Accelerator Section can better serve our members in the process of attempting to contact all of the section's members. If I was not able to speak directly with each of you, I either left a voice mail message or followed up with a short e-mail. My personal goal is to increase our section's membership by at least 40% from the current level of about 130 members.
Those of you who were at the June 2002 Tampa annual meeting may remember that the section approved the granting of an annual $250 award in memory of Wade Patterson to the best student presentation at the annual meeting. The Accelerator Section Board of Directors is currently working out the award's details and the information will be in a future Accelerator Section newsletter. We also plan to have several announcements on the award in the monthly HPS newsletter as we move closer to the July 2003 San Diego annual meeting. As many of you recall, Wade was instrumental in helping start the Accelerator Section in the early 1990s.
All of you have received an e-mail from section's president-elect, Bob Casey, encouraging you to consider a paper or poster for the July annual meeting. I hope that you will take the time to update us on the interesting things going on at your home institution by submitting a paper or poster.
Happy Holidays!