A Pictorial History of the Health Physics Society

Jim Willison

This set of pictures was presented at the 2016 Health Physics Society (HPS) Annual Meeting. The photos were culled from approximately 25,000 pictures taken by official (and unofficial) photographers for the HPS through 2015. The pictures were selected to illustrate patterns and trends in a number of different categories, including demographics, attire, technology, and traditions of the Society.

Each photograph is labeled with the year taken and the location of the meeting. Pictures are ordered chronologically within each topical category and should be relatively self-explanatory.

Following are some general observations:

  1. Attire at meetings has become markedly more casual over time. While dresses and suits and ties were standard in the early years, the pictures record a shift to business casual attire (including an explosion of Hawaiian shirts led by CHPs on exam day).
  2. The demographics of meeting attendees has grown significantly more diverse with time.
  3. While the HPS has tried to use the latest technology in presentations, some of the early projection examples may not be recognized by our younger members.
  4. The pictures include a number of health physicists who are no longer with us.
  5. One of the longest traditions of the HPS is the breakfast held in honor of the winner of the Elda E. Anderson award. It is attended only by past winners and documented with a group picture. The HPS website has a large number of these pictures beyond those shown in this presentation.
  6. Finally, the story of the chicken is presented. If you’re curious, check the website for the whole story.

Please take the time to look around the annual and midyear meeting pictures posted on the website.