News Archive
"Meeting Challenges in the Practice of Radiation Protection"
20–24 February 2022
Union Station Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri
Mike Mahathy, Organizing Committee Chair
The 2022 North American Regional Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA 2022) offers both virtual and in-person social activities each day of the week for all attendees. Come out each night to share brews and food or even some healthy competition with your favorite radiation protection colleagues. Keep reading to learn about more virtual and in-person social program options and stay tuned to the conference website as changes may continue to happen in a pandemic-era conference!
All times listed are CST.
Sunday, 20 February 2022
Meet and Eat and Greet
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Salt + Smoke at Ballpark Village, 501 Clark St, St. Louis, MO 63102
Distance from conference hotel: 1.8 kilometers, 6-minute drive or 23-minute walk
Menu: click here
Fee: No cost to attend, you are responsible for food and drink purchase.
For those who will be at the conference on Sunday, meet up with others who will be eating at a local BBQ place next to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball stadium. Please meet in the lobby of the Union Station Hotel at 6:00 pm. We will share a ride or walk, depending on weather. Alternatively, meet us at the restaurant at 6:30 pm. I ate at Salt + Smoke in October—the food is great, and the camaraderie will be even better. Email Mike Mahathy if you have questions. When you arrive, mention you are with the IRPA conference group to make sure you are seated with everyone. Only a limited amount of seating is available.
Monday, 21 February 2022
Virtual/In-Person Hybrid Trivia
Time: 4:30–5:00 pm
Location: Online (Regency A for in-person)
Fee: free
If you are in-person, grab a drink at the bar and come to the conference room to play 30 minutes of trivia with your colleagues. If you are virtual, a video chat room on the conference platform will be available to join. During trivia, you will be provided with a link to enter either into your smartphone or laptop. From there, live trivia will be displayed both on the virtual video platform screen and your personal device. Gameplay is limited to 100 players. The faster you answer, the more points you get!
Vendor Welcome Reception
Time: 5:00-7:00 pm
Location: Exhibition Hall, St. Louis Union Station Hotel
Fee: free
Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Headshot Photographer Presented by the Early Career Professionals (ECP) Section
Time: 12:00-2:00 pm (tentative)
Location: Jeffersonian/Knickerbocker
Fee: Free for ECP Section members, $10 for nonmembers
Come get a professional headshot! Reminder: any Health Physics Society member can join the ECP Section for $6 on the HPS website by clicking "I want to join another section."
Minimal retouching will be done, but you can pay the photographer extra to have it retouched. Spend 5–10 minutes working with the professional photographer, who will choose the best photo of you. An online gallery will be sent out after the conference for everyone to download their picture.
Night Out at the Broadway Oyster Bar
Time: 6:00 pm – meet at the front hotel lobby to get on buses, arrive to destination before 6:30 pm. The event will last from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, with buses traveling back and forth if people want to leave early.
Location: Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S Broadway St., St. Louis, MO 63102
Distance from conference hotel: 6-minute bus ride
Fee: $50, pay early by emailing Jennifer Rosenberg or pay at the conference.
The night out at the Broadway Oyster Bar includes dinner from a limited menu presented at the time of arrival as well as one nonalcoholic drink. Dinner will be in a secluded room that holds up to 60 people. After eating, attendees can enjoy drinks at the bar while listening to live music either inside the bar or outside in the heated covered patio area near the stage.
Music TBA 5:00–7:00 pm and 7:00–9:00 pm, Ethan Jones to play at 9:00 pm.
Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Three Minute Thesis Competition and Dinner Meetup
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Schlafly's Taproom, 2100 Locust St, St. Louis, MO 63103
Distance from conference hotel: An 8-minute walk or 2-minute drive
Fee: No cost to attend, you are responsible for food and drink purchase
Come to the Schlafly's Taproom, a local brew pub with a ton of craft beer selections, and listen to students compete in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, where they will be judged on their academic, presentation, and research communication skills. The winner will receive a prize! Schlafly's also has food available for those wishing to eat dinner. Students interested in presenting, please contact Rachel Nichols.
Click here for more information on the 3MT.
Thursday, 24 February 2022 JUST ADDED
CHP Part 2 Prep with Dr. Thomas Johnson presented by the HPS Early Career Professionals Section
Time: 12:00-4:00 pm
Location: virtual
Fee: $50
The HPS Early Career Professionals Section is happy to host Dr. Tom Johnson as he provides a 4-hour course on preparing for Part 2 of the Certified Health Physics Exam. The course will be presented completely virtually and will provide the attendees the opportunity to listen to lectures and have discussion with Dr. Johnson. Registration is required (if you have already registered and need this added, contact Jennifer Rosenberg). CEUs have been requested for this workshop.
Throughout the conference, the local chapter—the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the HPS—will be at booth 400 and available for questions about the technical or social programs as well as what other fun local activities to do in your downtime. They will have local chapter shirts available for purchase; conference shirts may also be purchased on a computer provided and then will be delivered to your home after the end of the conference. Stop by and say hi! There may even be opportunities to beat expert local chess players!
