The Canadian Nuclear Society (CNS) is a not-for-profit organization representing individuals contributing to, or otherwise supporting,

nuclear science Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

and

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Since 2017, the group has invested in the development of

small modular reactor The small modular reactor (SMR) is a class of small nuclear fission reactor, designed to be built in a factory, shipped to operational sites for installation, and then used to power buildings or other commercial operations. The term SMR refers t ...

technology. The CNS is a member of the International Nuclear Societies Council (INSC).

History and mandate

The Canadian Nuclear Society was established in 1979 as "the technical society of the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA)". Although legally a division of the CNA, the CNS operated independently from the start, with its own volunteer Council (

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

), its own mandate, its own activities, and its own budget. In 1998 the CNS incorporated independently as a federal, not-for-profit corporation, following an overwhelming vote from members. Since then the legal name of the CNS is "Canadian Nuclear Society/Société Nucléaire Canadienne, Inc.". The CNS is dedicated to the exchange of information, both within the nuclear professional and academic community, and with the public, in the field of applied nuclear science and technology. This encompasses all aspects of

nuclear energy Nuclear energy may refer to: *Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity *Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom *Nuclear potential energy, the pot ...

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

, fission and other nuclear technologies such as occupational and environmental protection, medical diagnosis and treatment, the use of radioisotopes, and

food preservation Food preservation includes processes that make food more resistant to microorganism growth and slow the redox, oxidation of fats. This slows down the decomposition and rancidification process. Food preservation may also include processes that in ...

Governance

The CNS is governed by a council, acting as its board of directors, consisting of an executive committee and nine - sixteen members-at-large. The 2017–2018 executive committee consists of: Daniel Gammage (president), Peter Ozemoyah (past president), John Luxat (1st vice-president and president-elect), Keith Stratton (2nd vice-president), Mohamed Younis (treasurer), Colin Hunt (secretary), Ken Smith (financial administrator), Ben Rouben (executive director), Peter Easton (communications director), and John Roberts (chair of the Education and Communications Committee).

Membership

The CNS membership includes about 1200 individuals, mostly from within Canada. The primary category of CNS membership is that of an individual directly involved in the use or development of a nuclear technology in any of the above areas or an individual who is simply interested in nuclear technology. Another category of CNS membership is that of an educational institution, such as school or university, or public library, that has an interest in providing timely information on nuclear science and technology to a student body or to the public at large. This type of membership has all the privileges of an individual membership with the exception of voting rights.

Operational structure and activities

The CNS is structured along five main technical Divisions (Design & Materials, Fuel Technologies, Nuclear Operations & Maintenance, Nuclear Science & Engineering, and Environment & Waste Management), whose main activities are to organize and conduct workshops, courses, symposia, or conferences within their respective technical areas. General administration and outreach (public, other societies, etc.) are typically carried out by a number of Committees within the CNS. The CNS holds an annual conference each June, which includes technical sessions covering all fields, as well as plenary sessions that address topics of broad interest. At the local level across the country, the CNS includes fourteen branches (nine in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, one in each of

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, and

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

)

Affiliations

The CNS is affiliated with several "sister" nuclear societies around the world, and is also an organizational member of the

Engineering Institute of Canada The Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) ( French: l'Institut canadien des ingénieurs; ICI) is a federation of fourteen engineering societies based in Canada, covering a broad range of engineering branches, and with a history going back to 1887. ...

(EIC). The president of the CNS is an ''ex officio'' voting member of the board of directors of the Canadian Nuclear Association.

References

External links

Canadian Nuclear Society website
{{authority control 1979 establishments in Canada Scientific organizations based in Canada Nuclear organizations Engineering societies based in Canada