The University of Winnipeg has officially joined TRIUMF: Canada’s particle accelerator centre.
It’s wonderful that we’ve now formalized our membership in TRIUMF and secured the University’s future role so that we can continue to make high-level contributions to fundamental and applied science research.
Dr. Jeff Martin
TRIUMF was founded in 1968 by Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Victoria to meet research needs that no single university could provide. From the hunt for the smallest particles in the universe to the development of new technologies, including next-generation batteries and medical isotopes, TRIUMF is pushing the frontiers in research to advance science, medicine, and industry.
“The University of Winnipeg is proud to become a member of TRIUMF. This marks an important day for research,” said Dr. Jino Distasio, UWinnipeg’s Vice-President of Research and Innovation. “TRIUMF is a nationally accessible laboratory that allows UWinnipeg faculty to undertake cutting-edge research in a faculty that produces remarkable work. Over the past decade, UWinnipeg researchers have contributed significantly to the advancement of scientific knowledge, working collaboratively within a global network of scholars.”
UWinnipeg is one of seven new member universities announced earlier this month. With this latest round of membership complete, TRIUMF now has 21 Canadian university partners and will soon move to a standing call for new members to further open its network to a variety of institutions.
“Our member universities recognize the many unique advantages of our world-leading research infrastructure and multidisciplinary science programs – but also that TRIUMF is accessible to, and engaged with, Canada’s top academic institutions, large and small, in a manner that amplifies the impact of each here in Canada and abroad,” Dr. Nigel Smith, Executive Director and CEO of TRIUMF, said in a statement. “With our new governance structure and our member university community fully engaged, TRIUMF is well-positioned to fulfill the ambitions laid out in our 20-Year Vision, which see us continuing to lead as one of Canada’s largest and most impactful fundamental research facilities.”
Dr. Jeff Martin, Professor in the Department of Physics and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Fundamental Symmetries in Subatomic Physics, is the co-spokesperson of the TRIUMF Ultra-Cold Advanced Neutron (TUCAN) collaboration.
This scientific collaboration team, which includes about 40 Canadian and Japanese physicists, is working together to build and complete an experiment using neutrons at TRIUMF. The goal of the experiment is to find out whether neutrons violate a symmetry of nature.
If they do, it might tell researchers why the universe has matter in it. This is a very high-tech project where researchers have to develop a lot of new technologies in order to make progress. Over the years, they’ve been supported by the Canadian government with more than $30 million in funding to develop these new technologies and carry out the experiment, along with funding from Japan for equipment that the Japanese groups bring to Canada.
“TRIUMF’s key infrastructure is what makes this experiment possible. It’s a one-of-a-kind facility in the world where this experiment could be carried out,” said Dr. Martin. “It’s wonderful that we’ve now formalized our membership in TRIUMF and secured the University’s future role so that we can continue to make high-level contributions to fundamental and applied science research.”
TRIUMF was founded to provide the centralized resources, tools, and expertise in pursuit of compelling science in ways that no single university could build or maintain. At its core, TRIUMF is a partnership among leading Canadian research universities.
Through international partnerships, TRIUMF connects Canada to the global science and technology community. As a bridge between the academic sector and the private sector, TRIUMF helps drive Canada’s innovation engine with collaborative and joint projects.
