APS Northwest Section is Established

The formation of an APS Northwest Section is well underway following the APS Council's approval of its establishment at its April meeting. Principal organizers Ernest Henley (University of Washington) and Mary Alberg (Seattle University) met earlier this year with 12 other regional volunteers to draft a suitable charter and bylaws. Among the attributes they would like to see in the new section are joint activities with local chapters of the AAPT, as well as a local coalition of physics departments called the Pacific Northwest Association of Collegiate Physics. Close ties to Canadian members of both the APS and the Canadian Association of Physics are also desired, as well as the inclusion of local industry and government laboratories.

The first meeting of the fledgling section has tentatively been scheduled for Spring 1999, in Vancouver, British Columbia, with subsequent meeting sites rotating throughout the region. The interim officers elected to govern the unit until regular elections can be held are: Yogi Gupta (Washington State University), chair; Erich Vogt (University of British Columbia), chair-elect; and John Drumheller (Montana State University), vice-chair. Henley will serve as interim secretary-treasurer.