Volume 6, Number 3
April 2009

Inside Insights

By Scott Vance INMM Vice President E-mail:savance@tva.gov

As you might expect at this time of year, the Executive Committee is now focused on the Annual Meeting.  Our 50th meeting will be held July 12-16 in Tucson, Ariz., USA, and I hope that you have already made your plans to attend.  The number and quality of abstracts submitted this year received was exceptional this year, and the Technical Program Committee spent a day prior to the March Executive Committee Meeting establishing the technical program.  I am confident that you will find the breadth and depth of information presented this year to be extremely valuable.

The March Executive Committee Meeting was held March 4-5 in New Orleans.  Highlights of the meeting include:

Finances
Following our normal practice, the Executive Committee (EC) reviewed the Institute’s financial status and made some minor changes to the budget approved last November.  These changes primarily reflect updates to the EC’s predictions of the cost of various events or programs. Overall, the Institute continues to be in good financial health, despite lower attendance at some workshops reflecting the general condition of the economy.  On a brighter note, abstract submission was very high for the 2009 Annual Meeting, and the number of room reservations we anticipated for the meeting has almost been satisfied already.  These both indicate that attendance at the Annual Meeting in Tucson may set another record.

Committee/Division/Chapter Reports
INMM’s Headquarters staff reported that progress had been made arranging for publications of the Institute to be available on the Internet for purchase.  While not seen as a significant revenue source for the Institute, this is an effort to increase the visibility of the technical expertise within the organization.  Headquarters staff also reported that they were close to implementing an online searchable database of Annual Meeting proceedings. We will let the membership know when both of these resources are available.

The MC&A Technical Division, Central Regional Chapter, and Missouri University Student Chapter announced that they have plans for a workshop/career fair related to Developing Human Resources for Safeguards.  This cooperative event is planned for fall 2009, and will be held at the University of Missouri.

In another joint effort, the Packaging and Transportation Technical Division and the Nonproliferation and Arms Control Technical Division cooperated in recently conducting the third annual workshop on “Reducing the Risk of Radioactive and Nuclear Materials.”

The Membership Committee reported that membership in the Institute continues to expand.  Most significantly, student membership in INMM continues to grow. In March 2004, we had 14 student members; five years later, our student membership stands at 83.  While a continued growth of student interest and membership is seen as crucial to the long-term health of the organization, this rapid growth is evidence that our efforts to attract students have been effective.  Several regional chapters reported that they were supporting student attendance at the Annual Meeting, including through regional paper competitions, designed to stimulate student technical participation.

Old Business
The EC approved a major revision to the Institute’s Constitution and Bylaws, which will be distributed to the membership for approval. While the revision does not significantly change the practices of the Institute, it combines the former Constitution and Bylaws into a single document, which will be referred to as Bylaws. The EC expressed its thanks to Debbie Dickman for accomplishing this significant simplification of our governing documents.

New Business
The EC considered several proposals regarding the Institute’s efforts to reach out to students and young professionals in the field of nuclear materials management, and agreed to consider funding some of these efforts.  A discussion was also held regarding the Institute’s continued support of the World Institute of Nuclear Security (WINS), and the EC voted to convey to WINS a one-year Honorary Sustaining Membership to encourage a continued close relationship with the organization.

Following the regular EC meeting, another strategic planning session was held, once again led by Member-at-Large Grace Thompson.  Through this second session of strategic planning, Grace was able to focus the EC’s strategic focus areas, and initiated several valuable conversations regarding the best approach for making progress in these areas.  The EC intends to continue these efforts at future meetings. 

If you are attending the Annual Meeting this summer, I encourage you to extend your visit by a day and attend the next Executive Committee meeting.  The meeting will be held on July 11, 2009, at the same hotel that is hosting the Annual Meeting.  This is a great opportunity for you to become involved in the Institute’s activities, and we welcome any members able to attend.