The organizers of the 3rd Conference of the Canadian Prairie Theoretical Physics Network (CPTPN-3) warmly welcome all theoretical physicists, mathematicians, and other academics with theoretical physics interests from the Canadian prairie provinces and elsewhere to come to First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), a federated college of the University of Regina, on August 21-22, 2012.
All CPTPN-3 participants are invited to present their latest research papers in a relaxed and informal atmosphere that encourages free-flowing discussion about a diverse range of topics relevant to theoretical physics. While new membership in the CPTPN is encouraged, it is certainly not a prerequisite to attend CPTPN-3.
Postdoctoral fellows and students, both graduate and undergraduate, are especially welcome to attend CPTPN-3 and become members of the CPTPN. While all CPTPN-3 participants are expected to arrange their own travel and accommodation needs, in keeping with the CPTPN's desire to facilitate their participation, every effort is made to obtain additional funds from external funding agencies to provide travel support for students, postdoctoral fellows, and others in financial need after all conference expenses are paid.
FNUniv is located on the northeast corner of the University of Regina campus. Free parking directly east of FNUniv is available in Lot 19. Please be aware that the road leading to Lot 19 is one-way that goes clockwise around FNUniv. A map of the University of Regina campus can be found here for more details:
http://www.uregina.ca/home/web/pdf/CampusMap.pdf
Conference Format
Following an official welcome to open CPTPN-3, the conference format will consist of equal-time oral presentations of about 20-30 minutes each, depending on the number of participants who want to speak. Ample time is alloted for questions and general discussion during the formal sessions, along with regularly scheduled coffee and lunch breaks for informal discussions thereafter.
In the event that we have more participants than time available to satisfy all requests for oral presenations, a poster session will be organized to ensure that everyone's research gets shared. In such a circumstance, priority for oral presentations will be given to students, postdoctoral fellows, and first-time participants in a CPTPN conference.
A major highlight of CPTPN-3 will be a conference banquet for all CPTPN-3 participants to attend. This will consist of First Nations cuisine to be prepared by a professional chef and served in the FNUniv Atrium on the evening of August 21, 2012.
The final session of CPTPN-3 on August 22, 2012 will be dedicated to a members' only meeting that will focus upon charting the growth and future developments of the CPTPN. All CPTPN members are welcome to attend and strongly encouraged to provide their input in this session.
Note: The deadline for submission of titles and abstracts is August 10, 2012. The deadline for registration to attend CPTPN-3 is August 15, 2012.
Evening Public Lecture
For the first time since the inception of the CPTPN, an optional public lecture will be given on August 20, 2012 at 7:00 pm in the Education Auditorium at the University of Regina. Dr. Leroy Little Bear, Emeritus Professor of Native Studies from the University of Lethbridge, will be the keynote speaker whose public lecture is entitled: "What Can First Nations People Say About Quantum Mechanics?"
A member of the Blood Tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy and former Director of the Native American Program at Harvard University, Dr. Little Bear is an accomplished jurist who has has contributed extensively to legal studies on aboriginal self-government. For many years he has served as a legal advisor for the Assembly of First Nations.
At the same time, Dr. Little Bear has always maintained a lifelong professional interest in the philosophy of science—especially theoretical physics—from a First Nations perspective, and who has written and spoken extensively on the subject for several years. His long-term research interests concern the comparative study of quantum mechanics, Albert Einstein’s theories of relativity, and other topics of theoretical physics as they relate to First Nations worldviews and languages.
Dr. Little Bear became a close personal friend of the late Dr. David Bohm, an internationally recognized American theoretical physicist who was also a friend and collaborator of Einstein’s while he was an Assistant Professor at Princeton University in the late 1940s. Dr. Bohm is best known in theoretical physics for developing an alternative theory of quantum mechanics in the 1950s that, according to Dr. Little Bear, very strongly corresponds with the ancient descriptions of physical reality passed down through the ages by First Nations Elders.
Note: Free parking for the public lecture is available in Lot 15 M, located in the southwest corner of the University of Regina. The Education Building, which contains the Education Auditorium on the main floor, is on the southern perimeter of the campus. You can most easily reach the Education Building by walking directly to it from Lot 15.
In case of bad weather, you can alternatively go first to the southwest entrance of the Dr. William Riddell Centre that is closest to Lot 15 and walk along the eastbound enclosed corridor just past the food court to lead you straight to the Education Building. Once inside, look for the eastbound corridor along the south side of the Education Building to take you directly to the Education Auditorium. Please refer to the above campus map and internal maps of the Education Building for more details.
Hotel Accommodations and Dining
The organizers of CPTPN-3 have arranged for an open booking of rooms at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Centre, 1818 Victoria Ave, in downtown Regina on the northwest corner of Victoria Ave and Broad St. As well, they have reserved a block of 50 rooms at the West Harvest Inn, 4025 Albert St, on the southeast corner of Albert St and Parliament Ave, about 5 minutes drive west of FNUniv and the University of Regina. There are many popular restaurants within walking distance of both the Ramada Hotel and West Harvest Inn.
Ramada Hotel and Convention Centre: Call 1-306-569-1666, ext. 7200 to book a room here and quote Canadian Prairie Theoretical Physics Network Conference to get the conference room rate of $114.00 + tax per night, totalling $128.82 per night. This rate will be honoured for reservations made by August 20, 2012. (Important Note from the Hotel: DO NOT follow the standard voicemail instructions for room reservations when you first call the above number, but enter the extension to speak directly with the hotel staff in Regina.) Further details about this hotel can be found here:
http://www.ramada.com/hotels/saskatchewan/regina/ramada-hotel-and-convention-centre-regina/hotel-overview
West Harvest Inn: Call 1-800-853-1181 to book a room here and quote CPTPN to get the conference room rate of $109.00 + tax per night, totalling $123.49 per night. The deadline for booking at this preferred rate is July 27, 2012. Further details about this hotel can be found here:
http://www.westharvest.ca/WHIregina/
Besides these options, there are other hotels within walking distance of both locations that participants of CPTPN-3 can investigate for their accommodation needs. Please be aware that you are solely responsible for making your own hotel reservations and accounting for any conditions that pertain to your choice of accommodation.
Note: Prior to Dr. Little Bear's public lecture, CPTPN-3 participants are welcome to join him and special invited guests for an afternoon dinner at the Roof Top Bar & Grill, 1845 Victoria Ave, across the street from the Ramada Hotel and Convention Centre. A private room is booked for 4:30 pm and comfortably seats up to 35 people. If you want to join this dinner party, please indicate your interest when you register for CPTPN-3. Please be advised that, because of limited seating, priority for attending this dinner will be determined on a first-come first-served basis.
Sponsorship of CPTPN-3 and the Public Lecture
The organizers of CPTPN-3 want to acknowledge the generous financial support received from First Nations University of Canada and the University of Regina for sponsorship of both CPTPN-3 and the evening public lecture. For the conference itself, the organizers also acknowledge the generous financial support from the Perimeter Institute (PI) and the Pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) to facilitate conference travel support for students, postdoctoral fellows, and other conference participants in financial need. (June 18, 2012)
About the Canadian Prairie Theoretical Physics Network
The CPTPN is an informal association of theoretical physicists, mathematicians, philosophers of physics, physics education specialists, and other academic people with theoretical physics interests from the Canadian prairies and elsewhere with a commitment to promote the advancement of high-quality theoretical physics research and the advanced education of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Its underlying purpose is to optimize the viability of theoretical physics research performed throughout the Canadian prairie provinces, in terms of creating awareness of the other institutions' research efforts and facilitating the opportunity for collaborative research to be conducted amongst members within the CPTPN.
Founded with only a handful of researchers from Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba in February 2010, the CPTPN quickly grew to over five times its initial size within the first six months of its existence and already became an international network prior to holding its first conference (CPTPN-1) at the University of Lethbridge on August 25-26, 2010. The CPTPN held its second annual conference (CPTPN-2) at the University of Alberta (Augustana Campus) in Camrose, Alberta on August 24-25, 2011.
At present, the CPTPN has over 80 members from most parts of Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec), parts of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Sweden, and Taiwan, all while maintaining its informal character and operating on a strictly volunteer basis.