Eric Carl Svensson | PhD, FRSC, FAPS, FInstPhys | August 13, 1940–May 16, 2018
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Renowned Canadian physicist Eric Svensson, whose pioneering neutron scattering experiments at the Chalk River Laboratories demonstrated the existence of a Bose-Einstein condensate in the superfluid phase of liquid helium-4 and measured the condensate fraction, passed away on May 16, 2018.
In addition to his own research, Eric was passionate about the advancement of physics in Canada in general. He served for more than 14 years on the Council of the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP), including Chair of the Division of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (1993), President of the CAP (1997-98), Director of International Affairs (1998-2002), and Chair of the CAP’s Science Policy Committee (2003-2006).
He played a significant role on the CAP’s Committee to Encourage Women in Physics over a period of almost 20 years and received a Special Merit Award from the CAP in recognition of exceptional contributions to the management of the Association in 2003.
The scholarship will be awarded in 2023
The Svensson scholarship in the amount of $3,000 will be awarded in 2023 to a graduate student who has demonstrated both research excellence and significant service to the physics (CAP) community.
Scholarship applications will open in December, with a deadline of September 15, 2023. Only CAP Graduate Student members are eligible (see criteria by clicking green box below). Applications can be submitted by logging into member services.
Please help establish a Svensson Endowment Fund
The CAP is partnering with the Svensson family to establish an endowment fund within the CAP Foundation*. We hope to raise at least $50,000 Cdn to establish the Eric Svensson Memorial Scholarship in memory of Dr. Svensson.
Our goal is to permanently endow a graduate student scholarship to honour Dr. Svensson’s legacy, now and for generations to come. This scholarship celebrates the vital role that education played in Dr. Svensson’s life, as well as commemorates his commitment to the important work of the CAP for the physics profession.
Donations in support of this fund can be made by using the links below. All donations are income tax deductible within Canada.
* (Canadian charitable registration #83562 7134 RR0001).
Make a Donation
Fill out the online donation form (credit card donations only, no pledges) and send an e-mail to capf@cap.ca advising that the donation was submitted as part of this campaign.
Print and fill out the pdf form. E-mail to membership@cap.ca.