[News-releases] With Professional Help, TRIUMF Scientific Plan Becomes Cause Celebre

[Tim Meyer]

For Immediate Release

WITH PROFESSIONAL HELP, TRIUMF SCIENTIFIC PLAN BECOMES CAUSE CÉLÈBRE 

(Vancouver, B.C.) — Vancouver editor Melva McLean has been honoured by the
Editors' Association of Canada/Association canadienne des réviseurs for her
pivotal role in producing an 850-page report for TRIUMF, Canada’s national
laboratory for particle and nuclear physics.  The job took nine months to
complete and involved 50 contributing writers.  

>From a short list of four candidates, McLean was chosen to receive the 2008
Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence for her contribution to Five-Year
Plan 2010–2015: Building a Vision for the Future (published by TRIUMF).
McLean accepted the $2,000 award at the association's annual banquet, held
June 6 in Toronto.  

The schedule to complete the project was intense, driven by a deadline to
have the book completed before a major international review of the
laboratory in September 2008.  The visiting committee included prestigious
international scientists and businessman; it was chaired by Rolf-Dieter
Heuer, Director General of CERN, the world's largest scientific laboratory.
Writing about the Five-Year Plan, Heuer said, "Although covering the next
five years in detail, it [the report] goes far beyond this time scale: it
presents a strategic vision for the future of the laboratory, a vision in
which Canada should invest.  The Plan is transformational."

Other international groups offered their praise as well.  "In its Five-Year
Plan report, the TRIUMF laboratory presents its plan for the reinvention of
a remarkable Canadian physics laboratory in the context of the challenges
and opportunities of 21st-century science," said Judy Jackson, Director of
Communications at Fermilab, the major U.S. laboratory for particle physics.
She added, "The Plan describes a vision for TRIUMF’s future of global
scientific leadership in clear and compelling terms; it sets a new standard
for such scientific roadmaps.  What a delight for it to be recognized for
style as well as substance!"

Like so many of her colleagues in the editing profession, McLean gives other
people much of the credit for the success of this huge project. "I had four
assistant editors with scientific backgrounds and three proofreaders to help
me," she said. "And the person in charge of creating more than 200 graphics
and figures at TRIUMF never once sent me the wrong file." McLean also notes
the strong and ongoing support she received from her co-editor, Timothy
Meyer, head of strategic planning and communications at TRIUMF.
Congratulating McLean about the award, Meyer said, "Although the substance
of the TRIUMF plan was conceived of and written by Canadian researchers, it
was a real treat to see it take form and style in Melva’s expert hands.  And
for an 850-page report on science to win this award really says something
about her skills!" 

In the end, though, McLean’s knowledge of and experience with the publishing
process was a critical factor. She made some crucially important decisions
as the project evolved, for example, choosing a designer that she knew had
the ability to maintain excellent version control while being creative. The
book was designed by Rayola Graphic Design in Victoria.  She said, "Rayola
was brilliant and professional.  They were a highly skilled, reliable team
and they were able to read our minds."

"It is safe to say," noted Victoria Neufeldt, one of the three judges for
the award, "that there aren’t very many editors who could handle such a
large, complex and specialized project." Fellow judge Patricia Buchanan
agreed, noting McLean’s diplomacy, patience, and firmness.

McLean remains lighthearted about her significant achievement. "I have just
started doing weight training," she said, "and the book weighs about ten
pounds. I can use it when I do my workouts."

>From Manitoba originally, McLean has been a freelance editor throughout most
of her editing career, which began in the early 1990s. TRIUMF is a regular
client, and she has also edited several books about food and wine. 

--30--


*************************************************
Timothy I. Meyer, Ph.D.
Head, Strategic Planning & Communications TRIUMF
Tel: 604-222-7674
Cell: 650-464-8955
E-mail: tmeyer at triumf.ca
*************************************************

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