›The Dynamic ISM

The Canadian Galactic Plane Survey team invites you to participate in a conference that celebrates the success of the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey and the impact of this ground-breaking survey of the Milky way on ISM research over the past decade.

The Canadian Galactic Plane Survey (CGPS) has been a spectacularly successful project, advancing our understanding of the Milky Way Galaxy through panoramic imaging of the main constituents of the Interstellar Medium. The CGPS data comprises radio observations of atomic hydrogen and radio continuum emission, including polarized signal, at arcminute resolution and high spatial dynamic range, observed with the DRAO Synthesis Telescope. Coupled with equally detailed images of the dust and molecular gas, these data have significantly advanced our understanding of the structure and "ecology" of the Interstellar Medium, and the archived data will continue to advance this field for many years to come.

The CGPS experience has demonstrated the central role that surveys can play in advancing astrophysical research. As we stand poised before a new generation of telescopes designed primarily as survey instruments, it is time to assess the state of the field. The program for the conference is designed to bring together scientists working on the ISM of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies to discuss both observations and theoretical models of the ISM.