Special Focus Workshops/ Short Courses

1. Special Focus Workshops/ Short Courses Short courses are intended to attract students and give them introductory courses for the high level topics of the IEEE conferences. Special Focus Workshops are intended to have a focused discussion among experts on interdisciplinary topics. Twelve special focus workshops will address topics of current instrumentation research. One of these workshops will take place at DESY Hamburg before the Conference (NSS topic), and another one following the Conference at the Forschungszentrum Jülich (near Cologne, MIC topic).

2. Short Course Program http://www.nss-mic.org/2008/Public/SC.html (NSS=Nuclear Science Symposium) (MIC=Medical Imaging Conference)

3. Special Focus Workshops http://www.nss-mic.org/2008/Public/Workshops.html

4. Micro-Pattern Gas and Silicon Detectors for Tracking Saturday, October 18, 2008 09:00-17:00 • The following topics will be covered: • Silicon detectors: • Developing low-mass silicon tracking systems(thinning, long-ladders, low mass structures, stability, power distribution, cooling,...) a. in hadron colliders b. in e+e- colliders c. fixed target experiments • Achieving sub-micron position precision: possible and useful? • Alignment of large silicon systems and limits to alignment accuracy. • Improving performance of forward tracking systems • Layered 3D-vector-detectors • Gaseous Detectors: • Gaseous vertex detectors • Novel and exotic TPCs (photo readout, negative ion drift, high pressure) • TPC development for Linear Colliders • (system aspects, limits of spatial precision, readout technology) • CMOS readout for gas detectors • Large area Micropattern Gas Detectors

5. Micro and Nano Dosimetry Sunday, October 19, 2008  08:30-12:30 Hadron therapy allows small volume dose deposition by using the large ionisation increase from the Bragg peak, espcially for heavy ions. However, to make sure the tumor is really hit requires precise simulations • The preliminary topics include: • Simulation of radiation effects • Code validation by using microdosimetric quantities • Comparison of measurements and simulations in • heavy ion irradiation (silicon & tissue) • microdosimetric measurements (2µm sensitive volume) • Monte Carlo simulation (FLUKA, GEANT4) CC

6. Detector Developments for the sLHC Sunday, October 19, 2008 13:30-17:30 Organizing committee: Mara Bruzzi, Pisa, Italy Michael Moll, CERN Switzerland • One of the biggest challenges with respect to the design and construction of Experiments for the luminosity upgrade of the LHC (Super-LHC or sLHC) is the development of high granularity semiconductor detectors for the inner tracking layers. These devices will face radiation levels of up to 1016 particles/cm2, a fluence well beyond the radiation tolerance of present silicon detector technology. • This half day workshop aims to present the challenges arising from the luminosity upgrade (occupancy, radiation levels, etc.) and the latest developments for radiation hard tracking detectors. • The workshop will cover the following topics: • Radiation tolerant detector concepts • Radiation tolerant sensor materials • Detector interconnect technologies • Readout and Front-end electronics • Material, Cooling and Integration • Triggering • Simulations

7. ATCA/µTCA for Physics Saturday, Sunday, October 18+19, 2008  08:30-17:30 Organizing committee:Patrick Le Dû, Saclay, France Ray Larsen, Stanford, USA, Margaret Votava, FNAL, USA ATCA (Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture or Advanced TCA) is a modular crate (or shelf as it is called in the Telco world) architecture the size of a VXI crate but with the unique feature that all inter-board backplane and inter-crate communications is via serial links with speeds as high as 2.5 Gbps for a single link and 10 Gbps combining four links. The level of availability, equivalent to allowable average downtime of five minutes per year, is achieved by a combination of hardware redundancy Intelligent Platform Management (IPM) diagnostic hardware and software, and hot-swap capability at both Carrier and AMC card levels.

8. International Workshop on the Molecular Radiology of Breast Cancer Art’Otel, Dresden, Monday, Tuesday, October 20-21 , 2008 08:30-17:30 Organizers: Martin Tornai, Duke Univ., USACraig Levin, Stanford, USA Ramsey Badawi, UC Davis USA, Michael Hofmann, Univ. of Hannover, Germany The overall goals of the proposed events are to convene imaging physicists and engineers as well as chemists, biologists, physicians and students from around the world to discuss important issues related to breast cancer evaluation using functional Molecular Imaging techniques involving nuclear radiotracers. Key issues to address are the recent successes and limitations of nuclear imaging approaches [positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)] and what steps are required to continue to increase their role in breast cancer detection and management

9. X-Ray Micro Imaging of Devices, Materials and Organisms Art’Otel, Dresden, Germany October 22-24, 2008 Chair: Prof. Tilo Baumbach, ANKA, Karlsruhe , Germany Co-Chair: Dr. Randolf Hanke, Fraunhofer X-ray Development Center, Fürth/Erlangen, Germany • The workshop wishes to enhance communication between developers of modern x-ray imaging techniques, instrumentation, algorithms and software, and their users coming from different application areas of research and industry. • Due to the excellent properties of X-rays in terms of penetration depth, wavelength, and non-destructiveness of the measurement, methods such as X-ray radiography, tomography, microscopy, and holography may be applied in nearly any field of engineering, natural and life sciences. • Research and technology fields • Materials science and technology • Automotive • Microelectronics, micro system technology • Biology / life sciences • Heritage, paleontology, archeology

10. GATE Software for Emission Tomography Friday, October 24, 2008 13:30-17:30 Organizers:Irene Buvat, Imaging in Neurobiology and Cancerology Lab, France Sébastien Jan, CEA, Orsay, France GATE is an open access Monte Carlo simulation tool based on Geant4 and dedicated to emission tomography (SPECT and PET), but which can also be used for CT simulations or imaging-based dosimetry. The GATE user workshop is intended to gather all those interested in using GATE for various applications. The workshop will give the users an overview of what GATE can achieve. The future functionalities of GATE will also be presented. Finally, the users will be given the opportunity to express their needs in terms of the features they would like to be included or improved in GATE.

11. Compton Cameras for Medical and Industrial Applications Friday, October 24, 2008 13:30-17:30 Organizers:Neal Clinthorne, U. Michigan, USA , Peter Weilhammer, CERN, Switzerland Compton cameras have demonstrated their potential in some applications while in others, a significant gap between predictions and actual performance remains. The goal of this half-day workshop—relevant to participants in NSS, MIC, and RTSD—is to examine and discuss reasons for the gap and to define the steps necessary to advance Compton cameras for astrophysical, industrial, security, and medical applications. The workshop format will consist of invited talks presenting the state of Compton camera technology for space, industrial, and medical uses followed by presentations by participants aimed at shining a light on the most significant impediments to more widespread use of Compton technology. Potential solutions to these challenges will be discussed in breakout groups, and finally, the steps necessary to advance the field will be proposed by workshop participants.

12. Innovative Techniques for Hadron Therapy Friday, October 24, 2008  10:30-18:30 Organizers:Patrick Le Dû, Saclay, France Anatoly Rozenfeld, University of Wollongong, Australia Steve Peggs, Brookhaven National Lab., USA The treatment of non-operable and radio-resistant cancer tumors using particle beam like proton and light ion is becoming a medical reality. The number of clinical facilities is growing very rapidly around the world. After the first successful workshop organized during the 2003 IEEE NSS-MIC conference in Portland, we propose this year to review the evolution of technological ideas and instrumentation around this emerging topic. This is a perfect illustration of a merging Nuclear and detectors experts with the Medical Imaging community. The topics include: Hadrontherapy, Survey of new facilities, New machine concepts, Instrumentation for beam control and real time dose monitoring, In-beam PET systems, Advanced dosimetry (micro and nano dosimetry), Modeling of space radiation environment using ions, Simulation using GEANT, New ideas using antiprotons and neutrons.

13. Stand-off Detection Techniques for Radiological and Nuclear Sources Friday, Saturday, October 24-25, 2008 13:30-17:30 Organizers:Ralph James, Brookhaven National Lab, USA, James Jones, Idaho National Lab,USA • The major thrust of this 1-day workshop is to identify current and future technologies that enable stand-off ability to detect, identify, and track radiological and nuclear materials. For the purpose of this workshop, stand-off detection is defined as cases where either the material-detector separations or probe-material separations exceed about 5 m. • The following topics will be discussed at the workshop: • new neutron and gamma detectors with the potential for higher efficiency, • imaging detectors capable of distinguishing point sources of radiation from distributed background counts, • spectroscopic detectors for identifying radioactive materials, • fast detectors capable of measuring time-correlated events, • the effects of imaging and spectroscopic detectors in harsh or high background environments, • novel approaches to enhance detectable signatures from fissile or radiological materials, • software to improve identification using spectrum processing, and • other modeling and analytical tools to facilitate stand-off detection.

14. Joint Workshop on Detector Development for Future Photon Science and High Energy Physics Experiments DESY, Hamburg, Germany October 16-17, 2008 Organizers:Heinz GRAAFSMA, DESY, Ingrid-Maria GREGOR, DESY, Rolf-Dieter HEUER, DESY, Roland HORISBERGER, PSI, Switzerland John MORSE, ESRF, France, Felix SEFKOW, DESY, Germany* The main objective for this joint workshop is to bring together detector experts from both fields, to foster their mutual understanding, and trigger ideas for cooperation. There is a huge potential for cross-fertilization with benefits for both the photon science and particle physics communities. To achieve this, it is important to first understand the different needs of the two communities and identify those areas of development that are of mutual benefit. The workshop will consists of invited talks only, with plenty of opportunities for discussion. At the end of the workshop a round table discussion involving all speakers will take place to address the challenge of "how to build the bridge" between the two communities. This discussion will help point the way forward to bring the often quoted "synergies" to reality.

15. Hybrid Imaging with MR-PET (Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich) Monday, Tuesday, October 27-28, 2008   09:00-18:00 Organizers:Karl Ziemons, Hans Herzog, Uwe Pietrzyk, FZ Jülich, Germany Paul Vaska, BNL, USA In the last few years there has been increasing interest in hybrid MR-PET scanners. Several groups have been developing such scanners for the study of rodents. Some of these prototypes utilize innovative solid-state electronics such as APDs as a replacement of magneto-sensitive photomultipliers. First studies demonstrating the advantages of simultaneous MR-PET measurements have already been published. An industrial prototype for combined MR-PET in humans is being constructed and the first acquired images of simultaneous MR-PET measurements demonstrate the feasibility of the new approach.