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Teaching Laboratories featuring Medical Physics

Teaching Laboratories featuring Medical Physics . Suzanne Amador Kane, Associate Professor of Physics Justin Cantley, Depts. Physics & Astronomy Haverford College Funding from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (SAK & JC), Mellow Foundation New Directions Fellowship (SAK).

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Teaching Laboratories featuring Medical Physics

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  1. Teaching Laboratories featuring Medical Physics Suzanne Amador Kane, Associate Professor of Physics Justin Cantley, Depts. Physics & Astronomy Haverford College Funding from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (SAK & JC), Mellow Foundation New Directions Fellowship (SAK)

  2. Our present Lab Courses in Physics • Intro labs (mechanics, electricity & magnetism, optics, electronics) (two semesters, part of intro sequence) • Sophomore labs (waves & optics, intermediate electronics, quantum physics) (2 semesters, ½ credit) • Advanced Labs: Project labs, advanced electronics and computer instrumentation (one semester 1 credit each)

  3. Other courses involving Medical Physics labs • We also teach a one-semester medical physics course for nonmajors • We have developed six labs appropriate for premeds at the algebra-based level to accompany this course in a future incarnation

  4. Medical Physics Labs appropriate for incorporation into the sophomore or junior-lab sequence • Ultrasound Imaging • Radiography (x-ray imaging) • Computed Tomography (CT) with visible light • Nuclear physics for nuclear medicine • NMR background for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

  5. Medical Physics labs now available • Ultrasound Imaging Laboratory • Radiography (X-ray Imaging) • Computed Tomography (CT) with visible light: See this article for a full writeup: "A simple medical physics experiment based on a laser pointer", Colin Delaney and Juan Rodriguez, Am. J. Phys. 70, 1068 (2002) and their website for the backprojection software. • Positron Emission Tomography Laboratory: See this article for a full writeup: "A simple experimental setup to demonstrate the basics of positron emission tomography", Kerstin Sonnabend, Wolfgang Bayer, Peter Mohr, and Andreas Zilges, Am. J. Phys. 70, 929 (2002). • Properties of Ionizing Radiation Laboratory • Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics

  6. Other Medical Physics labs • Optics of Vision Laboratory. Pasco Scientific has good basic experiments for optics, including packages for exploring image formation using lenses, the inverse square law falloff of intensity, total internal reflection and fiber optics, the transmission of laser light through various filters (modeling absorption by different tissues) (using their Advanced Optics Systems), andthe operation of the human eye (using their Ray Optics Laser System). • Virtual X-ray Imaging Laboratory from Duke University • Additional ideas used in the past include: a lab module on the optics of vision and color vision, the Doppler effect (which is used in ultrasound imaging), and electrophysiology (the construction of a simple pacemaker circuit).

  7. Ultrasound Imaging Physics • Equipment based on 3B Scientific’s actual medical imaging devices • Lab explores properties of sound transmission, reflection & attenuation, imaging using pulse echoes, time-gain-compensation, resolution • Our Lab Manual written for this course is available from the manufacturer

  8. Ultrasound Imaging Physics • Students use pulse-echo imaging to detect the presence of objects within medical “phantoms” (test samples) • Both M-mode and B-mode imaging is supported • The labs explore attenuation, spatial resolution and Time-Gain-Compensation. • Final project involves imaging a medical model of breast tumors • Images: 3B Scientific & Global Technologies.com

  9. Radiography • Students use visible light to explore the issues in geometrical optics involved in x-ray imaging using projections. • Topics covered included image formation using projections, spatial resolution, noise, magnification & subtraction radiography. • Very low cost and easy to set up.

  10. Nuclear Physics / Properties of Ionizing Radiation Laboratory • Pasco Scientific and other vendors sells a variety of Nuclear and Gamma Spectroscopy laboratories appropriate for this section. Students can study the energy spectra of radiation emitted by a variety of long-lifetime isotopes; detectors can be purchased to allow detection and spectra analysis of alpha, beta and gamma radiation. The absorption of radiation by foils made from a variety of materials of varying thicknesses can also be studied. The Isotope Generator (Ba-137m) kit allows one to make short-lived isotopes from a "cow" generator system for studying half-lives. You can make measurements of source activity vs. time using their radiation detectors and software, or those from Vernier Software. • Lab Manual available on request from the authors.

  11. Magnetic Resonance Imaging • TeachSpin sells experiments on Pulsed NMR, Magnetic Torque and Earth's Field NMR which combined yield an excellent introduction to the principles underlying MRI. • Pasco Scientific also sells an Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) experiment useful for illustrating the basic principles of spin resonance. 

  12. Magnetic Resonance Imaging • MRI Apparatus from Teachspin can be used to demonstrate the ideas behind the dependence of Larmor precessional frequency on B-field, spin flips, and other phenomena Teachspin website

  13. Pasco Scientific also sells an Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) experiment useful for illustrating the basic principles of spin resonance. We use these two experiments in combination in teaching about MRI.

  14. Magnetic Resonance Imaging • You can also use the TeachSpin Earth's Field NMR and Earth’s field NMR for a more detailed understanding (but at higher expense.)

  15. Related Biological &Chemical Interdisciplinary Physics Superlab Topics • Synthesis, x-ray diffraction analysis, and electrical and magnetic properties of YBa2Cu3O7 high temperature superconductors • Construction of Laser Tweezers and their use in studying cell motility • Scanning Tunneling Microscopy • Basic physics and applications of microfluidics • Fabrication and atomic force microscopy of carbon nanotubes • Quartz crystal microbalance biosensors • Quantum dot synthesis and characterization (U. Wisconsin Madison website)

  16. Curricular Dissemination • http://www.haverford.edu/physics-astro/course_materials/phys108b/textbook.htm#Labs • Google: “Introduction to Physics in Modern Medicine” • Our Physics 108, 326, 211 & 212 websites have all relevant links and some lab manuals • Email me at: samador@haverford.edu

  17. Acknowledgements • Andrew Mellon Foundation New Directions Fellowship • Howard Hughes Medical Institute • Our colleagues in the natural sciences at Haverford College

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