Category: Fall 2018 Colloquium Series

SPEAKER:
SHIVA ABBASZADEH

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR, PLASMA, AND RADIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
DATE/TIME:
MON, 09/10/2018 – 4:00PM TO 5:00PM
LOCATION:
3105 ETCHEVERRY HALL
Fall 2018 Colloquium Series
Abstract:

Current head and neck cancer diagnosis and treatment planning suffers from poor spatial resolution of whole-body positron emission tomography (WB-PET) scans. In the neck, where tissue layers are thin, the spatial resolution of WB-PET (4-6 mm) is not sufficient to evaluate small lymph nodes (<5 mm), establish how far the tumor has invaded locally, and guide the decision to resect a tumor rather than irradiate and deliver chemotherapy. In this talk I will introduce PET imaging and discuss how to address this problem by translating high-resolution radiation detection technology to head and neck imaging. Then I will discuss the development of a PET system based on cadmium zinc telluride detector technology. System characterization and methods to improve sensitivity will also be discussed.

About the Speaker:

Shiva Abbaszadeh is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering. She was previously a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Radiology at Stanford University and received her PhD in ECE at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada). Her research interests include radiation detection and instrumentation for molecular imaging, computational problem solving, and quantitative characterization of biological processes. Shiva is a member of IEEE and SPIE and has received a number of awards for her work on medical imaging technology (Mitacs Elevate Fellowship, SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship, and the NIH-sponsored Stanford SMIS T32 award).

SPEAKER:
GARY JOHNSON
DATE/TIME:
MON, 08/27/2018 – 4:00PM TO 5:00PM
LOCATION:
3105 ETCHEVERRY HALL
Fall 2018 Colloquium Series
Abstract:
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defines severe accidents as “Accident conditions more severe than a design basis accident and involving significant core degradation”.  Fukushima-Daiichi, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island are well known examples, but there have actually been at least 19 such accidents. The speaker has researched and summarized these events for the IAEA and in a report for the Electric Power Research Institute. This talk will give a short overview of these severe accidents and lessons learned..
About the Speaker:

Gary Johnson is an Independent Consultant (i.e., a retired guy who refuses to quit). His career included stents with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Portland General Electric Company, and the US Department of Energy, not to mention a short time as a visiting scholar in Berkeley’s Nuclear Engineering Department.  Most of his work focused on the safety of nuclear power plants and plant instrumentation and control.  He is still actively supporting IAEA training for newcomer countries, and the development of technical studies and standards for the IAEA, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Nuclear Power Engineering Society, the International Electrotechnical Commission Subcommittee on Nuclear Facility Instrument, Control, and Electrical systems, the World Nuclear Association, and ANS.