Medical and Nuclear Physics Lab
h3>DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
The Medical/Health – Nuclear Physics Laboratory is a research and student research training facility for developing and applying new techniques for effective monitoring of safe radiation levels affecting living organisms in many workplace environments including nuclear power plants, medical diagnostic and treatment facilities, food processing plants, homeland security, etc.
Multichannel pulse analyser
This Laboratory is concerned with basic and applied research in nuclear physics. The “applied” thrust pertains to understanding related issues in the context of medically related, nuclear physics based, diagnostics and therapies impacting diseases; and understanding the radiation thresholds in various workplace settings impacting living organisms and the environment.
Selected students will participate in fundamental research impacting all three areas as specified above. Besides mastering the basic dosimetry and radiation detection skills developed within the curriculum, participating students will apply these skills in the process of basic and applied research. Additional capabilities in Monte Carlo simulation studies in nuclear medicine, etc., will also be developed.
The objective is to develop students that can pursue these studies at a higher level, eventually transitioning into professionals in all the diverse areas where nuclear and radiation safety and treatments are vital. The advanced training received by selected students, developed within the context of performing basic and applied research in medical/health – nuclear physics,
will produce uniquely trained students able to enter the workforce in diverse areas such as nuclear facilities, government laboratories, medical diagnostic and treatment facilities, food processing plants, space exploration, etc. These students may also pursue this advanced training as a stepping stone to careers as oncologists, radiation therapists, etc., within the medical profession.
Geiger-Muller radiation counter
Houston hosts the world’s largest medical facility, the Texas Medical Center, with tremendous employment opportunities for such students. Some of these students may also elect to pursue Ph. D. in nuclear physics, probing the smallest constituents of matter at the world’s most elite high energy physics facilities. This lab is supported by Nuclear Regulatory Commission grant
NRC-38-10-935.