Engineering in Medical Imaging 2: Ionizing Techniques 2026 FS

This is the second course in a 2-semester investigation into the engineering of medical imaging modalities. These courses will provide the student with a functional understanding of some of the most common applications of engineering in medical imaging. This second course focuses on medical imaging techniques which involve ionizing energy sources and will include discussions of x-ray imaging (projection, mammography and CT), nuclear medicine (radiopharmaceuticals, scintigraphy, SPECT, and PET), and radiation therapy. We will also examine the important topic of radiobiology and interactions of ionizing radiation with matter. This is an upper-level undergraduate/graduate course specifically targeted toward students with interest in careers in biomedical engineering, clinical technology, and medicine. Thus, a large portion of lecture will be dedicated to both theoretical development and applications in research and medicine.

• Understand the underlying physics and mathematics of ionizing radiation waves, atomic and nuclear structure, radiation/matter interactions, and radioactivity
• Quantify and analyze the effects of ionizing radiation on cells including calculations of dose and kerma
• Explain x-ray production and the underlying operation of a x-ray tubes and x-ray detectors
• Discuss methods for production of radiopharmaceuticals and radiotracers for use in diagnostic nuclear medicine
• Understand the design and operation of radioactivity detection and detector use in medicine
• Describe the processes of medical image production by: X-ray (projection, mammography, fluoroscopy, CT), Nuclear medicine (scintigraphy, SPECT, PET), and radiation therapy (IMRT, proton, heavy ion)