This is a picture of my boss looking through the MicroPET IIToday I toured the Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging (CMGI) which is in the basement of our building. Simon, my boss, is the director. It was very cool. There are various imaging machines down there such as CT scanners, the MicroPET II (which Simon holds the patent on), Optical scanners, and ultrasound. I learned about such extraordinary things as functional vs. anatomical modalities, flood histograms, in vivo functional imaging, and mouse phantoms, to name just a few. There is a cyclotron down there also. A cyclotron is a type of
particle accelerator. Cyclotrons accelerate charged particles using a high-frequency, alternating voltage (potential difference). A perpendicular magnetic field causes the particles to spiral almost in a circle so that they re-encounter the accelerating voltage many times. Cyclotron beams can be used to bombard other atoms to produce short-lived positron-emitting isotopes suitable for PET (positron emission tomography) imaging, which is mainly what our lab does research on.Anyway, it was all just more pieces of the puzzle that make up my new job. At first it was really hard to say all of these things let alone have even a clue about what any of it meant, but slowly but surely I am beginning to absorb stuff. Between editing research articles and dissertations, and things like today's tour, my knowledge base is growing.
I like knowing things...
2 comments:
this is unrelated to your post, but i thought i'd let you know that i learned to play "a case of you" on guitar last night :] my poor fingers are aching, but i am so excited! i love you auntie susie.
One of my bud's used to work at Fermi Lab outside Chicago. I will never forget the tour of the place he gave, the insider's view. His job was to adjust the magnets for the particle beam to flow around.
COOL!
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