Projects

Goal

The goal of this project is to apply your skills in critical analysis to claims made in the popular press, web sites, etc. about some aspect of ionizing radiation.

Teams

Depending on the number of students enrolled, the class will be divided into teams of 3 students. Members of each team will take responsibility for one-third of the project and each team member will be responsible for a portion of the final presentation.

Project

1. Find a web site, advertisement, or other feature in the lay press that deals with an aspect of ionizing radiation.
2. Proceed to the scientific/medical literature to evaluate the extent to which the claims made about the particular aspect of ionizing radiation have been studied.
3. By day 12, present the topic to Prof. Coderre by email with several sentences of description. The topic will be approved or suggestions will be made for modifying or changing the topic.
4. By day 28, present a one page summary of the topic and a list of ten or fewer citations from the primary scientific literature; you may cite review articles, but there must be at least five articles from the primary literature. The summary should be sent by email to Prof. Coderre by day 28.
5. By day 36, prepare a ten page paper in the following format:
   • Title page containing project title, group members and a 100 word abstract.
   • One page background section describing the topic and the primary source for the topic.
   • 6-8 page section discussing the scientific/mechanistic basis for the claimed therapy or effect, with emphasis physical or chemical or molecular basis for the effect. This section should address any evidence from in vitro studies (cultured cells, isolated biomolecules, etc.), studies in animals, and any available human clinical studies. The major emphasis here should be on critical evaluation of the claim and the literature studies.
   • 1-2 page discussion and statement of your conclusions. Do you agree with the claims made for or about ionizing radiation? Explain. Critically evaluate the claim and evidence in the literature to support or refute the claim.
   • Reference list complete with title of the article, authors, publication year, journal name, volume and page numbers.
     
     
6. Prepare a 15-20 minute presentation of your project with each team member responsible for one-third of the presentation. Presentations will be made during the last two class periods. Please prepare your presentation using Microsoft® Powerpoint®; a computer and digital projector will be provided.

Deadlines

• Neutron Activation Analysis
• Radioimmunotherapy
• Risks of Low Level Ionizing Radiation
• Radio-dating
• Evolution of Radiation Protection Standards
• Neutron Detection and Dosimetry
• Radiation Risk from Airline Travel
• Neutrinos: Physics, Discovery and Current Experiments
• Decision-making behind A-Bomb use in WWII
• The Spallation Neutron Source at PSI
• Consequences of Cosmic Radiation for Space Travel
• The Influence of Heavy Water in WWII
• Radionuclide Imaging: SPECT
• Breeder Reactors
• Chromosomal Aberrations as Biological Dosimeters
• Criticality Accident at Los Alamos
• Chernobyl: What Happened?
• Bubble Detectors
• Isotope Production via Nuclear-Reactors and Accelerators
• Positron Emission Tomography
• Health Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident
• Dose Associated with the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
• Neutron Capture Therapy
• Fat Man and Little Boy: Differences and Similarities in A-Bombs used in WWII
• Accelerator-based Transmutation of Waste
• Strategies for High Level Nuclear Waste Disposal