Division of Medical Physics

Radiation Dosimetry II

UT HSC Medical Physics Course MPHY6130/8130 (CRN: 27964/27970) 
Spring semester 2022

Class time:	Tuesday 9:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Syllabus:	Radiation Dosimetry II Spring 2022 Syllabus (pdf) 1-page class schedule with due dates (pdf)
Main Textbook:  Recommended:	Frank H. Attix, Introduction to Radiological Physics and Radiation Dosimetry, WILEY‐ Interscience, 1986 Jerome A. Meli, The Physics of Radiation Dosimetry [AIP Publishing (online), Melville, New York, 2020], available at: https://doi.org/10.1063/9780735421882
Instructor:	Diana Shvydka, Ph.D.
Grading:	The final grade is determined based on relative performance of the class using the following scheme:  Midterm exam 1:  25% Midterm exam 2:  25% Final exam:   25% HW * problems  10% Paper/Project  15% Exam results posted on BlackBoard

Homework assignments, handouts, and exams

Chapters/Topics	Date	Homework assignments
1-2. Description of radiation fields. Quantities for describing the interaction of  radiation with matter	01/18	Ch1: 3,5,6,7;  Ch2: 2,3,4,6*
3. Exponential attenuation	01/21	1*,3,4,5
4. Charged-particle and radiation equilibria	02/01	1,2,3,5,6
5-6. Absorbed dose in radioactive media. Radioactive decay	02/08	Ch5: 1,2,3;   Ch.6:2,4,5,6,7
Midterm exam  1	02/15	Chapters 1-6   (HW* problems due)
7. Gamma and x-ray interactions in matter  9. X-ray production and quality	02/22	Ch7: 4*,6,7,10,12;   Ch9: 3,4,6
8. Charged particle interactions in matter	03/01	3,5,9,13,15
Spring Break - no class	03/08
10. Cavity theory	03/15	2,5,6,7  Project proposal due
11. Dosimetry fundamentals	03/22	3*,4,5,6
Midterm exam 2	03/29	Chapters 7-11   (HW* problems due)
12. Ionization chambers	04/05	3,5,6,8*
13. Dosimetry and calibration of photon and electron beams with cavity ion chambers	04/12	5,6,7,9
14 - 15. Integrating dosimeters. Dosimetry by pulse-mode detectors	04/19	Ch14: 3*,5,7;   Ch15: 2,4,5
16. Neutron interactions and dosimetry	04/26	1,2,3
Final exam	05/03	Chapters 12-16   (HW* problems due)   Paper/Project due

*Solution requires use of MS Excel or similar (due by the corresponding exam date)

Paper/Project: 

The objective of this task is to develop a measurement protocol of a clinical/dosimetric interest. Start with identifying a project/problem by searching an electronic publication database available through the University of Toledo library or other on-line resources such as ScienceDirect . Examples of relevant publications can be found on the Z drive (Z:\RadiationOncology\Common\Education materials\RD-II papers\). Next, briefly discuss a topic of your interest with me through email or in person to finalize the proposal. Project proposal should be completed by March 15^th.

For the implementation part, you are expected to compose a protocol (using MS Word or similar software), consisting of the following sections:
1. Problem statement
2. General approach
3. Required equipment
4. Step-by-step measurements/procedure instructions
5. Expected results, with any relevant equations, graphs, etc.
6. References

Alternatively, you can create a spreadsheet (using MS Excel or similar) with detailed instructions on how to perform measurements. If you follow this path you could use an existing published protocol, e.g., one of the TG protocols (has to be sufficiently different from any of the spreadsheets used in our clinic). The deadline for the project is May 3rd.

Useful links:

- ICRU report 85, Fundamental quantities and units for ionizing radiation, 2011
- AAPM reports
- SienceDirect - searchable publications website
- OSLDs for clinical dosimetric measurements, 2007