ISU Internal Dosimetry Research Team
|
Richard R. Brey – Director, ISU Health Physics Program |
Dr. Richard R. Brey is the Director of the Health Physics Program at Idaho State University. Dr. Brey received his PhD in health physics from Purdue University in 1994. He has served as the Director of the Environmental Assessment Laboratory at ISU from 1994-present. Rich specializes in health physics fundamentals, radiation detection instrumentation theory, and the physics and modeling of hazardous material transport through porous media. Dr. Brey advised ISU health physics graduate research students in projects utilizing the unique resources of the USTUR program. |
Graduates
|
Majid Khalaf – Ph.D. Graduate |
Thesis Topic: A New Leg Voxel Model in Two Different Positions for Simulation of the Non-Uniform Distribution of 241Am in Leg Bones. Graduation Date: 2012 Majid Khalaf graduated with a B.S in general physics from the Almustansariah University, College of Science (Iraq) in 1998. In 2001, he finished his M.Sc. in the College of Medicine, Department of Medical Physics (Thesis title: measurements of liver size by Ultrasound for patients with hepatomegaly) . He is a member of the Health Physics Society, and came to the Idaho State University in 2009. Interview on applied health physics Papers: Khalaf M., Brey R., Meldrum J. A New Leg Voxel Model in Two Different Positions for Simulation of the Non-uniform Distribution of 241Am in Leg Bones. Health Phys. 2013, 104(1): 51-56. (abstract) Khalaf M., Brey R.R., Derryberry D. Evaluation of 241Am Deposited in Different Parts of the Leg Bones and Skeleton to Justify In Vivo Measurements of the Knee for Estimating Total Skeletal Activity. Health Phys. 2013, 104(1): 57-62. (abstract) Khalaf M., Brey R.R., Harris J.T., Derryberry D., Tabatadze G. Monte Carlo Simulation of In Vivo Measurement of the Most Suitable Knee Position for the Optimal Measurement of Activity. Health Phys. 2013, 104(4): 405-412. (abstract) Khalaf M., Brey R.R., Harris J.T., Derryberry D., Tabatadze G. Monte Carlo Simulation of In Vivo Measurement of the Most Suitable Knee Position for the Optimal Measurement of Activity: Erratum. Health Phys. 2013, 104(5): 534. (view) |
|
George Tabatadze – Ph.D. Graduate |
Thesis Topic: USTUR Case 0102 Voxel Phantom for External Gamma-ray Detector Response Simulation Graduation Date: August 2012 George Tabatadze graduated with a B.S. in 2003 from Tbilisi State University, Physics Department with the emphasis in physics and computer science. In 2004 he came to the U.S.A. and did his M.S. at University of Nevada Las Vegas, Department of Health Physics, with the emphasis in Medical Physics. (Thesis title: Alpha Particle Transport in Voxelized Trabecular Bone Images). George has been a member of the Health Physics Society since December 2005, and a member of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine since April 2006. Following graduation, Dr. Tabatadze accepted a visiting assistant professor position at Idaho State University, and in 2014, he joined the USTUR faculty as a research associate. Paper: |
|
Maia Avtandilashvili – Ph.D. Graduate |
Thesis Topic: Evaluation of the Proposed Revisions to the ICRP Human Respiratory Tract Model Using the Human Data Associated with Occupational Inhalation Exposure to Refractory PuO2 Aerosols Graduation Date: December 2011 Maia Avtandilashvili graduated from Physics Faculty of I. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (Republic of Georgia) with specialization of Nuclear Physics in 1984 (Diploma with Honors). From 1985 up to July 2006, she had been working at the Radiocarbon and Low-Level Counting Section of Tbilisi State University as Research Worker. In 1985-1990, she was involved in Radiocarbon Dating activities carried out within the framework of research contracts between TSU and Archeological Research Center of Georgian Academy of Science. In 1997-2002, she participated in the Georgian group activities within the framework of IAEA TC Regional Project “Marine Environmental Assessment of the Black Sea Region”. In 1999, she was awarded an IAEA Fellowship and had an opportunity to visit the several leading research centers in Germany for on-the-job training in field of environmental radioactivity monitoring. Within the fellowship program, she participated in the research cruise on the North and Baltic seas. In 2002-2004, she was involved in cooperative research activities with ISU within the framework of the Advanced Accelerator Applications – Dose Conversion Coefficients (AAA-DCC) project of US Department of Energy. In 2003-2006, she participated in the Independent Radiological Monitoring program in cooperation with Environmental Monitoring Laboratory of ISU. Currently, she is involved in CRDF/GRDF cooperative project “Tbilisi Radon Assessment Initiative” to be implemented jointly by ISU Physics/Health Physics Department and TSU Radiocarbon and Low-Level Counting Section. She is a co-author of up to 16 publications in Georgian and International scientific periodicals. Following graduation, Dr. Avtandilashvili was hired by the USTUR as a research associate. Papers: Avtandilashvili M., Brey R., Birchall A. Application of Bayesian Inference to the Bioassay Data from Long-term Follow-up of Two Refractory PuO2 Inhalation Cases. Health Phys. 2013. 104(4): 394-404. (abstract) |
|
Shane Weber – M.S. Graduate |
Thesis Topic: Reevaluation of USTUR Plutonium Wound Case 0262 Using Bayesian Methodology and New Data Graduation Date: May 2011 Shane Weber completed a B.S. degree in physics with emphasis in health physics from Idaho State University in 2008. He then pursued a master’s degree in health physics at Idaho State University with research emphasis on internal dosimetry and the ICRP lung models. Paper: |
|
Travis Matthews – M.S. Graduate |
Thesis Topic: Estimation of Skeletal Plutonium and Americium Content from Bone Samples Taken at Autopsy Graduation Date: May 2010 Travis Matthews completed his undergraduate degree in physics with a concentration in Health Physics at Louisiana State University. He came to Idaho State University in 2007 to pursue a master’s degree in Health Physics. His thesis research investigated the distribution of inhaled plutonium in bone. The main point of the project was to use data from USTUR database to determine the precision of using in vivo skull and patella measurements to estimate total skeleton burden. |
|
Naz Fallahian – Ph.D. Graduate |
Dissertation Topic: Study of the Association Between Exposure to Transuranic Radionuclides and Cancer Death Graduation Date: July 31, 2008 Naz Fallahian graduated in 1992 with a B.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Tehran. Her thesis topic was Semiconductor Detectors and their Applications. She received her M.S. degree in Physics from Alzahra University in 1997 (thesis topic: Study of Behavior of Aerosols in an Electrostatic field). Naz worked as a staff member with the National Radiation Protection Department (Iran) from 1998 to 2005. Prior to that she worked for the Radiation Standards Research Center and the Spectroscopy Research Center. Paper: |
|
Liesl Germann – M.S. Graduate |
Thesis Topic: A Test of the NCRP Wound Model Default Retention Function Parameters Using Three U.S. Transuranium & Uranium Registries Plutonium Contaminated Wound Cases Graduation Date: July 31, 2008 Liesl Germann graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Canada with a B.S. in Biology. She came to Idaho State University in 2006 and to pursue a master’s degree in Health Physics. Liesl has been a member of the Health Physics Society since January, 2007 and presented a poster at the 52nd Annual Health Physics Society Meeting entitled, “Evaluation of the In Press NCRP Wound Model Using USTUR Case 0262 Data.” Her master’s research involved an expansion of this poster study using additional USTUR plutonium-contaminated wound cases. |