Modern medicine makes use of an increasing array of technologies based on the application of principles of physics. Notable are those involving therapeutic radiology, lasers and medical imaging (such as MRI -- Magnetic Resonance Imaging, ultrasound, and PET -- Positron Emissions Tomography scans).  Medical Physicists (see American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and  Medical Physics National Report)  are trained to work in these areas. Physicists who belong to the AAPM (which has a large number of members), are mostly interested in the use of radiation and cancer treatment, and have more direct dealings with patients.  There is another organization, the International Society for Magentic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) includes scientist from a variety of science and engineering department and deals with "medical imaging physics"  (see for example the Harvard-MIT program,).


The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers both BA and BS degrees, and an  Undergraduate Certificate in Biological/Medical Physics as well as a  3-2  BS/MS program in physics (with an emphasis on any subfield of physics) . This latter program falls under the standard BS guidelines, with specific recommendations for course selection and an MS thesis (e.g. in the subfield of Medical Physics).  The guidelines for applying to this program are the same as the guidelines for applying to the regular  3-2  BS/MS    Program in Physics.  The first Physics and Astronomy student to get a BS/MS degree under this 3-2 program was Daniel Berdine.

The department also offers a program of recommended courses for Physics majors who are interested in applying to medical school. We also offer an MD/PhD Program in Physics.    This program has overlap with course in  the Biomedical Engineering Program (especially Biomedical Engineering 2004  tracks with emphasis on Medical Instrumentation and Emphasis on Medical Optics, and include from a variety of departments (e.g. Biology , Chemistry , Physics and Astronomy , Mathematics , Optics  and the Medical School (see links at the end of this page).  A list of Medical Physics Graduate Programs can be found on the  American Association of Physicists in Medicine Web Page . For a copy of a Powerpoint Presentation  of a conference presentation on the future need for Medical Physicists click here.

Students in this 3-2 program receive a  BS degree in Physics with an Undergraduate Certificate in Biological/Medical Physics and an MS degree in Physics with an emphasis in  Medical Physics. Since the program includes several recommended courses in Optics,  students also qualify for  both a Minor in Optics   and minor in Biology.

Students in the program complete a MS thesis under the supervision of a faculty member in the field of Medical Physics. The MS Thesis primary supervisor need not necessarily have an appointment in the department of Physics and Astronomy. When the primary supervisor is outside the department, an internal advisor is also identified (as is the case for the Cross-Disciplinary Physics Physics Programs ).  The level of the MS thesis is aimed to be higher than that of a BS thesis. For a list of previous BS Theses in Physics click here.    For a list of previous BS Theses in Optics click here . For a list of previous MS Theses in Physics click here . For a list of previous PhD Theses in Physics click here .  For a list of representative BS and PhD thesis in Medical Physics click here.

Some of the faculty members  at the University of Rochester who have supervised BS (as well as PhD) theses in the field of Medical Physics and Medical Optics in the past include:  Tom Foster ,  Jianhui Zhong    (from the Biological Physics  group),  Andrew Berger (Medical Optics) and others.

Students may arrange to do an MS Thesis with any faculty in the University of Rochester (in the subject of Medical or Biological Physics)
Faculty members who have expressed interest in supervising both summer undergraduate research REU project and BS/MS theses in the field of Medical Physics,  Biological Physics or Biological/Medical Optics include:

need to confirm with the following faculty - list as an example only)

Radiation Oncology

1. Michael C. Schell (Radiation Oncology)- Medical Physics -Radiation delivery to localized lesions in the brain (stereotactic radiosurgery and 3D planning) and the heart (intravascular brachytherapy)
2. Yan Yu - (Radiation Oncology) Medical Physics - 3D treatment planning and brachytherapy.Automatic real-time segmentation of transrectal ultrasound for intraoperative dosimetry of prostate brachytherapy
3. Walter O'Dell (Radiation Oncology) heart motion modeling as well as MRI motion tracking
4. Bruce Fenton (Radiation Oncology) Tumor Angiogenesis, Vascular Structure, Oxygenation, and Radiosensitivity
Physics
1. Yongli Gao (Physics)- Biological Physics
2. Steve Teitel (Physics) Neural coding and spatial representation
3. Tom Foster   (Physics, Radiology, Optics) - Medical and Biological Physics, Medical Optics, Photodynamic Therapy
4. Jianhui Zhong (Physics, Radiology) Medical and Biolgical Physics Development and medical application of magnetic resonance
5. Robert Knox (Physics)- Biological Physics
6. Esther M, Conwell  (Physics, Chemistry)- Biological Physics
Radiology
1. Ruola Ning - (Radiology) Medical Physics, Three-dimensional medical imaging, including image processing and feature-detection techniques applied to clinical image acquisition modalities

Biology

1. David Goldfarb

Optics
1. Andrew  Berger (Optics) - Medical Optics -diagnostic, spectroscopic analysis of tissue, blood samples, and living subjects
2. James Zavislan,     (Optics) Optical Engineering, Biomedical Optical System
   

Brain and Cognitive Science
1. David Williams (BCS)Medical Optics - Color and Spatial Vision, Visual Optics, Retinal Imaging
2. Alexander Pouget (BCS) Neuroscience -Neural coding and spatial representation
Electical Engineering
1. Kevin Parker (ECE) Medical Imaging
2. Philippe Fauchet (ECE) Optoelectronic and photonic materials and devices with particular emphasis on developing applications of novel technology for improving health care and reducing its cost
Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Others
1. Sheryl M Gracewski, (Mech Engineering)   Stone fragmentation during clinical lithotripsy; cavitation in response to ultrasound  pulses


Unlike some BS/MS programs in medical physics, which are somewhat watered down versions of a Physics degree, students in the Rochester program satisfy all the requirement of a rigorous BS degree in Physics, and include additional courses in other fields. Therefore,  the BS portion of the Rochester program are also prepares students who wish to maintain the option of entering a standard  PhD program in Physics, with the intention of writing a PhD thesis in the subfield of  Medical Physics), or enter an MD/PhD program.

Although students in the program are prepared to continue towards a PhD degree in Physics, (or a MD/PhD program),  the primary emphasis in the fifth year is for students who aim towards a Professional MS in Physics with eventual State Board Certification in medical physics.  Students who intend to apply for an MD/PhD or  those who intend to enter a regular PhD program in Physics after four years, could alternatively follow the  course selections in the  recommended program for a 4-year BS in Physics with preparation for an MD/PhD program or preparation for a PhD  program in Physics (with a  PhD Thesis in Medical Physics).

The course of study prepares students to begin clinical work as medical physicists.  After completing a total of three years of full time clinical work, state regulation allow students with an MS degree in Physics to take the Medical Physics Board certification examination. (For students who graduate from  MS Programs Certified by the AAPM , the state requirements are two years of clinical work. Note that students in the Rochester program who chose to get full time work/research experience during four  summers may be able to count it as a full year of work experience).

The Rochester 3-2  BS/MS program with an emphasis on Medical Physics includes following components.

1. A strong preparation in physics leading to a BS degree   or BA degree in Physics followed by a MS degree in physics (satisfying the standard requirements of a  3-2  BS/MS program in Physics.
2. One course in nuclear physics is required  (e.g. nuclear and particle physics PHY440/254 or Nuclear Chemistry PHY446/CHM 466
3. Satisfying the requirements of the Undergraduate Certificate in Biological/Medical Physics is required.
4. Satisfying the requirements of a Minor in Optics . is required.
5. Satisfying the 5 course requirement of a Minor in Biology, is required with the following three intorductory courses in Biology: BIO 110    and BIO 111 + BIO 111L (Lab) and  BIO 115  Gene Structure and Function with BIO 115L General Genetics Laboratory, plus  one course in  Human Anatomy BIO 203 -- Human Anatomy (with Lab) and one course in Human Physiology BIO 204 Human Physiology (with Lab)
6. Summer research experience (e.g.  REU in Medical Physics or  REU in Medical  Optics    or BioMedical Engineering ) is highly recommended. Especially  research and/or clinical work in preparation for an  MS thesis in the field of  Biological Physics, Biological/Medical Optics or  Medical Physics
7. A MS thesis ( PHY 495 ) in the field of Medical Physics or Biological Physics or Biological/Medical Optics (satisfies upper level writing II) is required.
8. Special courses (shared with medical Interns in the Medical School) that help prepare students for the state board examinations in Medical Physics are required.  These are:  PHY 429/329 Topics in Health Physics (4 credit) ,  and PHY421/301/RAD501 Seminar on the Physics of Medical Imaging (2 credit),   PHY425/6 (PHY325/6)    Seminar Course in Radiation I Oncology I and  II (2 credits eacg ) -  PHY327/8 (PHY 427/8) Seminar in RadioBioligy I and II. (2 credit each)
9. Two introductory courses in Chemistry: CHM131    (or CHM151 ) Chemical Concepts I with Lab  and CHM132 (or CHM152 ) Chemical Concepts II with Lab are required (also for a minor in Optics and for the minor in Biology).
10. Computer literacy is required for a BS in Phsics :  OPT211/PHY211    Computational Optics is required for a minor in Optics
11. Optics Courses. OPT 241W Geometrical Optics (could be used as upper level writing II) and PHY261/OPT26 1  -- Interference and Diffraction, HY262/OPT262 Electromagnetic theory  (which together with OPT211/PHY211 count towards  the 4-course requirement of a minor in Optics)
12. Knowledge of statistics and data analysis (as taught in PHY 141    Lab and PHY443/ 243W   Advanced Lab); ( one statistics course could be of use e.g. STT212   , but the material is covered at a higher level in PHY141 lab and PHY243/PHY443lab)
13. At least two courses in Medical Imaging from: ( PHYY421/301/RAD501 Seminar in Physics of Medical Imaging (previously Rad 501) ; or PHY422/BME452/ECE452/OPT452/ PHY452 Medical Imaging ;   or BME251/ PHY 252  Biomedical Ultrasound  or PHY423/323  Manetic Rersonace Imaging: from Spins to Brain are required
14. Electrical Engineering course in circuits e.g.,  ECE210    (Circuits) is required.
15. Other courses such as  ECE221 Devices or PHY420/ECE420 /PHY251 Solid State Physics , or  PHY424/PHY253 ( Biological Physics -if offered)  are additional electives if wanted.
16. Advanced Experimental Techniques   PHY445/ 245W  required (special section of PHY443/243W)  The four experiments are(1) Lifetime of Muon, (2) Electron Spin Reonance/MRI (3)  Hall effect (4)  Nuclear Spectroscopy.
17. Upper Level Writing is satisfied by  PHY445/245W --  (upper level writing I), - which is required, and A MS thesis ( PHY 495 )  satisfies upper level reqruiment II).  Note, OPT 241W Geometrical Optics (could be used for upper level writing II, but not needed since a MS Thesis is written)
18. It is recommended that undergraduates in the program satisfy their humanities 3-course cluster requirement in  the area of verbal and written communication.  For example  H1ENG016 (Media, Culture and Communication),  as Medical Physicists need to communicate with  with patients and doctors, as well as complete various reports.  For example: ENG118     (Media Communication ); Debate ENG135 ; Public Speaking ENG134
19. In order to improve communication skills, students are also required to participate in TA-Training and the Teaching Internship Program (PHY388, PHY389) during the fall and spring of the senior year.
    
20. It is recommended that undergraduates satisfy their social science 3-course cluster requirement in the area of Psychology. For example, S1CSP008  (Personality Psychology), as medical physicists need to communicate effectively with patients.e.g. . Psychology CSP161 ; Motivation and Emotion CSP262 ;  Gender Difference in Communication CSP192Q
21. The program outline below emphasizes the  Radiology Track (which is the primary focus of members of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) .  Students who are interested in Medical Imaging track should consult professor Jianhui Zhong. For the Medical Imaging track, in addition to imaging course (e.g.  PHY513/BME513  Manetic Rersonace Imaging: from Spins to Brains), students may take digital (ECE446) and imaging (ECE447) processing  are recommended. It is possible that students in this track may also be able to satisfy the requirements for a Minor in Biomedical Engineering .
    
    
A typical program of study with a BS/MS in Physics with an Emphasis on Medical Physics:

Requirements for a MS in Physics under the 3-2 Program taken from
http://spider.pas.rochester.edu/mainFrame/education/special/special3-2.html
For the Master's degree, the requirements include at least 30 credit hours of coursework beyond the requirements for the Bachelor's degree, with the following stipulations:
At least 12 hours must be at the 400 level or higher  (for the Specialization in Medical physics these are satisfied by three from the following couses:  Advanced Lab PHY443 (4ccr), - special section,  Intro to nuclear and particle physics  PHY440 (4 Cr),  Intro to Solid State Physics, PHY420 (4cr) , Nuclear Physics PHY466, Physics of Medical Imaging ECE420 or Seminar in Medical Imaging  PHY501 (2 credit), and reading in Health Physics (PHY502 - 4 credit)
For Plan A (MS Thesis) , 6-12 hours must represent the dissertation research/reading
At most 6 hours may be reading course(s)
At most 10 hours may be transfer credits, including courses taken at the University of Rochester prior to graduate matriculation in the program (The regulations state that "Ordinarily, no course completed before the candidate has received the bachelor's degree may be included in the graduate program.'' This rule is waived for the 3/2 program.)
  

The program below is for students who enter as Physics majors and are interested in this program.  For the recommended program for students who enter as Biology Majors and want to switch to this program in the Sophomore year click here.  The program outline below emphasizes the  Radiology Track (which is the primary focus of members of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) .  Students who are interested in Medical Imaging track should consult professor Jianhui Zhong. For the Medical Imaging track, in addition to imaging course (e.g.  PHY513/BME513  Manetic Rersonace Imaging: from Spins to Brains), students may take digital (ECE446) and imaging (ECE447) processing  are recommended. It is possible that students in this track may also be able to satisfy the requirements for a Minor in Biomedical Engineering .

 For the recommended program for students who enter as Biology Majors and want to switch to this program in the Sophomore year click here .


First Year  (32 or 36 or 40 credits)
Fall	Spring  (5 courses recommended)
CHM131    (or CHM151 ) Chemical Concepts I with Lab	Cluster course No. 4 (4 credit) e.g. Gender Difference in Communication CSP192Q
MTH161    or MTH171 - Calculus I (4 credit)	MTH162 or MTH172 -- Calculus II (4 credit)
PHY 141 -- Honors Mechanics 1 with lab,  or  Primary Writing (4 credit)	Primary Writing, or  PHY 121 -- Mechanics with lab 1
BIO 110    2	PHY 143 -- Honors Modern Physics, or Cluster Course 1 (4 credit) with lab
An overload  course in statistics could be helpful   e.g. STT212 (however, material is covered in PHY141L and PHY443/243W)	One can take one courese oveload here if more flexibility is desired in  later years. e.g. Cluster Course No. 5  (4 credit), e.g. Psychology CSP161
REU in Medical Physics Recommended Summer of 1st Year Second Year  (36 credits)
Fall	Spring
Cluster Course No. 1 (4 credit) e.g. ENG118     (Media Communication )	CHM132 (or CHM152 ) Chemical Concepts II with Lab
MTH164 -- Multidimensional Calculus  (4 credit)	MTH165 -- Linear Algebra & Diff. Eqs. (4 credit)
PHY 142 (or 122 -- Electromagnetism) (4 credits) with lab	PHY 237 -- Quantum Mech. of Physical Systems (4 credit), or PHY 123 -- Modern Physics with lab 3
Cluster Course No. 2 (4 credit) e.g. Public Speaking ENG134	BIO 111    2 + BIO 111L (Lab)
PHY425 /PHY 325 or  PHY427 /PHY327    Physics of Radiotherapy  I  or RadioBiology I (2 credit) - each course offered on alternate yeas	PHY426 /PHY326 or PHY428 /PHY328 Physics of Radiotherapy  II  or RadioBiology II (2 credit) - each course offered on alternate years
REU in Medical Physics/Clinical Physics Recommended in Summer of 2nd year (3 months) Third Year  (36 credits)
Fall	Spring
P HY 235 -- Classical Mechanics	PHY 227 -- Thermo. & Stat. Mech
PHY 217 -- Electromagnetism I	PHY 246  Quantum Physics or  PHY 237 -- Quantum Mech. of Physical Systems 3
MTH 281 -- Fourier Series	MTH 282 -- Intro. Complex Variables
OPT211/PHY263    Computational Optics	PHY261/OPT261   -- Interference and Diffraction
PHY 425/325 or  PHY427 /PHY327    Physics of Radiotherapy  I  or RadioBiology I (2 credit) - each course offered on alternate yeas	PHY426 /PHY326 or PHY428 /PHY328 Physics of Radiotherapy  II  or RadioBiology II (2 credit) - each course offered on alternate yea
REU in Medical Physics/Clinical Physics Recommended in Summer of 3rd year (3 months) Students takes MCATS (for MD/Phd)  and/or GRE's (for  MS or PhD in Physics) Fourth Year  (34 credits)
Fall	Spring
OPT 241W Geometrical Optics (possible upper level writing II)	Cluster Course No. 5  (4 credit), e.g. Psychology CSP161
BIO 115 -- Genetics (with Lab) BIO 115L	PHY262/OPT262 Electromagnetic theory
Cluster course No. 3 e.g. Debate ENG135	Cluster Course No. 6 e.g. Motivation and Emotion  CSP262
PHY 429/329   Reading Course: Topics in  Health Physics (Schell -4 credit)  alternates every other year   or PHY445/245W -- Advanced Laboratory (upper level writing I)  special section: The four experiments are(1) Lifetime of Muon, (2) Electron Spin Reonance/MRI (3)  Hall effect (4)  Nuclear Spectroscopy	ECE210    (Circuits)
PHY 388 Teaching Internship/TA Training  (2 credit)	PHY 388 Teaching Internship/TA Training  (2 credit)
Note: students who do not complete the 5th year may chose to graduate with a BA in Pnysics and a Minor in Optics after 4 years Medical Physics/Clinical Physics Experience Recommended in Summer of 4th year (3 months) Fifth Year  (32 credits)
Fall	Spring
PHY 440/PHY254    Nuclear and Particle Physics  (one course in nuclear physics is required) - or if this course is  offered in Spring then the following are other options. PHY 424/PHY253 ( Biological Physics -if offered)  ECE221 Devices,  or PHY 420/ECE420/PHY251  Intro to Solid State Physics	PHY 446/CHM 466 Nuclear Chemistry (4 credit) (if offered or  PHY 440/PHY254    Nuclear and Particle Physics (if offered in Spring )  or PHY 420/ECE420/PHY251 Solid State Physics or a one  Medical Imaging course (from the selection see below)
BIO 203 -- Human Anatomy (with Lab)	BIO 204 Human Physiology (with Lab)
PHY 429/329   Reading Course: Topics in  Health Physics (Schell -4 credit)  alternates every other year  or PHY445/245W   (4 credit) -- Advanced Laboratory (upper level writing I)  special section: The four experiments are(1) Lifetime of Muon, (2) Electron Spin Reonance/MRI (3)  Hall effect (4)  Nuclear Spectroscopy	At least two (or more) medical imaging course are required among BME  251/PHY252  Biomedical Ultrasound (4 credit)  PHY422/BME452/ECE452/OPT452/     Medical Imaging 6 (4 credits) PHY421/301/RAD501 Seminar in the Physics of Medical Imaging (Foster, 2 credit) (noon-1 , second half of Spring semester till Mid May) PHY513  Manetic Rersonace Imaging: from Spins to Brain
PHY 495 MS Thesis in Medical Physics or Biological Physics or Medical/Biological Optics (4 Credits)	PHY 495 MS Thesis in Medical or Biological Physics or Medical/Biological Optics (4-6 Credits)- upper level writing II
Total Credits (32 to 40+36+36+34+36) = 148+36 = 184 Minimum needed for B is 128  and  for MS is 30 Students receive  (1) BS/MS degree in Physics (with emphasis in medical physics )  (2) Minor in Optics (3)  Undergraduate Certificate in Biological/Medical Physics (4) Minor in Biology     With MS in Physics, a total of 3 years of Clinical Work Experience is required prior to taking Board Exam. Note that full time work in the summers (as shown above) counts towards the three year requirement.  Therefore, students who work full time for four summers only need to work for an additional 2 years prior to taking the board exams.

Notes:

¹Students who have had an introduction to differential and integral calculus in high school are encouraged to take PHY 141 in the Fall instead of PHY 121 in the Spring.

²Students with a grade of 4 or 5 in AP biology can place out of BIO 110/111.

³Students who have taken PHY 143 in their freshman year should take PHY 237 in their sophomore year and PHY 218 in their junior year. Students who did not take PHY 143 in their freshman year should take PHY 123 in their sophomore year, PHY 237 in their junior year and PHY 218  in their senior year.

⁴ PHY 143 is open to freshmen only, except by permission of the instructor.

⁵Students who wish retain the option of applying to medical school also need to add 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry.  Typical requirements for premedical students  include: two English courses, two biology courses with laboratories, and four chemistry courses including organic chemistry and two years of laboratories. The requirements of one semester of mathematics and two semesters of physics with laboratories are met automatically. The humanities/social science medical school requirements are satisfied by the cluster sequences. BIO 110/111 followed by BIO 180 (laboratory) can be used to satisfy minimal medical school requirements in biology for non-biology majors. BIO 203 (Mammalian Anatomy) (Fall/Summer) and BIO 204 (Mammalian Physiology) (Spring/Summer) can also be used to satisfy medical school requirements for a laboratory course in biology.  (Therefore, Bio 180 is not needed).

⁶One of these is required to complete the  Undergraduate Certificate in Biological/Medical Physics , or IND 425 (BPH 525), or some other biophysics course can be taken instead.
 

Special Courses:

BME 251/PHY252 Biomedical Ultrasound

Instructor:  Dalecki, D
Prerequisites: Math 163, Math 164, Physics 122 or Permission of instructor
Description:  This course provides analyses of the physical bases for the use of high-frequency sound in medicine (diagnosis, therapy and surgery) and biology. Topics include acoustic properties of tissues, sound propagation (both linear and nonlinear) in tissues, interactions of ultrasound with gas bodies (acoustic cavitation and contrast agents), thermal and non-thermal biological effects of ultrasound, ultrasonography, dosimetry, hyperthermia and lithotripsy. 4 credits
Offered: Spring Updated: 7/2/03

PHY 445/PHY245W  Advanced Experimental Techniques in Atomic, Nuclear and Medical  Physics Instructor:   J. Howell

(special section of  PHY 443/243W) 

Semester: Fall  
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite: PHY 217, PHY 237 (may be taken concurrently)

Students work in pairs and each team is expected to perform three or four experiments from a variety of available setups.  This is a hands-on laboratory with most experiments under computer control. This course can be used towards satisfying the upperclass writing requirement.
The four experiments are(1) Lifetime of Muon, (2) Electron Spin Reonance/MRI (3)  Hall effect (4)  Nuclear Spectroscopy.

PHY421/301/RAD501   (2 credit, Spring 95-on )Seminar in the Physics of Medical Imaging - Instructor Tom Foster
This seminar course includes the basic physical theory, mathematics, and instrumentation of medical imaging. The course covers the basic properties of matter, radiation, radioactive decay, X-ray systems, digital imaging systems, nuclear medicine systems, radiobiology, ultrasound systems, and magnetic resonance . Typical Texts:  Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, R.K. Hobbie; The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, J.T. Bushberg et al. This 2 credit course is offered to Radiology Residents every Spring semester. Lectures are  typically given during noon-1 pm time period.  The course starts in the latter half of the spring semester (and may run beyond the end of classes).

Undergraduates and graduate students  may take this course with the permission of the Instructor only. Cross listed in Physics for students who plan to get a Certificate in Biological or Medical Physics, or students who are in the BS/MS Physics 3-2 program (and  plan to do an MS thesis in Medical Physics).

PHY422/ECE 452/OPT452/ BME452  Medical Imaging - Theory and Implementation (4 credit, Spring )

Instructor:  Parker, K. J. Course Work: Weekly problem sets, matlab simulations, extensive simulations and image analysis.

Exams: Midterm and Final Project Prerequisites: ECE 242  (or instructor permission) Crosslisting(s): OPT 452

Description: Physics and implementation of X-ray, ultrasonic, and MR imaging systems. Special attention given to the Fourier transform relations and reconstruction algorithms of X-ray and ultrasonic-computed tomography, and MRI. Offered: Spring

Updated: 7/22/02

http://listener.uis.rochester.edu/cgi-bin/Registrar/zippy/ECE*#ECE452    More detailed description can be found at

http://www.ece.rochester.edu/courses/ECE452A/

PHY513  (BCS513,  BME513,NSC513) Manetic Rersonace Imaging: from Spins to Brains
 First offerered in Spring 04 but will usually be in  Falls. The math for typical physics major should be enough (calculus, diff equation, vector). The following is tentative  Spring 2003 CRN's (BCS  513- 74701,  NSC 513 - 74716,  PHY 513 - 74727, BME 513 - 74738. It is recommended that Medical Imaging  PHY422/ECE452 be taken before this course (in previous Spring).

Description: This course will introduce students to the physics of MR imaging and review its application to medical imaging. We will discuss how the MR technique can take advantage of physiological principles and tissue structure to provide diagnostic image for clinicians and researchers. We will then cover what can be learned about brain functions through MR imaging. In particular, students will be introduced to functional brain imaging and related issues in data analysis. The goal of the class is to provide students with a comprehensive background of the MR imaging technique and its application to medical or research issues.

Instructors: Jianhui Zhong and Daphne Bavelier
Level: Advanced undergraduates and Graduate students

PHY 424/253 Biological Physics - offered occasionally only
Physical aspects of special topics in biology. The purpose of this course is to survey several important areas of biological and medical physics. Topics covered include properties of biological membranes, transport and signaling in cells and tissue, photosynthesis, magnetic resonance imaging, and physical methods in biology such as nuclear magnetic resonance, x-ray diffraction, and optical absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. The material is presented at the level of Russeu K. Hobbie's, Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology. The course is graded on the basis of regular homework sets, two hourly exams, and a term paper (same as PHY 253). Prerequisites: PHY 227, PHY 238 (or instructor permission)

PHY425/PHY325  ( 2 credit, Fall 03) and PHY426/PHY326 (2 credit, Spring  04)  Physics of Radiotherapy I and II   Instructor) -Michael Schell (Instructor Permission required).  Course offered every other year, alternates with PHY427327/BPH 490A - PHY428/328/BPH 490B

Directly and indirectly ionizing radiation use in radiation therapy causes biological damage in the normal tissue and cancer. Radiation delivery techniques are specifically designed and configured to target the neoplasm.  The physics of radiation interactions with matter and the clinical use of radiation are presented in this course.  The methods of radiation production, measurement of ionizing radiation, absorbed dose as well as the calculation of dose distributions and treatment-planning systems are presented for all radiation modalities.  Radiological physics is covered to the extent necessary to explain the use of CT, MR, and PET images as implemented in the treatment planning process.  Radiation protection and quality assurance are topics presented at the end of the academic year.  Once lecture per week is presented along with assigments and three exams during the academic year.

Typical texts are The Physics of Radiation Therapy by Faiz Khan, Radiation Therapy Physics by WR Hendee and GS Ibbott (out of print), Radiation Detection & Measurement 3rd Edition by Glenn F Knoll.

Undergraduates and graduate students  may take this course with the permission of the Instructor only. It is restricted to Physics students who plan to get a Certificate in Biological or Medical Physics, or students who are in the BS/MS Physics 3-2 program (and  plan to do an MS thesis in Medical Physics).
 

PHY427/327/BPH 490A  (2 credit,  Fall 05) and PHY428/328/BPH 490B  (2 Credit,  Spring 05)Radiobiology I and II    Instructor: Keng Restrictions: Permission of instructor required for undergraduates. Course offered every other year, alternates with  Physics of Radiotherapy I and II
Description: This course evaluates the effects of radiation in mammalian cell systems ranging from cell cultures to whole animals. Emphasis is on the
application of radiobiological principles to radiotherapy practices in the clinical treatment of cancer. Topics include: mechanism of radiation
damage and repair, cell cycle effects, influence of oxygen, and tumor versus normal tissue effects of radiation.
Offered: Spring Updated: 4/1/96

  PHY 429/329  Reading Course: Topics in  Health Physics (Michael Schell -2 credit,  Fall 04,  offered every other year, instruction permission required)
The Health Physics Reading course will give the student the opportunity to investigate an assortment of topics in which include:

1. The history of health physics
2. Interaction of charged particles with matter
3. Operational dosimetry (dose measurements, dose calculations, and dose modeling of charged particle interactions with matter)
4.  Radiation shielding
5. The theory and practice of radiation detection
6.  Biological effects of radiation, federal and state regulations

Undergraduates and graduate students  may take this course with the permission of the Instructor only. It is restricted to Physics students who plan to get a Certificate in Biological or Medical Physics, or students who are in the BS/MS Physics 3-2 program (and  plan to do an MS thesis in Medical Physics).

Relevant Links:
http://www.rochester.edu/College/BIO/UPBM/0majmin.html

http://www.rochester.edu/College/CCAS/clusters/
UR Course Schedules and Descriptions
UR School of Medicine, Radiation Oncology        - Course for Residents/Academic Calendar
           UR  School of Medicine,  Radiation Physics and Medical Physics Group, Radiation Oncology
                       Radiation Biology Group, Radiation Oncology
UR BioMedical Engineering
UR Biostatistics
U R  School of Medicine Graduate Education Web Page.
U R Biophysics and Structural Biology : Course Descriptions     Home Page Page         Registar's Course Descriptions
       BPH490 (RadioBiology)
U R Radiology Department Home Page
Physics abd Astronomy undergraduate Programs page

For a typical program of study with a BS in Physics with preparation for an MD/PhD or for students who wish to enter a standard PhD program in Physics (and do a PhD Thesis in the subfield of Medical Physics). Note that students in the junior year at Rochester may apply to the Early Admission Program    to the PhD program in Physics at Rochester.


First Year  (32 to 38)
Fall	Spring  (5 courses recommended)
CHM131    (or CHM151 ) Chemical Concepts I with Lab	Cluster course No. 4 (4 credit) e.g. Gender Difference in Communication CSP192Q
MTH161    or MTH171 - Calculus I (4 credit)	MTH162 or MTH172 -- Calculus II (4 credit)
PHY 141 -- Honors Mechanics 1 with lab,  or  Primary Writing (4 credit)	Primary Writing, or  PHY 121 -- Mechanics with lab 1
BIO 110    2	PHY 143 -- Honors Modern Physics, or Cluster Course 1 (4 credit) with lab
An extra course in statistics recommended  e.g. STT212 (however, material is covered in PHY141L and PHY243W)	Extra course as overload if one wishes to free up the schedule at later years (e.g. Cluster Course No. 5  (4 credit), e.g. Psychology CSP161
Second Year  (36 credits)
Fall	Spring
Cluster Course No. 1 (4 credit) e.g. ENG118     (Media Communication )	CHM132 (or CHM152 ) Chemical Concepts II with Lab
MTH164 -- Multidimensional Calculus  (4 credit)	MTH165 -- Linear Algebra & Diff. Eqs. (4 credit)
PHY 142 (or 122 -- Electromagnetism) (4 credits) with lab	PHY 237 -- Quantum Mech. of Physical Systems (4 credit), or PHY 123 -- Modern Physics with lab 3
Cluster Course No. 2 (4 credit) e.g. Public Speaking ENG134	BIO 111L (Lab) BIO 111    2 + BIO 111L (Lab)
PHY425/PHY325 or PHY427/PHY327 Seminar Course in Radiation Oncology I or Radiation Biophysics  I (2 credit) - each course offered on alternate year.	PHY426/PHY326  or PHY428/P328 Seminar Course in Radiation Oncology II or Radiation Biophysics II (2 credits) - each course offered on alternate year,
Third Year  (36 credits)
Fall	Spring
PHY 235 -- Classical Mechanics	PHY 227 -- Thermo. & Stat. Mech
PHY 217 -- Electromagnetism I	PHY 246  Quantum Physics OR  PHY 237 -- Quantum Mech. of Physical Systems 3
MTH 281 -- Fourier Series	MTH 282 -- Intro. Complex Variables
CHM203/207 Organic Chemistry 1 + Lab (for MD/PhD) -required for Med School. or elective for Physics PhD track e,g, PHY254/PHY440    Nuclear and Particle Physics, or PHY 251/PHY 420/ECE420  Intro to Solid State Physics	CHM204/208 Organic Chemistry 2 + Lab (for MD/PhD)  - required for Med School. or  elective for Physics PhD track e.g  ECE210    (Circuits)
PHY427/PHY327 or  PHY425/PHY325     Physics of Radiotherapy  I  or RadioBiology I (2 credit) - each course offered on alternate year	PHY428/PHY428 or PHY426/PHY326  Physics of Radiotherapy  II  or RadioBiology II (2 credit) - each course offered on alternate year
Students takes MCATS (for MD/Phd)  and/or GRE's (for PhD in Physics) Fourth Year  (34 or 38 credits)
Fall	Spring
OPT 241W Geometrical Optics (upper level writing II)	Cluster Course No. 5  (4 credit), e.g. Psychology CSP161
PHY443/PHY 243W -- Advanced Laboratory (upper level writing I)	PHY 218 -- Electromagnetism II  or PHY262/OPT262
BIO 203 -- Human Anatomy (with Lab)	PHY 246  Quantum Physics  - for MD/PhD OR  BIO 204 Human Physiology (with Lab)  for Med school
Cluster course No. 3 e.g. Debate ENG135	Cluster Course No. 6 e.g. Motivation and Emotion  CSP262
OPT211/PHY211    Computational Optics, OR  BME221     Biomedical computation)  optional  (or other way to satisfy computer literacy)	PHY421/301/RAD501 Seminar in Physics of Medical Imaging  (Foster, 2 credit) (noon-1 , second half of Spring semester till Mid May)

Requirements for a Minor in Optics  from
http://www.rochester.edu/Bulletin/Engineering/Courses/optics.html
MINOR IN OPTICS
Students interested in completing a minor in optics should meet with a faculty member of the Institute of Optics to plan a focused program of study. Optical technologies continue to assume greater importance in a range of applications and a stronger grasp of the field has become a desirable option for majors in other science and engineering disciplines. The requirements for a minor in optics are satisfied by receiving grades of C or better in four optics courses. The program of study must include OPT 241 and 261 and a selection from among the other courses taught within the Institute at the 200 level or above

The requirements for a Minor in Biology are shown at:

http://www.rochester.edu/College/BIO/UPBM/2_minor.html
To Declare a Minor in Biology  Students should first see Doris Kist in the Biology Department Office, Hutchison 402F, to prepare the preliminary
paperwork. For an appointment, Email djck@mail.rochester.edu.

Specific Requirements for a Minor in Biology
INTRODUCTORY COURSES: 3 courses (14 credits)
BIO 110 Principles of Biology I OR AP credit
BIO 111 Principles of Biology II with BIO 111L Introductory Biology Laboratory
BIO 198 Principles of Genetics with BIO 198L Principles of Genetics Lab
OR
BIO 115 Gene Structure and Function with BIO 115L General Genetics Laboratory

If you have taken the Advanced Placement Test in Biology see our Advanced Placement Policy.

ADVANCED COURSES: 2 courses (8 credits): These courses are to be selected from any of those offered through the
 Undergraduate Program in Biology and Medicine and approved by the program director. No independent study course (e.g. 391 or 395)
may be counted toward a minor in Biology. See Fall Courses and Spring Courses.

 LABORATORY REQUIREMENT: 1 lab. Students who have taken two of the following labsóBIO 111L, BIO 198L, BIO 115L or BIO
199Lóhave fulfilled this requirement.

A lab as part of a lecture/lab course equals 1/2 lab. Lecture/lab courses which can be counted toward fulfilling this requirement include
BIO 203, BIO 204, BIO 230, EES 271.

 Labs which count as 1 whole lab while also counting as an advanced course are:
 BIO 228 Laboratory in Cell and Developmental Biology
 BIO 268 Laboratory in Molecular Genetics
 BCH 208 Laboratory in Biochemistry
 MBI 221 Laboratory in Microbiology
NSC 203 Laboratory in Neurobiology

 ALLIED FIELDS: 2 courses in Chemistry*: CHM 103 or 105 and CHM 104 or 106 with lab. (Beginning F01, CHM 151 and 152 or CHM
131 and 132 with lab.)

 *Additional courses in the allied fields of chemistry, physics and mathematics are required to meet admissions requirements for medical  school.

 Approval of courses chosen for the minor is granted by the Director of Undergraduate Affairs of the Department of Biology who will also
 serve as the studentís advisor. At least one half of the five Biology courses must be taken at the University of Rochester.

Biology minors are required to complete five Biology/UPBM courses. (AP credit counts as one course in place of BIO 110.) If a
 student with AP credit elects not to take BIO 111, that student must take an additional Advanced Course.

Minors must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required Biology/UPBM courses excluding Allied Fields courses.
 No more than a 1 course overlap with the studentís major is allowed.

  TOTAL REQUIRED COURSES/CREDITS: 5 courses (22 credits) Biology and 2 Allied fields.

 In addition, be sure to consult our General Degree Requirements when constructing your program.
 
Requirements for a Minor in Biuoimedical Engineering are described here:

  http://bme.urmc.rochester.edu/bme/bmeweb/undergraduate/BMEminor.html 

Minor in Biomedical Engineering

Introduction

The Biomedical Engineering minor provides a substantive exposure to the biological and engineering sciences and gives students a basic perspective on the complex structure and function of living systems and their analysis by physical and engineering principles. The minor is available to students in all majors, but engineering students find it easier to complete these requirements.  Students may not use more than two of the courses required for the BME minor to also satisfy requirements in their concentration (including technical electives). All students that propose a minor in BME must fulfill the basic Math requirements (MTH 163/165).

Biological Science Courses (8 credit hours)

Biomedical Engineering Introductory Courses (4 or 2 credit hours)

BME101 is a four-credit freshman or sophomore course utilizing the spectrum of examples of BME applications to introduce the scope of the discipline and its range of significance. Faculty Advisers have the flexibility of substituting four credits of other BME-related courses.  The seminar course (BME 397 - 2 credit hours and a paper) is recommended for students who have not had the opportunity to take BME 101.

Engineering Courses (12 credit hours)

Choose 3 courses, 2 of which must be BME courses. You may also use any 400 level BME courses or cross-listed courses.

Note:Students are warned to confirm that all required prerequisites for the courses below must be fulfilled.

BME 201 & 1 credit lab - Fundamentals of Biomechanics/MATLAB for Biomechanics
BME 221 - Biomedical Computation
BME 230 - Biomedical Signals & Measurements
BME 251 - Biomedical Ultrasound
BME 260 - Quantitative Physiology with lab
BME 262 - Cell & Tissue Engineering
BME 283 - Biosolid Mechanics
BME 285 - Cell Mechanics & Adhesion
BME 391 - Independent Study
CHE 243 or ME 243 - Fluid Dynamics/Intro. to Fluid Dynamics
ECE 210 or CHE 113 - Circuits for Scientists & Engineers/Circuits & Signals
ME 226 - Intro to Solid Mechanics
OPT 224 - Laser Systems
OPT 241 - Geometrical Optics

Questions about the program should be addressed to Dottie Welch, (585) 273-4754, dottie@seas.rochester.edu.

To declare a minor in Biomedical Engineering, please submit a concentration form signed by the Biomedical Engineering Faculty Adviser, Professor Diane Dalecki, to Hopeman 206.
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Physics UCC Report

The UCC discussed the proposed program in detail during our meeting on 10/10/2003  One of the first issues we discussed was the target audience; the program can be viewed as a good way to retain physics majors, but it also clearly aims at attracting students to major in physics.  These two groups of students will most likely follow a different schedule during the freshmen year, and the students who do not start with the intention on becoming a physics major will have a difficult time satisfying the requirements of the proposed program.

In order to make the proposed program attractive to students, we have to develop a more attractive curriculum.  The curriculum as presented to the Committee is so constrained that most students will not even consider it, unless they started with this program in year 1.  Some specific recommendations to make the curriculum more attractive:

1. remove all cluster course recommendations.  Although the courses listed have specific goals that could be beneficial to the student following this program, they give the impression that the program has too many constraints.

2. remove the teaching internship from the schedule.  The argument for doing this is similar to the argument in recommendation 1).

3. replace PHY 243 with PHY 245 (a new course).  Since there are specific requirements associated with this program, it will be much easier from an administrative point of view to keep track of whether students meet the advanced laboratory requirement.  PHY 245 would be a course with 4 required experiments (as outlined in the proposed program).  We have verified with John Howell that these experiments exist, although one will require work by a grad student to get it working.

4. we question the requirement for a course in nuclear/particle physics. The primary goal of this requirement is to expose the students to issues related to concepts related to radioactivity, but is not clear how large a fraction of the course is devoted to this.  It might be better to develop a new specialty course focused on detector technologies for this group of students, than to expect the relevant topics to be covered in this course (ofcourse we can change the curriculum of the course).

5. remove the overload recommendations in year 1.  We do not feel it is a good idea to recommend student to take these overloads, and an overload in the first semester of year 1 is probably difficult to get approved.


The overall program would be strengthened if it is structured to have specific tracks.  Each track can have a specific focus, such as medical imaging, optical techniques, etc., and the specific courses that make up the program can be focused on the track.  At the moment, the program lacks coherence, and to a student would appear as just a large number of requirements.  Our colleagues who will "benefit" from new students entering their specialty courses (e.g., Foster, Teitel, Zhong, Knox, Berger) should be asked to design workable track sequences.

The proposed program also is heavily constrained by the requirement to achieve a BS in physics.  The UCC does not see anything wrong with allowing a BA in physics too; in fact it will allow more students to enter this program since it reduces the course requirements and will allow students in their second year to switch into this program.

As far as other components of the proposed program, we feel that the minors in optics and biology should not be required, but should be recommended.  The circuit, computational optics, and advanced lab courses should be tied to the tracks previously discussed, and whether they are required or recommended will depend on the track.  The same recommendation is made in connection with the courses taught a the medical school.

One item that should be discussed, is what the required resources are for this program.  For example, the recommendation to do REUs during all summers will require significant resources from the faculty supervising these students, especially if we get a significant number of students enrolled in this program.  Do we have these resources?  Are faculty willing to take on the freshmen REU students?