Activities 2013Q1

Training

Date: 8 - 9 December, 2012 The International Prostate Cancer Treament workshop was made up of a series of presentations on various aspects of treatment. These included treatment techniques, such as Brachytherapy, and Quality assurance methods through imaging and dosimetry.

Date: 1 - 8 February, 2013 A comprehensive workshop dealing with trigger an data aquisition techniques. Over 8 days, a series of lectures dealing with the different aspects of TDAQ, from basic triggering to computer networking, which were then reinforced by laboratory excercises.


Conferences

Venue: University of Wollongong, Australia

Date: 6 - 7 December, 2013

Description: This conference consisted of an overview of the current status of research into Mini- Micro- and Nanodosimetry.


Experimental activities

Date: 15 - 19 October, 2012

Description: Measurements were taken at the Proton Synchrotron and HiRadMat facilities at Cern, Switzerland. The fields of interest were Pulsed Neutron Fields, which can present a problem for conventional detectors. The measurements were conducted with six detectors for the PS facility, and with five at HiRadMat.

Date: February, 2013

Description: Measurements were taken at the calibration lab at Politecnico di Milano, to try to assess the ability of the LUPIN to reject the gamma signal from a mixed field of gamma and neutrons. This was done by taking regular neutron field measurements, and then introducing a constant level gamma source and taking a second set of readings. The calibration factor of the detector was then analysed in each setting. From this it was found that by using a method that takes the average gamma level before the neutron triggers the reading and compensating for it, the effect of a constant gamma field can be minimised.


Activities 2013Q2

Conferences

Venue: Aix en Provence, France

Date: 3 - 7 June, 2013

Description: An overview of the current status of Neutron Dosimetry research.


Experimental Activities

Venue: Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland

Date: 7 - 12 April, 2013

Description: Measurements were undertaken in the pulsed neutron field around a Free-electron laser at PSI.


Activities 2013Q3

Experimental Activities

Date: July, 2013

Description: Analysis of data from measurements at Paul Scherrer Institute.

Date: August, 2013

Description: Geant4 simulation of the Silicon Strip detector designated 'Dose Magnifying Glass' for the Centre of Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP) at the University of Wollongong. This simulation was to investigate the feasability of using this detector for Quality Assurance in Proton Therapy.


Activities 2013Q4

Conferences

Date: 14 - 18 October, 2013

Description: The second annual ARDENT mid term review and workshop on Experimental Micro- and Nano-dosimetry. I gave a presentation of my progress, as well as participating in an outreach event to Italian High-School students.

Date: 22 October - 2 November 2013

Description: Located in Seoul, Korea. I gave a presentation on the new method devised for descrimination between gamma and neutron radiation in the LUPIN-II detector.


Experimental Activities

Date: July, 2013

Description: Analysis of data from measurements at Paul Scherrer Institute.

Date: November, 2013

Description: Testing of the functionality of the newly implemented FPGA in the detector.


Outreach

Date: 14 - 18 October, 2013

Description: I participated in an outreach event to Italian High-School students. The students were given an overview of the detectors used by each of the ARDENT ESRs, and the general idea of their research.

Date: 23 November 2013

Description: I gave a presentation regarding basic physical principles behind Radon measurement at Liceo Omodeo, Mortara, Italy. The students have performed a calibration of the CR-39 detectors to be used, and will now use them to measure Radon concentration in their own homes.


Activities 2014Q1

Experimental activities

Date: 10th February and 8th March, 2014

Description: The field inside the treatment room was measured using both the LUPIN and CR-39 passive detectors. The aim was to compare the two different methods.


Activities 2014Q2

Training

Date: 14 - 15 April, 2014 Workshop on accelerator-based neutron production, including updates on current facilities, those under construction and presentations on challenges involved in this field.


Experimental activities

Date: 5-6 April, 2014

Description: A series of Bonner Sphere measurements were performed at the Proton Therapy centre in Essen, Germany. This was an intercomparison measurement between the conventional counting systen and the LUPIN, to determine if the conventional system is overwhelmed by the field inside the treatment room.


Activities 2014Q3

Conferences

Venue: Schwarzenbuck, Germany

Date: 29 September - 2 October, 2014

Description: Annual ARDENT workshop with progress reports and a training course on Quality Assurance in Radiation therapy and diagnostics.


Outreach

Venue: Online link: Milan, Italy to Dubbo, Australia

Date: 20 August, 2014

Description: 1.5 hour talk about my job as a researcher, both about the job and what led me here.


Secondments

Venue: Paul Scherrer Intitut, Switzerland

Date: 4-8 August, 2014

Description: Secondment to learn to use Winbugs for Bonner Sphere System neutron spectra unfolding.


Activities 2014Q4

Conferences

Venue: Port Douglass, Australia

Date: 3 - 7 June, 2013

Description: Mini- Micro- and Nano-dosimetry conference and International Prostate Cancer Treatment workshop. Good conference regarding developments in MMND and including an ARDENT session.


Experimental Activities

Venue: Calibration Lab, CERN, Switzerland

Date: 13 - 15 August, 2014

Description: Pre-testing of new LUPIN-II device with FPGA before measurements in Japan.


Venue: RCNP, Japan

Date: 23 November - 1 December, 2014

Description: Measurements with the RCNP quasi-monoenergetic neutron source in Osaka, Japan.


Activities 2015Q1

Experimental Activities

Venue: Secondary Standard Calibration Lab, Politecnico di Milano

Date: Various February & March, 2015

Description: Measurements to determine parameters of the proportional counters used in the LUPIN-II detector. Two different batches of detector gave different parameters for gain vs High Voltage.


Other

Date: March, 2015

Description: Revision of article submitted to Nucl. Instrm. Meas. A.


Activities 2015Q2

Conferences

Venue: Hamburg, Germany

Date: 3 - 5 June, 2015

Description: Workshop on radiation safety around synchrotron accelerators. Included talks on radiation protection using detector systems as well as through accelerator design. I gave a talk on the LUPIN-II.


Venue: Prague, Czech Republic

Date: 22 - 26 June, 2015

Description: Final ARDENT workshop, with presentations of accomplishments of ESRs and workshop on Neutron Dosimetry, Radiobiology and Instrumentation.


Activities 2015Q3

Secondments

Venue: Jablotron, Czech Republic

Date: 16 - 30 July, 2015

Description: Business secondment to learn about project management and business management in general.


Contract finish

Date: 16 September, 2015

Description: Contract finishes on 16 September, return to Australia end of September/early October.


Activities 2015Q4

Contract finish

Date: 16 September, 2015

Description: Contract finishes on 16 September, return to Australia end of September/early October.


Activities 2013Q1

Training

Date: 8 - 9 December, 2012 The International Prostate Cancer Treament workshop was made up of a series of presentations on various aspects of treatment. These included treatment techniques, such as Brachytherapy, and Quality assurance methods through imaging and dosimetry.

Date: 1 - 8 February, 2013 A comprehensive workshop dealing with trigger an data aquisition techniques. Over 8 days, a series of lectures dealing with the different aspects of TDAQ, from basic triggering to computer networking, which were then reinforced by laboratory excercises.


Conferences

Venue: University of Wollongong, Australia

Date: 6 - 7 December, 2013

Description: This conference consisted of an overview of the current status of research into Mini- Micro- and Nanodosimetry.


Experimental activities

Date: 15 - 19 October, 2012

Description: Measurements were taken at the Proton Synchrotron and HiRadMat facilities at Cern, Switzerland. The fields of interest were Pulsed Neutron Fields, which can present a problem for conventional detectors. The measurements were conducted with six detectors for the PS facility, and with five at HiRadMat.

Date: February, 2013

Description: Measurements were taken at the calibration lab at Politecnico di Milano, to try to assess the ability of the LUPIN to reject the gamma signal from a mixed field of gamma and neutrons. This was done by taking regular neutron field measurements, and then introducing a constant level gamma source and taking a second set of readings. The calibration factor of the detector was then analysed in each setting. From this it was found that by using a method that takes the average gamma level before the neutron triggers the reading and compensating for it, the effect of a constant gamma field can be minimised.


Activities 2013Q2

Conferences

Venue: Aix en Provence, France

Date: 3 - 7 June, 2013

Description: An overview of the current status of Neutron Dosimetry research.


Experimental Activities

Venue: Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland

Date: 7 - 12 April, 2013

Description: Measurements were undertaken in the pulsed neutron field around a Free-electron laser at PSI.


Activities 2013Q3

Experimental Activities

Date: July, 2013

Description: Analysis of data from measurements at Paul Scherrer Institute.

Date: August, 2013

Description: Geant4 simulation of the Silicon Strip detector designated 'Dose Magnifying Glass' for the Centre of Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP) at the University of Wollongong. This simulation was to investigate the feasability of using this detector for Quality Assurance in Proton Therapy.


Activities 2013Q4

Conferences

Date: 14 - 18 October, 2013

Description: The second annual ARDENT mid term review and workshop on Experimental Micro- and Nano-dosimetry. I gave a presentation of my progress, as well as participating in an outreach event to Italian High-School students.

Date: 22 October - 2 November 2013

Description: Located in Seoul, Korea. I gave a presentation on the new method devised for descrimination between gamma and neutron radiation in the LUPIN-II detector.


Experimental Activities

Date: July, 2013

Description: Analysis of data from measurements at Paul Scherrer Institute.

Date: November, 2013

Description: Testing of the functionality of the newly implemented FPGA in the detector.


Outreach

Date: 14 - 18 October, 2013

Description: I participated in an outreach event to Italian High-School students. The students were given an overview of the detectors used by each of the ARDENT ESRs, and the general idea of their research.

Date: 23 November 2013

Description: I gave a presentation regarding basic physical principles behind Radon measurement at Liceo Omodeo, Mortara, Italy. The students have performed a calibration of the CR-39 detectors to be used, and will now use them to measure Radon concentration in their own homes.


Activities 2014Q1

Experimental activities

Date: 10th February and 8th March, 2014

Description: The field inside the treatment room was measured using both the LUPIN and CR-39 passive detectors. The aim was to compare the two different methods.


Activities 2014Q2

Training

Date: 14 - 15 April, 2014 Workshop on accelerator-based neutron production, including updates on current facilities, those under construction and presentations on challenges involved in this field.


Experimental activities

Date: 5-6 April, 2014

Description: A series of Bonner Sphere measurements were performed at the Proton Therapy centre in Essen, Germany. This was an intercomparison measurement between the conventional counting systen and the LUPIN, to determine if the conventional system is overwhelmed by the field inside the treatment room.


Activities 2014Q3

Conferences

Venue: Schwarzenbuck, Germany

Date: 29 September - 2 October, 2014

Description: Annual ARDENT workshop with progress reports and a training course on Quality Assurance in Radiation therapy and diagnostics.


Outreach

Venue: Online link: Milan, Italy to Dubbo, Australia

Date: 20 August, 2014

Description: 1.5 hour talk about my job as a researcher, both about the job and what led me here.


Secondments

Venue: Paul Scherrer Intitut, Switzerland

Date: 4-8 August, 2014

Description: Secondment to learn to use Winbugs for Bonner Sphere System neutron spectra unfolding.


Activities 2014Q4

Conferences

Venue: Port Douglass, Australia

Date: 3 - 7 June, 2013

Description: Mini- Micro- and Nano-dosimetry conference and International Prostate Cancer Treatment workshop. Good conference regarding developments in MMND and including an ARDENT session.


Experimental Activities

Venue: Calibration Lab, CERN, Switzerland

Date: 13 - 15 August, 2014

Description: Pre-testing of new LUPIN-II device with FPGA before measurements in Japan.


Venue: RCNP, Japan

Date: 23 November - 1 December, 2014

Description: Measurements with the RCNP quasi-monoenergetic neutron source in Osaka, Japan.


Activities 2015Q1

Experimental Activities

Venue: Secondary Standard Calibration Lab, Politecnico di Milano

Date: Various February & March, 2015

Description: Measurements to determine parameters of the proportional counters used in the LUPIN-II detector. Two different batches of detector gave different parameters for gain vs High Voltage.


Other

Date: March, 2015

Description: Revision of article submitted to Nucl. Instrm. Meas. A.


Activities 2015Q2

Conferences

Venue: Hamburg, Germany

Date: 3 - 5 June, 2015

Description: Workshop on radiation safety around synchrotron accelerators. Included talks on radiation protection using detector systems as well as through accelerator design. I gave a talk on the LUPIN-II.


Venue: Prague, Czech Republic

Date: 22 - 26 June, 2015

Description: Final ARDENT workshop, with presentations of accomplishments of ESRs and workshop on Neutron Dosimetry, Radiobiology and Instrumentation.


Activities 2015Q3

Secondments

Venue: Jablotron, Czech Republic

Date: 16 - 30 July, 2015

Description: Business secondment to learn about project management and business management in general.


Contract finish

Date: 16 September, 2015

Description: Contract finishes on 16 September, return to Australia end of September/early October.


Activities 2015Q4

Contract finish

Date: 16 September, 2015

Description: Contract finishes on 16 September, return to Australia end of September/early October.