Workshop Schedule

Workshop on Organic Detectors and Materials Sunday, October 22
Software Reliability Sunday, October 22
Instrumentation and Measurement in nuclear environment Sunday, October 22
Advanced Digital Pulse Processing Techniques for Nuclear Science and Engineering Applications Sunday, October 22
Non-Conventional Emission Tomography Techniques and Their Applications in Image-Guided Therapeutics Tuesday, October 24
Technology Transfer Program Tues-Thurs, October 24-26
Big Data BY & FOR High-Speed Imaging & Particle Tracking Friday, October 27 & 28
Dedicated Brain Imaging Systems Saturday, October 28

Big Data BY & FOR High-Speed Imaging & Particle Tracking

TimeFriday, October 27 & 28, 2017, time 8:00 – 18:00
LocationHanover A & B
OrganizersGabriella Carini (SLAC)
 Marcel Demarteau (ANL)
 Peter Denes (LBL)
 Kamel Fezzaa (ANL)
 Heinz Graafsma (DESY)
 Tiehui (Ted) Liu (Fermilab)
 Xiangyang Liu (LANL)
 Niko Neufeld (CERN)
 Elizabeth S. Sexton-Kennedy (Fermilab)
 Clair Sullivan (UIUC)
 Zhehui (Jeff) Wang (LANL, Chair)
 Renyuan Zhu (Caltech)

The future of instrument development necessitates sending out only indispensable information rather than raw data. The new framework of compressive sampling, together with automated data mining, presents new challenges and opportunities for instrument innovations. This interdisciplinary workshop, open to all IEEE NSS/MIC participants, offers a platform for sharing needs, ideas, and experiences to integrate data analytics and machine-learning algorithms with hardware, with the ultimate goal of developing information-driven, or intelligent, instruments for NSS/MIC and related fields.

Workshop contribution will be accepted by June 30.

Software Reliability

TimeSunday, October 22, 2017
LocationSPRING & TECHWOOD
OrganizersMaria Grazia Pia (INFN Genova)
 Elisabetta Ronchieri (INFN CNAF)

This interdisciplinary workshop, open to all IEEE NSS-MIC participants, offers a venue to share problems, experience, ideas, ongoing R&D, methods and tools related to software reliability in the experimental context of NSS-MIC research areas.

The workshop will include invited and contributed talks to promote discussions on

  • Monte Carlo simulation validation
  • Mathematical methods, algorithms
  • Uncertainty Quantification
  • Methods to improve software reliability
  • Software quality measurements
  • Testing, validation, calibration
  • Experimental strategies
  • Education to software quality
  • ...and more

The workshop is complemented by a selection of free of charge tutorials about using major Monte Carlo codes reliably and analysis methods for validation tests.

 

Dedicated Brain Imaging Systems

TimeSaturday, October 28, 2017, time 14:10 – 17:30
LocationHannover D & E
OrganizersBrian Hutton (University College London)
Craig Levin (Stanford University)
Taiga Yamaya (National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Japan)
Lars R. Furenhild (University of Arizona)
 Matthew A. Kupinski (University of Arizona)

Image courtesy of Brookhaven National Laboratory
 

There has been a resurgence of interest in the development of dedicated brain imaging systems that employ the techniques of PET, SPECT, PET/MR, SPECT/MR, PET/CT, and SPECT/CT in order to increase understanding of how the brain works as well as to perform advanced clinical diagnostic tasks and/or assess response to therapy for a variety of conditions. In this workshop, researchers interested in dedicated brain imaging systems will have a chance to exchange ideas on problems of common interest, with presentations on topics such as:

  • The clinician’s perspective – what dedicated brain imaging systems need to achieve in order to become important tools in the clinic
  • The state of the art in hardware designs
  • Dealing with patient motion
  • Optimal extraction of pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters from dynamic data
  • Trends in tracer development
  • Strategies for assessing and achieving optimal image quality

This half-day workshop will commence after the closing MIC plenary session on ‘Clinical needs in Brain Imaging’ in the afternoon on Saturday, Oct. 28. The $45 Workshop registration fee includes a closing event with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres.

To submit an abstract for an oral or poster presentation to this workshop, please use the main abstract submission interface for workshops, and provide an abstract and summary. The submission deadline for the Workshop on Dedicated Brain Imaging Systems is Aug. 21, 2017.

 

Workshop on Organic Detectors and Materials

TimeSunday, October 22, 2017, time 8:30 – 17:30
LocationPiedmont
OrganizersBeatrice Fraboni (University of Bologna, Italy)
 Paul Sellin (University of Surrey, UK)

The development of organic materials for electronic applications has seen a dramatic and sustained growth over the last decade due to their unique characteristics and capabilities. There is rapidly growing interest in the use of organic materials as radiation sensors, where they offer the potential for low cost, large area detectors with unique physical properties. Recent studies have included semiconducting polymers, single crystal organics and perovskites, and hybrid systems involving organic scintillator/photosensor combinations.

In this workshop we aim to bring together all those interested in organic materials for radiation detection, with a view to sharing the current state-of-the-art, identifying common challenges to address, and building a cohesive research community. Topics will cover the material properties and device physics of the following systems:

  • Polymer and long-chained molecules
  • Single crystal organic materials
  • Scintillation/photosensor hybrid organic systems
  • Organic perovskite materials

The workshop will consist of invited overview talks by recognised experts in the field of organic materials and devices.

Researchers are encouraged to submit posters, which will be displayed at a lunchtime poster session during the workshop. The submission deadline for poster abstracts is 30th September 2017.

For further information about the workshop program, invited speakers and poster preparation please see: additional information.

Free workshop registration is required to attend this workshop. Delegates should register using the main NSS-MIC online registration process.

Technology Transfer Program

TimeTues.-Thurs., October 24-26, 2017, 9:00 - 18:00
LocationGrand Hall West
OrganizersJean-Marie Le Goff (CERN)
 Charles Watson (Siemens)

Following the successful academia-industry workshop that HEPTech organized last year in Strasbourg, we are again planning to provide a forum for researchers to share their cutting-edge technologies having potential commercial applications. Whether you are a researcher with a mature technological advance to propose, or an industrial partner looking for new product ideas, this will be an excellent opportunity to make contacts and realize new possibilities.

This year the program format will be poster-based to allow maximum flexibility, and will occupy a booth or similar venue close to the industrial exhibits. Each technology to be promoted will be represented by a poster there, with a corresponding handout summarizing the offering. A HEPTech representative will be present to assist in scheduling presentations with interested parties to explain the technology in more depth. Presenters should plan to be available for such discussions during the program’s duration.

We invite you to take this exceptional opportunity to showcase your best technologies and possible applications in the fields of radiation detection instrumentation and signal processing for high energy physics, medical imaging, photon science, space applications, homeland security, and other topics within the scope of the conference.

To submit a proposal to this program, please use the main abstract submission interface for workshops, and provide an abstract and summary. The summary should clearly indicate the maturity of the technology and its readiness to be used in products (TRL), Intellectual Property protection (if any), and the targeted products/applications. The summary may be a copy of the proposed poster. The submission deadline for the Technology Transfer Program is June 15, 2017.

Instrumentation and Measurement in nuclear environment
(reactors, fuel cycle, safeguards)

TimeSunday, 22 October 2017, 9:00 - 17:00
LocationIMMAN
OrganizerAbdallah Lyoussi (CEA Cadarache Research Center)

Instrumentation and measurement methods in nuclear environments are key aspects that contribute to the quality of scientific and technological programs in the fields of physics, energy, nuclear fuel cycle, Safeguards and radioactive waste management. Furthermore, measurements relying on nuclear physics now play an important role in various fields of application such as biology, medicine and environment.

For nuclear physics and technology side, nuclear experimental/research reactors are widely used around the world for various purposes, such as irradiation of material or fuel samples for present and future power reactors, safety studies, assessment of neutronic parameters (such as neutron absorption cross sections or reaction rates), production of artificial radio-elements, etc.

A sustainable nuclear energy requires research on fuel and material behaviour under irradiation with a high level of performances in order to meet following needs for the benefit of industry and public bodies:

  • A constant improvement of the performances and safety of present and coming water cooled reactor technologies. Taking into account the lifetime extension and the progressive launch of generation III, nuclear power plants using water coolant will be in operation through the entire century. They will require a continuous R&D support following a long-term trend driven by the plant life management, safety demonstration, flexibility and economics improvement. Experimental irradiations of structure materials are necessary to anticipate these material behaviours and will contribute to the operation optimisation.
  • Fuel technology in present and future nuclear power plants is continuously upgraded to achieve better performances and to optimise the fuel cycle, still keeping the best level of safety. Fuel evolution for generation II and III is and will stay a key stake requiring developments, qualification tests and safety experiments to ensure the competitiveness and safety: experimental tests exploring the full range of fuel behaviour determine fuel stability limits and safety margins, as a major input for the fuel reliability analysis.
  • To meet nuclear energy sustainable development objectives in the resources and waste management, generation IV reactors are mandatory and require innovative materials and fuels which resist to high temperatures and/or fast neutron flux in different environments. These environments will be needed for demonstrating the technical, economical and safety performances of these technologies.

To perform such accurate and innovative progress and developments, specific and ad hoc instrumentation, irradiation devices, measurement methods are necessary to be set up inside or beside the reactor core. These experiments require beforehand in situ and on line sophisticated measurements to accurately determine parameters such as thermal and fast neutron fluxes and nuclear heating in order to precisely monitor and control the conducted assays.

As entitled, this workshop deals with research, development and innovation in the frame of instrumentation and measurement dealing with nuclear experimental reactor such as ZPR (Zero Power Reactors), MTR (Material Testing Reactors), reactor demonstration prototypes for future nuclear power reactor / fission and fusion (GEN IV, ITER…) as well as nuclear power reactors and also nuclear fuel cycle, safeguards and homeland security and radioactive waste management. Workshop topics will concern instrumentation and measurement in the following areas:

  • MTR (JHR, ATR, BR2, OSIRIS…) and ZPR instrumentation and measurement programs.
  • Nuclear power reactors Research and Development program in the frame of instrumentation and measurements.
  • Future nuclear reactor programs GENIV (ASTRID, MYRRHA, ITER…) and their specificities and needs regarding instrumentation and measurement technics and tools.
  • Advanced research programs in the field of instrumentation and measurement developments dedicated to nuclear experimental reactor.
  • Innovative radiation detector developments/testing and qualification.
  • New/innovative/advanced data acquisition, treatment and analysis methodologies.
  • Neutron and photon measurement tools and techniques within experimental reactor(s).
  • Instrumentation, measurement, control for severe accident monitoring.
  • Instrumentation and measurement techniques and methodologies for nuclear material control and characterization (nuclear fuel, safeguards, non-proliferation, homeland security, radioactive waste…).

The workshop will be divided in two parts. The part 1 will treat and discuss measurement and instrumentation performances, limitations, challenges and perspectives applied to nuclear research reactors as well as nuclear power reactors. The part 2 will be dedicated to nuclear fuel cycle measurements and instrumentation (fuel measurement, reprocessing process control and assay, radioactive waste management, spent fuel measurement and characterization, spent fuel & nuclear material control).

It is foreseen to have overview talks made by recognized experts in the field of nuclear measurement and instrumentation. We also encourage young researchers and scientists as well as PhD students to present and discuss their works and research studies. An important part of this workshop will be dedicated to discussion, exchange and interaction between the participants.

Non-Conventional Emission Tomography Techniques and Their Applications in Image-Guided Therapeutics

TimeTuesday, October 24, 2017, 13:40-17:50
LocationREGENCY VI
OrganizersLing-Jian Meng (University of Illinois Urbana Champaign)
 Patrick La Riviere (University of Chicago)

This workshop is for investigators of all disciplines who are engaged in, or who are interested in, research focused on

  • detection and imaging techniques that are based on non-conventional emission signals, such as x-ray fluorescence, x-ray luminescence, and Cherenkov radiation,
  • development of radiation-induced therapeutic agents that emit the above radiation signatures, and
  • application of non-conventional emission tomography techniques using the above radiation signatures for confirming, characterizing, and monitoring therapeutic delivery.

It is intended the workshop presentations and discussions will promote multidisciplinary research on development of novel radiation-induced and image-guided therapeutic delivery processes and help identify uses for detector technologies and imaging techniques in this context.

If you are interested in presenting in this workshop, please send an email to one of the organizers indicating your interest and potential topic. Please indicate your interest as soon as possible and preferably no later than July 24, 2017.

Ling-Jian Meng, PhD
Associate Professor,
Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering,
Department of Bioengineering, and
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technologies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Email: ljmeng@illinois.edu
Phone: 217-333-7710
or
Patrick J. La Riviere, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Radiology,
Committee on Medical Physics, and
the College
The University of Chicago
Email: pjlarivi@uchicago.edu
Phone: 773-702-6975

TimeSunday, October 22, 2017 9:00 - 12:00 or 13:00 - 16:00
LocationThe Gilbert Hillhouse Bogga Building
Georgia Institute of Technology
Attendees of this workshop are responsible for finding their way to the Boggs Building on the Campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The Boggs Building is approximately a 30min walk from the Hyatt Regency. Metered parking is available as well as MARTA station nearby.
OrganizersAnna Erickson (Georgia Institute of Technology)

This interdisciplinary workshop, open to all IEEE NSS-MIC participants, offers a venue to share problems, experience, ideas, ongoing R&D, methods and tools related to software reliability in the experimental context of NSS-MIC research areas.

This workshop will offer hands-on experience with radiological sources to demonstrate how modern digital data-acquisition electronics and digital pulse-processing firmware may be employed to trigger on and acquire a signal, save data to waveform, and perform high-level data-acquisition functions such as coincidence/anti-coincidence, pulse-shape discrimination, histogram building, and spectroscopy.

Each workshop session will consist of two parts:

  • A theoretical portion, which will compare a digital solution to the traditional analog solution. This introductory portion will also introduce the student to several critical concepts and parameters such as:
    • What happens when the signal gets into the digitizer
    • How do you trigger on the signal, both internally and externally
    • How the digitizer memory and FPGA work
    • How waveforms are saved
    • DC Offset
    • How the digitizer is able to "look back in time"
    • Coincidence and Anti-coincidence
    • Build and depict histograms
    • Charge Integration and PSD, including fine timing capability
    • PHA & Spectroscopy
  • A practical portion, in which the attendees will perform exercises demonstrating the concepts listed above using NaI crystal and EJ-309 liquid detectors. The Georgia Institute of Technology laboratory consists of 6 stations accommodating 12 people at a time.

Target Attendees:
Individuals unfamiliar with, or in the process of becoming familiar with, digitizers and DPP/DSP. The target audience does not include high-level, experienced digital users.