News Archive

Lawrence Heilbronn, Department of Nuclear Engineering

After a year with no in-person activities due to COVID-19 restrictions, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Student Branch of the Health Physics Society (HPS) resumed its on-campus and outreach programs to generate greater interest in the discipline of radiation protection. The student branch organized a 10-session, 15-hour workshop to learn the Japanese Transport Code PHITS (Particle and Heavy Ion Transport System). Through the workshop, the students are now able to recreate and solve almost any imaginable radiological problem or application within the field of health physics. This new skill set enables students and the UTK community to conduct novel research in a plurality of academic fields or carry their skills forward to opportunities in industry or government. The workshop was well received, and plans for a similar workshop are being made for the 2022–2023 academic school year.

The student branch also participated in community outreach by teaching the Nuclear Science Merit Badge curriculum at the day-long Merit Badge College at Roane State Community College in Harriman, Tennessee. At the college, three HPS student members—Cpt. Casey Meyering, Cpt. Eric Olson, and Cpt. Dan Fishman—joined faculty advisor Lawrence Heilbronn in teaching scouts about radiation, radiation protection, and the uses of nuclear science.

In February of this year, the East Tennessee Chapter of the HPS held its 12th Annual James E. Turner Memorial Symposium. The UTK HPS student branch has had several students present talks at the symposium over the years, and this year Harrison Line presented his work on planetary protection and the response of Earth-based microbial organisms to radiation in space.

To culminate the year of activities, the UTK student branch won the University of Tennessee's Student Engagement Award for Outstanding Commitment to Innovative and Creative Programming. The student branch looks forward to another successful year during the 2022–2023 academic school year. If you are interested in presenting a health physics-related topic to our students, please contact us at HPS@utk.edu.