Engineering in our World

Colleen KnightBay City ISDMENTOR:

Dr. John R. Ford, Jr.Associate Professor

Texas A&M UniversityDepartment of Nuclear Engineering

Areas of Interest • response of intact tissues to ionizing radiation

• response of individual cells in a tissue are modified by neighboring un-irradiated cells.

• teaches courses in radiation biology and radiation carcinogenesis

Main Research Group:

•Health Physics, Radiation Biology, and Medical Physics

Education

University of Tennessee Ph.D. 1992 Biomedical SciencesDissertation Title: Effects of Alpha-Particle Radiation on Rat Tracheal Epithelial Cells.

Mississippi State University M.S. 1986 Nuclear EngineeringThesis Title: A Computer Analysis of Damage to Human Tissues by NeutronsUsing Monte Carlo Techniques.

Mississippi State University B.S. 1982 Nuclear Engineering

• Engineers use their knowledge of science, mathematics, and appropriate experience to find suitable solutions to a problem.

• Engineers as professionals take seriously their responsibility to produce designs that will perform as expected and will not cause unintended harm to the public at large.

Mechanical Engineering is the discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing and maintenance of mechanical systems.

Electrical engineering • study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism

It now covers a range of subtopics including power, electronics, control systems, signal processing and telecommunications.

COMPUTER ENGINEERING is the science of making computers and parts for computers.•Hardware and software of computer• Circuit theory and electronic circuits

Civil engineering • designing and building infrastructure

• large structures, like bridges, dams, buildings, and tunnels.

• Includes safe water supplies, sewage treatment, roads, railways and buildings are all part of civil engineering.

Biomedical engineering • study of medical equipment used in an environment of care or physiological training and how this equipment interfaces or physically interacts with the human body.• design, test, modify, recommend modification of, evaluate medical equipment

Nuclear Engineering :

• studies the atomic nuclei and/or other sub-atomic particles based on the principles of nuclear physics

• interaction and maintenance of nuclear fission systems; specifically, nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants, and/or nuclear weapons

• medical and other applications (generally ionizing) radiation, nuclear fuel, and/ or other related (e.g. waste disposal) technology and the effect of radioactive waste or radioactivity in the environment.

Radiologist

Health

Engineers

Where Physics Meets

Biology

Health Physicists

are involved in understanding, evaluating, and

controlling the potential risks from radiation

relative to the benefits.

Scientific Problem

How do low doses of background or exotic particle radiation affect the risk of cancer or tissue injury in humans?

Sources of Radiation Exposure to the U.S. Population

Research Aim

We want to know if radiation-induced effects observed in cells in culture or in vivo are important in human tissues.

Overview of Research Being Conducted

Rat Tracheal Epithelial Cells

• An in vivo /cell culture model of respiratory cell carcinogenesis used for chemical and radiation studies.

• The rat trachea has a pseudostratified epithelium composed of basal, secretory and ciliated cells.

• The dimensions, cell numbers and cell types closely approximate the small airways of humans.

ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium

The cells of this tissue are tapered, with their nuclei toward the thicker

end. And, they lie next to one another like bowling pins stacked

head-to-tail. The result is what appears to be two levels of nuclei, suggesting a stratified tissue. The cells' cilia extend into the lumen and beat to move mucous (produced by goblet cells and mucous glands) upward, away from the lungs.

Lab Procedure

A Brief Review of Antibody Structure

• The basic monoclonal antibody consists of a single type of antigen binding site produced by a single B cell clone.

• Polyclonal antibodies can formlattices with more than one antigen.Consist of complex mixtures of different antibodies produced by many different B cell clones.

• If you are hit with radiation in one part of your body how does it affect the other parts?

Accelerator Beamline

Electron Beam

Worms, worms, worms…

And more worms

High Energy Ions Effect on microvascular tissue of wings

exposed to X- Rays

Acknowledgements

Texas A&M UniversityDr. John Ford

Nuclear Power Institute

Texas Workforce Commission

National Science Foundation

Chevron

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