In FY2005, USTUR initiated a subcontract with Idaho State University (ISU), Pocatello, ID to obtain the HP-specialist services of Dr. Richard Brey, a Certified Health Physicist (CHP) and Director of ISU's Health Physics Program, and to support the research project of one of Dr. Brey's graduate students.

We summarize below, the ensuing development of the ISU/USTUR's collaborative educational research program – from its foundation at an ISU-hosted "IMBA Expert^TM Training Workshop" (May 25^th - 26^th, 2006), conducted for health physics professionals at DOE's BWXT/AMWTP, Idaho Falls (bottom article), through our most recent "Graduate Research Workshop," held at ISU on February 18th - 21st, 2008 (top article).

View ISU Internal Dosimetry Team Profiles

ISU/USTUR Working Group – from the left: Nino Chelidze, M.S. (Georgia), Neba Robinson Neba, M.S. (Republic of Camaroon), Maia Avtandilashvili, M.S. (Georgia), George Tabatadze, M.S. (Georgia), Liesl Germann, B.S. (U.S.), Dan Mecham, DoC (U.S.), Naz Fallahian, M.S. (Iran), Travis Matthews, B.S. (U.S.), Erika Shelton, B.S. (U.S.), Rich Brey, Ph.D. (ISU), Stacey McCord, M.S. (WSU/USTUR), Tony James, Ph.D. (WSU/USTUR).  Not shown: Robert Acha, M.S. (Republic of Cameroon).

On February 18^th – 21^st, Dr. Tony James (Director) and Ms. Stacey McCord (USTUR Research Associate) conducted a Workshop at Idaho State University, Department of Physics, Pocatello, ID for 10 graduate research students in Health Physics. The students were recruited by Dr. Richard Brey, Physics Professor and Director of ISU's Health Physics Program, to work on collaborative research stemming from the WSU/USTUR project. This student research group grew rapidly (doubled) since its inception in FY 2007. The Workshop reviewed progress in ongoing projects, provided technical guidance for project continuation and completion, and identified specific research topics for this year's new students.

WSU/USTUR provides funding support to one Ph.D. dissertation candidate (Ms. Nino Chelidze, M.S.) and partial support of Dr. Brey’s supervisory work.  ISU Health Physics Department currently funds all other students (through part-time research assistantships).  Four of these students have submitted Abstracts for presentations at the 2008 Health Physics Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA (http://www.ustur.wsu.edu/Conferences/2008/2008_HPS53.html).

An "Initiating Workshop" was held on the ISU campus (July 17-21, 2006) where Drs. James (USTUR director) and Brey introduced the ISU graduate students to several ongoing USTUR biokinetic modeling case studies and to the structure and content of USTUR’s Registrant database.

As of July 2006, ISU's Internal Dosimetry Team currently includes one USTUR-sponsored student, Nino Chelidze, and five ISU-funded students: Maia Avtandilashvili, Naz Fallahian, Neba Robinson Neba, Dan Mecham, and Liesl Germann. This workgroup helps USTUR by reviewing USTUR's health physics and radiochemistry databases to identify Registrant cases suitable for biokinetic modeling studies. It also contributes Dr. Brey’s experience and knowledge as a CHP to improve the organization, presentation and application of USTUR’s Health Physics database.

On May 25-26, 2006, the USTUR director, Anthony James, presented an IMBA training workshop for health physics professionals from DOE’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Plant (AMWTP), Idaho Falls, ID. The workshop, hosted by Idaho State University's Health Physics Program, trained AMWTP participants and eleven ISU students in the application of the IMBA Expert™ USDOE-Edition software for bioassay analysis and internal dose assessments. The interaction between practicing internal dosimetrists and ISU’s graduate students provided these students with valuable ‘hands on’ training.