One of the core courses in the Department of Medical Physics is MP566: Physics of Radiotherapy, instructed by Professor Wesley Culberson. The topics covered in this course include all of the basics of radiation therapy physics including calculations of dose to the patient, the physics of how dose is deposited in a patient, and the various delivery platforms used to deliver radiation.
This year the course held its inaugural “linac anatomy lab.” A linac is a nickname for a linear accelerator and one of these such devices is installed in the Department of Medical Physics for educational use. In this lab 30 different components of the linac were selected and were shown to the students in person during labs and lectures. Then during the mid-term exam period, the students were asked to identify each one. Dr. Culberson feels that handling each part and identifying it up close is much more valuable than just showing pictures in lecture slides.
Accumulating the parts has taken place over several years of retaining broken pieces from various linear accelerator platforms at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Some very old parts are also used, such as a tall aluminum flattening filter. Other interesting parts include copper segments from an accelerator waveguide, energy switches, and even an intact field light mirror. A special thanks goes out to Professor Emeritus Bhudatt Paliwal who donated several of the parts. Paliwal taught the course for many years and accumulated many of these for educational purposes.
The photos below were taken on the day when the students were responsible for identifying each part.
Who said that learning isn’t fun!
