Health Physics News

Health Physics Students participate in Emergency Management Drill

Five students from the BU Health Physics program who received training from the Susquehanna Nuclear Plant last spring participated in Columbia Country Emergency Management Drill. The organizers commented that the students did a tremendous job and conducted themselves in a professional manner. The students were invited back by the Deputy Director EMA of Columbia Country to join in the Federally evaluated drill held every four years for the plant and which is scheduled for October 2016. The students who participated were: Mike Algeo, Josh Dendler, Harrison Ludewig, Pat Mattera, and Zach Romano. 

Bloomsburg University Health Physics Department participates in the 15th Annual Penn State Radiation Safety Roundtable meeting in State College, PA.  

 This year’s meeting had 65 participants from 42 facilities, including Geisinger Medical, Hershey Medial, National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), Fox Chase Cancer Center, Merck, and numerous other academic, medical, and commercial organizations.  Most participants were radiation safety officers or senior radiation safety staff of their respective organizations.  Of the participants of this northeast regional meeting, 20% had ties to Bloomsburg University, including 10 graduates of the BU HP program, 2 faculty, and 3 current students, Josh Dendler, Corey Dubil, and Derek Stahl.  Josh and Corey  presented a paper on the radon study that they conducted on campus last year.  This paper had previously been presented by them at the annual meeting of the Health Physics Society last July in Spokane WA.

The BU HP graduates in attendance and their current employers are as follows: 

Ariel Ducet (Mason)                       Virtua
Bryan Edwards                                 Fox Chase Cancer Center
Colt Greer                                         Ecology Services, Inc.
Brian Lorah                                       Hershey Medical Center
Dan McDonald                                 Bristol-Meyers Squibb
Adam Quinton                                 Geisinger Medical Center
Brian Serencsits                               Memorial Sloan Kettering
Henry Smith                                      Univeristy of Maryland, Baltimore
Daniel Snyder                                   Geisinger Medical Center
Patrick Yorks                                    Geisinger Medical Center

Students present at the 61st annual Health Physics Society meeting in Spokane, WA

Corey Dubil and Joshua Dendler presented their research investigating the indoor radon levels in Bloomsburg University campus buildings at the 61st annual Health Physics Society meeting in Spokane, WA from July 17-21, 2016.  They conducted their research with fellow undergraduates Andrew Stacy and Shana Cuff and Health Physics faculty members, Dr. David Simpson and Dr. Naz Afarin Fallahian. The abstract of this work was published in the Health Physics Journal in July 2016. It should be noted that Joshua Dendler, a recipient of Dr. Kozloff Student Fellowship Award, has been selected as one of 12 students nationwide to serve as a Student Support Committee member of the Health Physics Society.

Austin Olson, an honor student who recently graduated from Bloomsburg Health Physics program, also presented his research at this meeting. The abstract of his project entitled: Survey of Policies and Practices for the Inspection of Lead Aprons at Medical Facilities was published in July edition of the Health Physics Journal. This research was performed in collaboration with Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and under the supervision of Dr. David Simpson from Bloomsburg University and Steve King from Hershey Medical Center.

Pictured below are Bloomsburg University students, alumni and faculty at the meeting.

Right to left: Corey Dubil, Caitlin Root, Josh Dendler, Austin Olsen, Dr. David Simpson, Ross Wagner and Brian Lorah.

Additional Health Physics student accomplishments

Harrison Ludewig, a senior Health Physics student who had a summer internship at Hershey Medical Center, received a $1,500 grant from the American Nuclear Society as well. He intends to participate in a research project at Geisinger Medical center during his last year in Bloomsburg and would like to pursue his Master's degree in Medical Physics.

Patrick Mattera, another Health Physics student was accepted to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program offered by Oregon State University.