GEANT4 research and education at the Centre for Medical ...web/@eng/@phys/... · S. Guatelli, 1st Geant4 Australian Workshop 2011, UOW GEANT4 research and education at the Centre

S. Guatelli, 1st Geant4 Australian Workshop 2011, UOW

GEANT4 research and education at the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP), UOW

S. Guatelli, D. Cutajar and A. B. Rosenfeld

CMRP,

University of Wollongong,

NSW, Australia

1st Geant4 Australian Workshop,14th April 2011


Outline

• Geant4 applications at CMRP

• CMRP computing resources

• Geant4 CMRP team

• Geant4 at the School of Physics, UOW


Geant4 applications at CMRP - Overview• Geant4 applications at CMRP in

• Dosimetry (brachytherapy, protontherapy, external beam therapy)• Microdosimetry• Nanodosimetry• Imaging

• Geant4 as simulation tool to complement the experimental characterization of novel detectors developed at CMRP:

• Characterize fundamental properties of detectors • Optimize the design of detector components• Study and predict the behavior of detectors in radiation fields of interest• In particular:

• SOI and diamond microdosimeters, PIN diodes, EPI diodes, MOSKin detectors

• Scientific research activities coordinated by Prof. A. B. Rosenfeld• Coordination of Geant4-based research: Dr. S. Guatelli and D. Cutajar


Computing resources

• 104 cores• 2.4-3.2 GHz CPU• 2 GB memory per core• Platform = CentOS Linux• Number of users = 10++• 20 processes per user

• System managers: D. Cutajar and B. Oborn


Talks

1. “Geant4 for brachytherapy”, by D. Cutajar, Session II

2. “Effect of different prostatic calcifications configurations in I-125 brachytherapy”, by S. George, Session II

3. “Energy dependence of a silicon detector for synchrotron microbeam radiation therapy: a Geant4 simulation study”, by A. Cullen, Session III

4. “Magnetic field effects on the nanoscopic cluster-size distribution for therapeutic proton beams”, D. Tyrell, Session V

5. “Nanodosimetric verification in radiation therapy: Monte Carlo codes comparisons”, P. Lazarakis, Session V

6. “Nanodosimetric study of heavy charged particle track structure in lithium fluoride using Monte Carlo simulation”, J. Livingstone, Session V

7. “Characterisation of diamond microdosimeter for radiation protection in space”, J. Davis, Session VI

8. Collaboration with ANSTO, “A Comparison of the ionisation cluster distributions of x-ray, proton and alpha beams using Monte Carlo simulations”, A. McNamara, Session V

9. “Monte Carlo dose calculation of targeted alpha therapy in a capillary endothelial cell model”, C.Y. Huan(University of New South Wales)


Geant4 Team at CMRP… 20102 staff, 10 students


Geant4 Team at CMRP… 20113 staff, 10 new students!


To teach Geant4 to undergraduate and postgraduate students

S. Guatelli, C. Layton, D. Cutajar and A. B. Rosenfeld,

“The Teaching/Research Nexus And Internationalisation: An Action Research Project In Radiation Physics”,

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 7(2), 2010.

Available on-line at: http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol7/iss2/5


Why to teach Geant4 at Uni• Undergraduate students

• Provide basic software knowledge

• Provide basic Monte Carlo codes knowledge• Tool used extensively in radiation physics, from HEP to medical

physics

• Enrich student curricula

• Postgraduate students• 100% of Monte Carlo based studies at CMRP are

performed by means of Geant4

• ~50% of postgraduate students of CMRP have to use Geant4 in their research (~10 students per year)


Preliminary study

Background knowledge

Diff

icul

ty to

lear

n to

use

Gea

nt4

Easy

Med

ium

Har

d

0 Hobby Experienced

2 1

1

3 1

3

2

12/2009

1

Master/HonorPhD students

Autumn session 2010, School of Physics, UOW:

Geant4 hands-on course for undergraduate and postgraduate students

PHYS366/PHYS952Radiation and Radiotherapy Physics


ChallengeTo teach a research tool to undergrad and postgrad students

within a course


The structure of the G4 course• Based on my previous experience as lecturer/tutor in Geant4

courses organised by the Geant4 Collaboration

• Hands-on course• Three sessions of three hours

• Seminars and hands-on exercises

• Team work

• Two lecturers and support of tutors

• Student feedback on each session

• Assessment: report on the activities done at the Geant4 School

• 21 students


Course outlineI lab (3 h) II lab (3h) III lab (3 h)

Seminar:Introduction to Monte Carlo

Seminar: Introduction to Geant4 geometry and material modelling

Seminar: Introduction to Geant4 model of radiation fields

Exercise: Monte Carlo method

Exercise: Model a radioactive source in terms of geometry

Exercise: Model the radioactive source in terms of primary particles, emitted by the radionuclide

Seminar: Introduction to Geant4 Monte Carlo for Medical Physics

Seminar: Introduction to Geant4 physics list

Seminar: Introduction to Geant4 dummy application

Exercise: Change in the physics list the threshold of production of secondary particles and analyse the effect in the dosimetric results

Exercise: Learn how to execute a Geant4 application


Feedback: I session

• Students understood the Monte Carlo method and why it is important for medical physics

• Students needed continuous support, overwhelmed by technical difficulties

• Students lacked any prior experience in the use of Linux platform and C++

• Both at undergraduate and postgraduate level

• Students felt this as a significant obstacle

• Solution:• Step back to basics of Linux

and C++



Feedback: III session

• Students started to cope with Geant4

• Still intense assistance required, however more independence

• Team work• Half of the undergrad

students found hard to work in pairs with postgrad

• Language barrier and different learning attitude

• This problem is not Geant4-related

• Solution: • Each class is different

• Let’s see the outcome of the Geant4 school of this year



Feedback: IV session

• Increasing confidence • Students were getting tired • Course too close to end

of session


Final feedback• About 50% of students

• were pleased with their increased grasp of Geant4 and how to use it and with their performance

• said that they would put in more effort, either through pre-reading, better note-taking or practicing at home

• As to any future involvement with Geant4• ~50% of undergrads and ~30% of postgrads said they were interested in using

Geant4

• Some of the students approached me to ask if they could participate to the 1st Geant4 Australian School and User Workshop

• Great feedback!


Conclusions (1)• The students learned the basics of Geant4 and

appreciated why it is important to learn it.

• Strategies to improve the Geant4 course:

• Introduce a pre-lab on Linux and C++ to build up technical skills

• Provide some fun introductory activities

• Encourage overseas students in conversational development programs

• Provision of a CMRP webpage covering documentation on Geant4 and research in this domain

• Foster greater independence in problem-solving


Next step• This year we repeated the course

• Three full days• Lectures in the morning: more in depth background knowledge on

Geant4

• Geant4 hands-on-course in the afternoons

• More lecturers

• More tutors

• Our suggestion:• Hands-on course

• “to do” is better for beginners

• More flexible, more easy to receive feedback from students


For more information• [email protected]

• S. Guatelli, C. Layton, D. Cutajar and A. B. Rosenfeld,

“The Teaching/Research Nexus And Internationalisation: An Action Research Project In Radiation Physics”,

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 7(2), 2010.

Available on-line at: http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol7/iss2/5

Thank you!

Documents

GEANT4 research and education at the Centre for Medical ...web/@eng/@phys/... · S. Guatelli, 1st Geant4 Australian Workshop 2011, UOW GEANT4 research and education at the Centre