President's Letter- Invitation to 2024 CIRMS Meeting
Distinguished Colleagues and Friends,
On behalf of the Executive Committee, it is my honor to invite you to the 31st Annual Meeting of the Council on Ionizing Radiation Measurements and Standards (CIRMS) to be held in-person at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG), Rockville, MD USA between April 29-May 1, 2024. Each year, CIRMS offers an unparalleled forum, where the scientific community at large can connect with the scientists involved in developing and maintaining national standards, such as those at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Through this meeting, current challenges and gaps in the existing framework of ionizing radiation standards may be discussed and improved upon. This year is no different, with a meeting format that parallels our present theme, āAdvancing Radiation Measurements and Standards for Disruptive Technologies.ā
What challenges exist in the realm of disruptive radiation technologies? Amongst various disruptive radiation technologies, two examples are FLASH radiotherapy and use of artificial intelligence (AI). The use of AI is causing a revolution in the field and we are observing significant improvements in various machine learning methodologies. The fields of radiotherapy and radiation processing are both in severe need of a national standard for calibration at ultra-high dose rates. The challenge at present is to develop a standard that is based on primary units (e.g. temperature, current) that can be used for meteorological measurements with low uncertainty and lasting repeatability. These two examples bring to light only a fraction of the challenges facing the radiation technology community today. I invite you to use the 31st Annual CIRMS meeting as a loudspeaker to raise issues that need to be brought to a wider audience.
CIRMS provides a non-governmental platform to take the needs discussed during this conference directly to decision makers in Federal agencies, providing a conduit for change. The deliverable that CIRMS prepares for policymakers and funding resources is what we call the Needs Report, a document that organizes and communicates the needs in radiation measurements. It uses a standard template to delineate needs into a specific objective, with background information and motivation, and outlined action items and resources required for success. With this foundation, CIRMS seeks to inform the national and international debate on how best to benefit society through practical implementation of ionizing radiation technologies as well as validation of the traceable and reproducible measurements behind these technologies.
The call for abstracts is open and the meeting registration is live. For students within one year of their terminal masterās or doctoral degree, a Junior Investigator Competition, with SEVERAL $500 prizes to be awarded, will be held for those young investigators. New this year is a Student Essay Competition just for undergraduate students at our conference location partner, The Universities at Shady Grove. The essays and accompanying posters will be judged by the CIRMS Executive Committee and two $200 prizes are available for the best submissions. Submission information for general abstracts, the Junior Investigator competition, and the USG essay competition may be found on the meeting website. Submission deadline for all abstracts and essays is March 15th, 2024.
I encourage you to meet and discuss recent developments and ongoing needs with the field of ionizing radiation at this meeting.
Sincerely,
Amitava Adhikary, PhD
CIRMS President
On behalf of the Executive Committee, it is my honor to invite you to the 31st Annual Meeting of the Council on Ionizing Radiation Measurements and Standards (CIRMS) to be held in-person at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG), Rockville, MD USA between April 29-May 1, 2024. Each year, CIRMS offers an unparalleled forum, where the scientific community at large can connect with the scientists involved in developing and maintaining national standards, such as those at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Through this meeting, current challenges and gaps in the existing framework of ionizing radiation standards may be discussed and improved upon. This year is no different, with a meeting format that parallels our present theme, āAdvancing Radiation Measurements and Standards for Disruptive Technologies.ā
What challenges exist in the realm of disruptive radiation technologies? Amongst various disruptive radiation technologies, two examples are FLASH radiotherapy and use of artificial intelligence (AI). The use of AI is causing a revolution in the field and we are observing significant improvements in various machine learning methodologies. The fields of radiotherapy and radiation processing are both in severe need of a national standard for calibration at ultra-high dose rates. The challenge at present is to develop a standard that is based on primary units (e.g. temperature, current) that can be used for meteorological measurements with low uncertainty and lasting repeatability. These two examples bring to light only a fraction of the challenges facing the radiation technology community today. I invite you to use the 31st Annual CIRMS meeting as a loudspeaker to raise issues that need to be brought to a wider audience.
CIRMS provides a non-governmental platform to take the needs discussed during this conference directly to decision makers in Federal agencies, providing a conduit for change. The deliverable that CIRMS prepares for policymakers and funding resources is what we call the Needs Report, a document that organizes and communicates the needs in radiation measurements. It uses a standard template to delineate needs into a specific objective, with background information and motivation, and outlined action items and resources required for success. With this foundation, CIRMS seeks to inform the national and international debate on how best to benefit society through practical implementation of ionizing radiation technologies as well as validation of the traceable and reproducible measurements behind these technologies.
The call for abstracts is open and the meeting registration is live. For students within one year of their terminal masterās or doctoral degree, a Junior Investigator Competition, with SEVERAL $500 prizes to be awarded, will be held for those young investigators. New this year is a Student Essay Competition just for undergraduate students at our conference location partner, The Universities at Shady Grove. The essays and accompanying posters will be judged by the CIRMS Executive Committee and two $200 prizes are available for the best submissions. Submission information for general abstracts, the Junior Investigator competition, and the USG essay competition may be found on the meeting website. Submission deadline for all abstracts and essays is March 15th, 2024.
I encourage you to meet and discuss recent developments and ongoing needs with the field of ionizing radiation at this meeting.
Sincerely,
Amitava Adhikary, PhD
CIRMS President