IEEE NSS/MIC Conference
San Diego, California, 4-10 November 2001

The IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference will be held this year at the Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center in San Diego, California, November 4-10, 2001. In addition, the Symposium on Nuclear Power Systems will be held in conjunction with the NSS and MIC.  The conference has been expanded this year to include the 12^th International Workshop on Room Temperature Semiconductor X- and Gamma-Ray Detectors. This semi-annual workshop focuses on new radiation detection technologies in exciting fields and diverse applications. Complete information for each of these programs can be found on the Conference web site at http://www. nss-mic.org .

Being a southern California location, the weather is typically spectacular this time of the year. San Diego has a historically diverse culture and is home to the world’s largest Zoo, art and science museums, an exquisitely beautiful coastline, the US Navy’s 3^rd and 7^th Fleets, a selection of 17 excellent golf courses and every conceivable sporting, dining, and entertainment venue available. The Town and Country Resort is a 36 acre facility that includes a range of accommodations from quaint, bungalow-style rooms to modern high rise towers. The resort is adjacent to a large, new shopping mall, a completely redesigned golf course, and a light rail system that provides access to the entire San Diego area including the Mexican border, which will provide an exciting alternate destination.

The Nuclear Science Symposium (NSS) offers an outstanding opportunity for scientists and engineers in the field of nuclear science to meet with their colleagues and present new and original work on the latest developments in technology and instrumentation. Instruction on specialized topics will also be available through the Short Course program. Authors are invited to submit papers describing original, previously unpublished work in the topics areas listed below:

• Analog and Digital Circuits
• Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
• Data Acquisition and Analysis Systems
• Environmental Health and Safety Instrumentation
• Gas Detectors
• High Energy Physics Instrumentation
• New Radiation Detectors
• Nuclear Measurements and Monitoring Techniques
• Nuclear Physics Instrumentation
• Photodetectors
• Radiation Damage Effects
• Scintillation Detectors
• Semiconductor Detectors
• Synchrotron and Neutron Instrumentation

For information concerning the NSS Program, please contact:

Graham Smith, NSS Program Chairman
Instrumentation Division,
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Upton, NY 11973-5000
Phone: +1 631 344 4253
Fax: +1 631 344 4240
Email: nss2001@bnl.gov 

The Medical Imaging Conference (MIC) provides a forum for fundamental theoretical and applied contributions to the physics, engineering and mathematical aspects of medical imaging. This conference will provide the opportunity for an exchange of ideas and recent advances in medical imaging. Authors are invited to submit papers describing original and innovative technical contributions to the general field of medical imaging in the following list of topics:

• Emission Tomography Instrumentation and Techniques (PET and SPECT)
• New Nuclear Medicine and Multi- modality Imaging Geometries and Systems
• Analytical and Monte Carlo Modeling of Medical Imaging Systems
• Applications of New Detector Materials and Technologies to Medical Imaging
• High Resolution and Small Animal Imaging Systems
• Multi-dimensional Image Reconstruction Methods
• Dynamic Data Acquisition and Processing Methods
• Quantitative Image Processing Methods
• Evaluations of image systems and reconstruction methods
• Intra-operative Probes and Small Imaging Systems
• X-ray Computed Tomography and Digital Radiography
• Other Imaging Modalities such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy, Ultrasound, Synchrotron Radiation, Impedance and Biomagnetic Bioelectric Imaging

For information concerning the MIC Program, please contact:

Benjamin M. W. Tsui, MIC Program Chairman
Department of Biomedical Engineering
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB# 7575, 152 MacNider Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-7575
Phone: +1 919 966-5659
Fax: +1 919 966-2963
Email: mic@mic2001.bme.unc.edu 

The 2001 Symposium on Nuclear Power Systems (SNPS) will be held 7-8 November 2001. The Sessions will again be held in conjunction with the Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference.  The Technical paper sessions on nuclear power systems cover subjects currently of major interest to the operation of nuclear power stations and supporting services and suppliers, including:

• Upgrading digital technology for reactor protection, I&C, and other systems
• Reliability-based maintenance and plant modernization
• New aspects on equipment qualifications
• Plant life extension with cost effectiveness
• A special annual overview report of major importance to nuclear power utilities
• Risk Informed Regulation – Panel session
• And more

For information concerning the Symposium on Nuclear Power Systems, please contact:

Jay Forster, SNPS Chairman
GE Nuclear Energy, M/C 801
175 Curtner Ave.,
San Jose, CA 95125
Phone: +1 408 925-5090
Fax: +1 408 925-5312
Email: jayforster@gene.ge.com 

The 12^th International Workshop on Room Temperature Semiconductor X- and Gamma-Ray Detectors is a continuation of a series of international meetings and will be held this year in conjunction with the NSS and MIC conferences. Registration at the workshop entitles admission to all NSS and MIC presentations, and those registered for the NSS/MIC conferences are invited to attend the workshop. All three conferences will be held in the same complex of buildings to facilitate cross-fertilization of ideas and information exchange between the participants. The registration fees and methods of payment will be the same for both the workshop and the NSS/MIC conferences. A special banquet limited to the workshop attendees is tentatively scheduled. Room temperature semiconductor radiation detectors are finding increasing application in such diverse fields as astrophysics, nuclear medicine, national security, and environmental remediation.  The objective of this workshop is to provide a forum for discussion of the latest results to advance the state-of-the-art of this technology. To provide a comprehensive review, oral and poster presentations representing a broad spectrum of research activities emphasizing either device or materials understanding are sought. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts on original, unpublished work in the following areas:

• Wide Band-gap Semiconductor Materials, including CdZnTe, CdTe, Si, GaAs, Se, HgI₂, PbI₂, BiI₃, TlBr, SiC, InP, ZnSe, AlSb and diamond, of Interest for Radiation Detection
• Detector Performances
• Properties of Electrical Contacts
• Crystal Growth and Materials Characterization
• Measurements of Crystal Surfaces and Interfaces
• Novel Detector Structures
• Radiation Damage, Aging, and Environmental Effects
• Impurity Doping and Defect Engineering
• Modeling of Detector Operation, Growth Processes, and Material Properties
• Novel Test and Characterization Methods
• Strip, Pixel, and Discrete Semiconductor Arrays
• Scintillator/Semiconductor Array Hybrids
• Semiconductor Neutron Detectors
• Low-Noise Electronics and Software
• Spectrometer Systems
• Applications including, but not limited to, Astrophysics, Nuclear Safeguards, Tomography, Digital Radiography, Environmental Remediation, Medical Imaging, Dosimetry, X-Ray Fluorescence, Cargo Monitoring, and National Security

For questions concerning the International Workshop, please contact:

Ralph B. James, International Workshop Chairman
Sandia National Laboratories, MS 9405
7011 East Avenue
P.O. Box 969
Livermore, CA  94550
USA
Phone: +1 925 294-2782
Fax: +1 925 294-3870
Email: Rbjames@Sandia.gov

The deadline for paper submissions is now closed for the NSS, MIC, and SNPS programs, though will continue until June 15, 2001 for the International Workshop. Participation is again extremely strong this year with contributions from all over the world. The very successful European venue last year generated an exceptional amount of excitement and has clearly carried over to this year’s activities.

The Short Course Program will include courses on topical subjects in nuclear science and medical imaging will be offered in conjunction with the Symposium. Further information will be provided with the registration material and will be available at the conference website.  Likely course subjects include:

• Medical Imaging and Reconstruction Techniques
• Mixed Mode Imaging
• Computed Tomography
• Detectors for High Energy Physics
• Integrated Circuit Front Ends for Nuclear Pulse Processing
• Interaction of Radiation with Matter
• Advanced Electronics Packaging
• Theory and Practice of Modular Scintillation Cameras
• Photosensitive Detectors

For information concerning the Short Course Program, please contact:

Gary Alley, Short Course Chairman
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2008 MS6006
Oak Ridge, TN 37831
Phone: +1 865 574-5725
Fax: +1 865  576-2813
Email: alleygt@ornl.gov 

The Exhibits Program will include organizations from around the world demonstrating products and discussing specific requirements and applications with attendees. As has become a tradition, we anticipate vendors announcing new products at the conference exhibition.  We intend to continue the well-received Vendor Seminar Program initiated by last year’s conference organizers.  This program allows organizations to provide in-depth product discussions and demonstration presentation in a formal setting.

For information concerning the Exhibits Program, please contact:

Richard Greene
Trade Associates, Inc.
9426 Stewartown Road, Suite 1A
Gaithersburg, MD 20879-1453 USA
Phone: +1 301 519-1610
Fax: +1 301 519-8552
Email: tradeassociates@tainc.com
Web Address: http://www.tainc.com 

The Companion Program will be complete will a diverse set of behind-the-scenes and specialized events to hold the interest of the most discriminating of visitors. Many tours are being considered including:

• Tijuana
• Balboa Park Museums
• San Diego Zoo
• La Jolla
• Cooking School
• Wild Animal Park
• Old Town

In addition, a Technical Tour Program is also in the works with the following venues being considered:

• San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant
• Scripts Oceanographic Institute
• Nuclear Submarine Tour
• Aircraft Carrier Tour

Several of these tours may require special access or US citizenship. Detailed information will be provided when available on the conference web site.

For questions concerning the Companion or Technical Tours, please contact:

Lynn Bergman
Companion Program Chairman
Email:  zetariah@pacbell.net 

We are looking forward to a technically stimulating and socially engaging experience in one of the most attractive locations in California. We cordially invite all interested colleagues, as well as their companions, to participate this exciting event and experience all that San Diego has to offer!

Anthony Lavietes
General Chairman
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
7000 East Avenue, L-153
Livermore, CA 94550 USA
Phone: +1 925 423-6766
Fax: +1 925 422-1332
Email: lavietes1@llnl.gov 

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