Courses:

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The course is intended to provide a broad understanding of a wide range of aspects covering the topic of ionizing radiation. These aspects range from physics, chemistry and biology to epidemiology, risk assessment, and public policy. Topics include: radioactive decay; interactions of the different types of radiation with matter; methods of radiation detection; biological effects of radiation exposure; environmental radiation sources on earth and in space. Several of the more controversial aspects of radiation applications will be discussed.

Turner, J. E. Atoms, Radiation, and Radiation Protection. 2nd ed. New York, NY: J. Wiley, 1995. ISBN: 9780471595816.

There will be about 8 problem sets over the course of the semester. Some of the problem sets will include both conventional problems as well as assignments to find papers in the scientific literature on a specific topic and write an abstract describing the paper. There will be two exams and a final exam. All students are required to write a term paper on a topic related to the subjects covered in this course. A list of possible topics will be provided, but students are free to choose their own topic.

The grading scheme for the class is as follows: