I am applying to the M.Sc. program in Medical Physics and Imaging within the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Having majored in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering as an undergraduate, my primary interest lies in the field of medical imaging, in which I am fascinated in advancing and improving MRI methodology and technology, specifically with respect to in vivo spectroscopy.
Improvements in medical imaging have provided a breakthrough in medicine, with the ability to noninvasively diagnose and treat patients. My primary concentration among the many medical imaging modalities is the MRI, due to the flexibility of its techniques and its safe use. The reason I believe the emerging technique of MR spectroscopy
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I never really considered research or graduate school, but as my undergraduate career developed and I became more exposed to imaging and signal processing, my curiosity to explore this area lead me to look for experiences in research. As an undergraduate summer research student in the department of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the Hospital for Sick Children, I developed an MEG resting state analysis pipeline using Matlab, to analyze both static and dynamic functional connectivity. Many parts of the pipeline were based on previously created code by Dr. Vasily Vakorin, but other parts of the pipeline I developed myself, including a new source localization beamformer using the Fieldtrip toolbox. I’m also excited to get the opportunity to work at Mabbott Lab again this upcoming summer, and improve on the existing pipeline. Furthermore, I directed an introductory tutorial for the analysis pipeline to other labs in the department and was involved with the incorporation of the pipeline into some studies, which allowed me to work with many other labs in the department. This along with the many seminars and conferences I attended during the summer research program helped solidify my interest in imaging …show more content…
Not only did I get to apply the classroom knowledge and skills I already had during my summer research position, I got to gain many new skills and knowledge that will be beneficial for my future academic and career goals. This opportunity made me realize how important and invaluable research is to the development of data analysis and signal-processing techniques used to study psychological and neurological pathologies, and had a large impact on my decision to pursue graduate studies. I feel like research will allow me to always engage my intellectual curiosity, satisfy my thirst for discovery, and give me an outlet for my
My interest in MRI started when I first read the book “MRI, The Basics” written by the author Ray Hashemi. By the time I successfully finished my MRI clinical placement in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, I knew for sure that MRI would be the field I would be choosing to take on. What attracts me most about MRI is how beautifully scientist could create a technology that can take advantage of the magnetic moments of human body for imaging it without any harms of ionizing radiation. Although there are drawbacks to MRI, combining it with other modalities would be a more effective approach to an accurate diagnosis.
The potential profession I am going to pursue is Radiology. Radiology deals with taking x-rays of the body and diagnosing what you find wrong. How the radiology unit works is getting a patient and having the radiologist technician take images of the body by using machines. Different types of machines such as, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET), identify all the images being taken of the human body (Phillip Costello, 2014). After the images have been taken they are sent to the radiologist to be interpreted. After being interpreted the patient is then told their diagnoses. Each of these steps involves writing in a certain form. Writing is a form of communication in the radiology unit so it must be specific and clear for someone else to interpret.
The machine is a 100% accurate method of disease detection throughout the body and is most often used after other testing methods have failed to provide sufficient information to confirm a patient’s diagnosis. According to journalist Mary Bellis, two brilliant men Felix Block of Stanford University and Edward Purcell of Harvard University discovered MRI in the 1930s. Because of their discoveries they used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to study composition of chem...
One of the greater advantages of fMRI is the spatial resolution (millimeters), so we can say MR imaging has outstanding spatial resolution but has a short coming with respect to temporal resolution of less than a second (4).
MRI was originally known as Nuclear Medical Resonance (NMR) (Siemens, , it was designed and used for chemical and physical molecular analysis. The magnetic resonance phenomenon was discovered by Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell, who have worked independently in 1946; their work was rewarded with the Nobel Prize in 1952 (Dr. J. Hornak, n.d).
MRI is a procedure, in wide use since the 80s, to see the anatomy of the internal organs of the body. It is based on the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), first described in landmark papers over fifty years ago (Rabi et al. 1938; Rabi, Millman, and Kusch 1939; Purcell et al. 1945; Bloch, Hansen, and Packard 1946) (4 ). . The MRI is a valuable diagnostic and research tool with also practical applications for surgical planning and conquering diseases. This imaging procedure is painless and non-invasive although sometimes discomforting as the patient lies down in a body tube that surrounds them. For many years, closed MRI units have been the standard in helping physicians make a diagnosis. These closed MRI units featured a long tube that the patient would be placed inside during their procedure. This was often uncomfortable for many patients due to the "closed in" feeling and was especially stressful for patients who suffer from claustrophobia. The newest generation of MRI units is now open on all four sides which completely alleviates the "closed in" feeling, while still providing the physician with the most accurate information possible to aid in diagnosis (2).. A patient does not see or feel anything. A faint knocking sound may be heard as the machine processes information. Patients may choose to listen to music -- even having the option of bringing their own CDs to listen to. Most MRI procedures take less than an hour. MRI technology is based on three things: magnetism, radiofrequency and computers. The magnetic resonance machine, is a big and strong magnet. When the body is inside, every proton of the body is oriented in the same way (for instance, with the positive pole up). Water ...
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered as one of the pioneers in medical imaging for diagnosis of pathologies involving soft tissues and internal structures. MRI provides good contrast resolution between different soft tissues of the body especially in brain, muscles, heart etc compared to other medical imaging modalities like computed tomograpgy (CT) and conventional radiography which utilizes x-rays for imaging. The other important aspect of MRI versus other imaging modalities like CT and conventional radiography is that MRI uses no ionizing radiation like x-rays for imaging, instead it uses a strong magnetic field to align the magnetization of some atoms within the body , then uses radiofrequency pulses to systematically alter the alignment of this magnetization. This process causes the nuclei of certain atoms to produce a magnetic field which can be detected by the scanner, and all this information is used to reconstruct an MR image of the scanned area of the body. The initial experiments by Sir Otto Stern in the year 1922 stated that physically the magnetic resonance ima...
Radiology is one of the few so-called “physical-science”-based fields of medicine, making it a challenging and rewarding application of an academic interest in science. It combines advanced knowledge of human physiology with principles of atomic physics and nuclear decay, electricity and magnetism, and both organic and inorg...
One of the most recently new advances in radiology is the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI has been around for the past century. It was at first called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and then it changed to MRI once there was an available image. Walter Gerlach and Otto Stern were the first scientists to start experimenting with the magnetic imaging. Their very first experiment was looking at the magnetic moments of silver by using some type of x-ray beam. The scientists then discovered this was by realizing that the magnetic force in the equipment and in the object itself. In 1975, the first image was finally created using and MRI machine. The scientists used a Fourier Transformation machine to reconstruct images into 2D. The first images ever use diagnostically was in 1980. This is when hospitals began to use them. At first the images took hours to develop and were only used on the patients that needed it most. Even though MRI has been around for a long time, it has advanced and has been one of the best imaging modalities recently (Geva, 2006).
Out of hundreds of thousands of different jobs available in the country, the attractiveness of Anesthesiology has caught my attention. Ever since discovering the career and its rigorous requirements, I have been trying my hardest to achieve it. To become an Anesthesiologist requires dedication, responsibility and passion and I believe I acquire those assets. It requires demanding education and many years of pure dedication to have this occupation. University of Central Florida provides this requirement to become an Anesthesiologist, so I have decided to meticulously try my hardest to be admitted to this university.
I discovered new areas and specialties that I didn’t know I could enjoy and possibly make an important contribution like the legislative and research fields.
As a future graduate student, my goal is to contribute to scientific discoveries that will uncover the mysteries of the human brain using rigorous experimental methods and state of the art research and imaging techniques. While humanity has studied the intricacies of the ocean and the vast expanses of space, we are humbled because we know less about the frontier that exists within us than the one that exists beyond us.
Throughout my undergraduate study of psychology, I selected challenging classes that were research oriented, in order to develop the skills needed for future careers in
program in Clinical psychology with a concentration in Neuropsychology. I aspire to become a proficient Clinical Neuropsychologist in a hospital or private practice and later, hopefully open my own research center. I am fascinated by the complexity of the human brain and its endless capabilities. I yearn to continue learning about the brain and apply the knowledge I have gained to improving the quality of people 's life. With this in mind, conducting research is an imperative aspect of any psychology graduate program. This prestigious internship will introduce and provide me with the background on research that I will utilize during my graduate experience and beyond. It will enhance my analytical thinking skills and build upon my hands on laboratory experience. The program will equip me with knowledge and skills, which are valuable to my academic and career
I am applying for a Masters in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Solid Mechanics to expand on my study of and experience with materials. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying Materials Science and Engineering as an undergraduate at UCLA. I now look forward to moving into graduate study in a field of engineering with a related, but different perspective. Materials Science and Engineering has allowed me to explore both materials and other fields within engineering, contributing to my strong interest in combining my study of Materials Science and Engineering with Mechanical Engineering. I have completed basic coursework in most areas of engineering, learning statics, thermodynamics, basic programming, and circuit design. This has provided a strong foundation to continue graduate study in other engineering disciplines. I