Radiation Sciences

Objectives

At the end of the curricular unit the students should have achieved knowledge, skills and competences that will allow to:
- Understand differences between ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation; understand the radiation interaction with
matter; understand the effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation with the human body.
- Identify differences in medical applications of radiation, namely in diagnostic and therapeutic processes.
- To know different diagnostic and therapeutic processes that use radiation.
- To have basic concepts in radiation protection.

General characterization

Code

11261

Credits

3.0

Responsible teacher

Filipe Ribeiro Ferreira da Silva

Hours

Weekly - 2

Total - 68

Teaching language

Português

Prerequisites

Available soon

Bibliography

Radiation Biophysics

Edward L. Alpen

Academic Press, 1998, 2nd Ed.

ISBN: 0-12-053085-6

 

Electromagnetic Fields and Radiation

Riahd W. Y. Habash

NY 2002

ISBN: 0-8247-0677-3

Teaching method

Teaching methodology is focused on lectures. The teaching board will also present lectures by using e-learning
techniques. These lectures are transmitted to the students and supported in situ by the responsible of the curricular unit.
The last 8 hours are expected to be oral seminars in a Research topic (4 h) and visit to a hospital (4 h). The evaluation is
obtained through examination (40%), oral seminar presentation (40%) and visit report (20%).

Evaluation method

The evaluation is obtained through examination (40%), oral seminar presentation (40%) and visit report (20%).

Subject matter

Curricular unit of Radiation Sciences is divided in 5 blocks:
Block 1 – Introduction: general concepts and units; ionizing and non-ionizing; the electromagnetic spectrum; (2 h)
Block 2 – Radiation interaction with matter: excitation and ionization processes; attenuation effects; Electromagnetic
radiation (X and γ rays); electrical charged particles (α and β particles), Auger electrons, electron beams, positrons,
protons and ions; Neutral particles (8 h)Block 3 – Radiation effect in the human body, non-ionizing radiation sources and biological effects of non-ionizing
radiation. Low energy electrons and its interaction with biological components. Ionizing radiation: applications in medicine
(8 h)
Block 4 – Radiation protection: dose concept and security rules (2 h)
Block 5 – Seminar in Research topic (4 h) and clinical visit (4 h)