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The effort to collect air and water samples, prepare counting systems, analyze and report results could not be accomplished without a talented and dedicated team.

Kai Vetter, Supervising Professor Associate Professor-in-Residence Nuclear Engineering Department University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests
Applied nuclear physics, fundamental physics, radiation detection and measurements for applications ranging from basic sciences to biomedical imaging and homeland security.

Education
1995 PhD, Physics, J. W. Goethe-University, Frankfurt (Nuclear Physics)
1990 M.S., Physics, J. W. Goethe-University, Frankfurt (Nuclear Physics)
1987 B.S., Physics, Technical University, Darmstadt (Physics)

Daniel H. Chivers, Lead Investigator

Assistant Research Scientist
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests
I am currently working on projects that seek to define the trajectory of Compton scattered electrons within silicon radiation detectors. By knowing this additional information, one can theoretically reconstruct the incident trajectory of a gamma-ray that interacts within the detector. This research will help define the inherent limitations of this approach given a number of detector parameters. Further, our group has funding to investigate a novel detector design utilizing scientific charged-couple devices (CCD) that will simultaneously measure electron trajectories while producing the necessary time-resolution to correlate interactions.

Current Projects
Electron-track Compton Imaging Investigation
CCD-S Detector Development
Data Fusion of Visual and Spectral Data Streams

Education
2008 Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (Nuclear Engineering)
2003 B.S., University of California, Berkeley (Nuclear/Electrical Engineering)

Mark Bandstra, Reporting Lead

Post-doctoral Researcher
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests
I did my graduate work in the Berkeley Physics Department on a balloon-borne Compton telescope called the Nuclear Compton Telescope, which used high-purity germanium double-sided strip detectors to perform gamma-ray imaging of astrophysical sources. I have recently joined the Nuclear Engineering Department to apply what I know about gamma-ray imaging to questions of nuclear security. My current projects are focused on performing real-time gamma-ray imaging analysis combined with other sources of information, such as video, in order to improve sensitivity to radiological threats.

Education
2010 Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (Physics)
2007 M.A.., University of California, Berkeley (Physics)
2003 A.B., Harvard College (Physics)

Cameron Bates, Analysis Lead

Graduate Student, 1st Year
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley 

Cameron is interested in developing novel detector systems for nuclear nonproliferation applications. Prior to beginning his PhD at Berkeley he was an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan. He received his BSE from Michigan in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences in 2010. His current area of research is ASIC integration into double sided strip germanium detectors. He is also interested in the simulation of detector systems to improve real time event reconstruction and the use of GPU's to reduce computation time of event reconstruction.

Education
2010 B.S.E., University of Michigan (Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences)

Amy Coffer, Collections Lead

Graduate Student, 4th Year
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley
Amy at IEEE 2008 in Dresden, Germany.

Research Interests
I came to Berkeley interested in radiation detection instrumentation following my four years at the University of Michigan, where I earned a B.S.E in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science. The BeARING group has been a good opportunity to work on many aspects of advanced detection systems, including sensor electronics, detector response modeling, and full system modeling.

So far, I have modeled the silicon CCD detector system using the Monte Carlo particle transport code GEANT4 to simulate the Compton scattering of gamma-rays and the track of the scattered electron.My future work will focus on development of the algorithms to back-project the arc of possible gamma-ray locations given position, energy, and electron trajectory of Compton scattering events.

Education
2007 B.S.E., University of Michigan (Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences)

Tim Aucott, Collections Team

Graduate Student, 2nd Year, PhD Program
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley 

Research Interests
Detectors
Nuclear Medicine

Current Projects
2-D Active-Masked Machine Vision
Electron Tracking CCD and Strip Detector Readout

Education
2009 B.A., University of California, Berkeley (Physics)

Quinn Looker, Collections Team

Graduate Student, 2nd Year, PhD Program
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley
 

Research Interests
-Radiation detector development, characterization, and testing
-Imaging techniques for homeland security applications

Current Projects
Electron track experiment

Quinn graduated with a B.S. in Physics from University of Missouri-Rolla in December 2007. From January 2008 to July 2009 he worked as a post-baccalaureate/graduate student at Los Alamos National Laboratory on a gamma ray backscatter project (think one-sided PET) for homeland security applications and lifetime characterization of channel electron multipliers (CEMs) for space science applications.

Victor Negut, Collections Team

Research Assistant, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Research Interests

My research interests include material properties, production and processing. This is vast to say the least. However, it is difficult to pick just one. Every task has its own set of tools. I want to know what tools would work best and where their weaknesses theoretically lie. The next challenge is production. I want to understand how I can produce that desired material efficiently from a raw source. Lastly I want to be able to create the best tool for the job. All of these fields interest me and I am not quite ready to decide on one.

Current Projects

I am currently working on data acquisition software development for the Real Time Gamma-ray Imaging Framework project. I am also working on data acquisition for the HEMI project.

Education
2010 B.A., University of California, Berkeley (Physics)

Brian Plimley, Analysis Team

Graduate Student, 3rd Year
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley

I graduated from UC Berkeley in 2007 with a B.S. in Engineering Physics. Shortly afterwards I began playing with detectors and researching under Kai Vetter and Dan Chivers. This is now my third year in the group.

Research Interests

Electron tracking for advanced Compton imaging is very exciting. By measuring the initial trajectory of the Compton electron scattered by a gamma ray, one can reconstruct the full kinematics of the event (in theory) and backproject a segment of a cone. We're aiming for an order of magnitude increase in detection sensitivity. I've spent a lot of time developing an algorithm for measuring the electron trajectory in thick, fully-depleted charge coupled devices (CCDs) which have been developed by the SNAP group at LBL. The beginning of the electron track can be found from the principles of the Bragg curve, and the angle of the track relative to the pixel plane can be inferred with some accuracy from the projected stopping power.

I'm also interested in other detector instrumentation, clean and renewable energy, and astrophysics.

Current Projects
Electron Track experiment operation (CCD and HPGe DSSD coincidence measurements)
Electron Track algorithm development and evaluation (based on Geant4 models)

Education
2008 B.S., University of California, Berkeley (Engineering Physics)

Lazar Supic, Analysis Team

Graduate Student, 2rd Year
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests
Detectors
Imaging

Current Projects
Upgrading CCI 2
Signal decomposition algorithm

Daniel Hogan, Reporting Team

Graduate Student, 3th Year
Department of Physics
University of California, Berkeley

I'm originally from the Kansas City area, and I received B.S. degrees in physics and mathematics from the University of Kansas in 2008. I started working under Prof. Jim Siegrist in the summer of 2009 and am now dividing my time between research and classes.

Research Interests

Time Projection Chambers (TPC's) are remarkably versatile instruments. First developed by Lawrence Berkeley Lab's David Nygrin, TPC's detect ionizing radiation as it traverses a fluid medium. Electrons freed by the radiation drift to a detection region under the influence of an external electric field, providing information about the energetics and geometry of the source event. My current focus is on using computer simulations to simulate new detector designs under construction or consideration as well as to better understand the intrinsic energy resolution limits of this approach.

Current Projects

• High-pressure Xenon Gas Electroluminescent Time Projection Chamber
• Understanding Energy Resolution in High-pressure Xenon

Joseph P. Miller, Reporting Team

Researcher, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Department of Nuclear Science
 

Research Interest
Medical Imaging
Nuclear Medicine

Current Research
Heavy-Ion Cancer Therapy and Imaging
Medical Imaging with High-Pressure Gasses

Education
2010 B.A., University of California, Berkeley (Physics)
2010 B.A., University of California, Berkeley (Economics)

Joseph Curtis, Collections Team

Undergraduate Student, 4th Year
Nuclear Engineering Department
University of California, Berkeley

Everyone calls me Joey. My research interests stem from a fascination with applying the radiation detection concepts I have learned to the field of biomedical engineering which I plan to pursue in Graduate School. After graduating in May I will remain as a post-Bac researcher at UC Berkeley for the following year while I plan my graduate school career. I am highly involved with student groups on campus, especially within the nuclear engineering department and enjoy using those resources to organize outreach with local schools/children.

Research Interest

Medical Imaging

Current Research

High Count Rate Signal Processing for HPGe Detectors

Education

Expected: 2011 B.A., University of California, Berkeley (Nuclear Engineering)