Master of Health Physics Program Students with S.Y. Chen and Dean Russell Betts

Twelve students in the Master of Health Physics program came to the Illinois Institute of Technology Main Campus for the inaugural IIT Health Physics Society Student Chapter luncheon and networking event on March 27. The program is primarily online, and the students came from as far away as Nebraska.

College of Science Dean Russell Betts gave opening remarks, while S.Y. Chen, director of the Master of Health Physics program, and Alan Gladowski, associate chair of the Department of Physics, attended.

Ian Lake, the new chapter’s president, was inspired to start the chapter. “I saw this as a natural progression,” he said. The chapter hopes to improve communication and collaboration between students and faculty, provide activities and resources for the professional development of students, and help make the Master of Health Physics program the premier health physics program in the nation. The group’s short-term goals include enlisting undergraduate students who are curious about the field, connecting with alumni, and holding relevant events for both local and remote students. The group currently uses Google Hangouts to engage remote members, but is looking for other ways to expand its reach. The chapter’s next step is to apply for membership in the national Health Physics Society in order to broaden its outreach.

The chapter will next co-sponsor a talk with the Midwest Health Physics Society, “Ten Things I’ve Learned as a Health Physicist” by Nancy Kimer, president-elect of the National Health Physics Society. It will take place on Wednesday, April 29 at 6 p.m., at the IIT Rice Campus, Wheaton.

For more information on this event, or to learn how to become involved in the chapter, contact Lake at ilake@hawk.iit.edu.