Fisk University and Wake Forest University Awarded $900,000 For Scientific Research

Source: Fisk University

Researchers at Fisk University and Wake Forest University have partnered to develop crystals that can be used to detect nuclear threats, radioactive material or chemical bombs more accurately and affordably. The research is made possible by a $900,000 grant from the Office of Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development of the National Nuclear Security Administration, within the U.S. Department of Energy.

The grant will support both universities’ continued research in the area of radiation detection, which ultimately could lead to improved detector devices for screening cargo containers at ports, airports and border crossings. It would detect trace amounts of radioactive or chemical material – similar to a CT scan or PET scan detecting a tumor in the human body – and lead to better medical diagnostics.

“This grant is an acknowledgement of Fisk and Wake Forest’s excellence and leadership in the field of radiation detection research,” said Fisk University Professor of Physics and Vice Provost Arnold Burger.

Researchers at Fisk and in national laboratories previously discovered that strontium iodide crystals doped with europium are able to detect and analyze radiation better than most other detection materials. Wake Forest researchers recently demonstrated the role of specific parameters needed to predict the best energy resolution of a given detector crystal.

The new strontium iodide crystals perform better than the most affordable detectors currently used and scientists are optimistic that, with the right calculations and adjustments, crystals of the needed quality and size can be grown and produced affordably.

“Unexpected radiation situations are a fact of our modern world,” said Dr. Richard Williams, Professor of Physics at Wake Forest. “By improving radiation detection and diagnostics, our research will benefit medical advancement as well as international security.”