UNM Particle Therapy Group UNM New Mexico Workshop on
Monte Carlo for Particle Therapy
Treatment Planning


Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to attend the First New Mexico Workshop on Monte Carlo for Particle Therapy Treatment Planning. The workshop will explore technologies that may enable Monte Carlo simulations for routine clinical applications and will cover a wide range of exciting topics in the context of particle therapy, including:

  1. Treatment planning and verification for particle therapies
  2. The role of Monte Carlo in particle therapy
  3. Parallel and distributed computing for clinical use
  4. Variance reduction techniques for clinical Monte Carlo
  5. Robustness of treatment planning codes
  6. The current state of various Monte Carlo dose calculation engines
  7. Potential impact of Monte Carlo for clinical use
  • Cloud computing for radiation therapy calculations

    • A group of internationally renowned scientists will present their latest research results. The workshop will take the format of short talks and round table discussions. The diverse topics will have the primary focus of making Monte Carlo methods usable for routine clinical applications in particle therapy.

    The workshop will take place May 16th – 18th, 2011 (immediately following PTCOG) at the beautiful campus of the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. The State of New Mexico has long been referred to as the Land of Enchantment and offers exciting opportunities for outdoor activities. The University of New Mexico campus is nestled at the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Local attractions include Sandia Peak Tramway, historic Albuquerque Old Town, Santa Fe, Indian Pueblos, beautiful hiking trails, and New Mexico’s famous cuisine.

    A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hotel Parq Central in Albuquerque at a special rate. A registration fee of $200 will be charged to cover parts of the conference expenses.

    See you in Albuquerque!

    Michael Holzscheiter - MPIK, Germany

    Shuang (Sean) Luan - UNM (CS)

    Niels Bassler - Aarhus University, Denmark

    Roy Keyes - UNM (Physics)

    Anil Prinja - UNM (Nuclear Engineering)

     



    Workshop Program - 16 - 18 May 2011

    Workshop schedule (PDF) - Updated 17 May 2011

    Information on the night out (Monday night) is found in the link above.


    Talks

    An incomplete collection of the presentations during the workshop.


    Pictures

    Pictures taken during the workshop.


    Venue and Location - University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

    The workshop will take place in UNM's new Centennial Engineering Center, near the intersection of University Blvd. and Central Ave. The Centenial Engineering Center (CEC) is #112 (grid J-16) on the campus map (PDF). A close-up map (PDF) also shows the location of the building. The address is

    309 Redondo W Dr. NE,
    Albuquerque, NM, 87106

    All talks will be held in CEC 1026 and lunch will be served in the CEC Stamm Room.

    Temporary parking passes for attendees will be avaialble in CEC 1026 on the morning of May 16. The closest parking lots to CEC are B Lots (see UNM Campus Parking Map).


    Registration

    Registration: Online registration is now closed. Please register onsite.

    A registration fee of $200 will be charged to cover parts of the conference expenses. The conference fee will also cover a group outing.


    Lodging

    Hotel Parq Central - Phone: 1-888-796-7277 - Rate code: "UNM Monte Carlo"
    To book a room, contact the hotel directly and refer to the booking code to receive the discounted rate.

    The UNM campus is about a 17-minute walk from Hotel Parq Central. The hotel provides complimentary shuttle service from/to the airport and within a 3 mile (5km) radius of the hotel (i.e. far enough to reach the UNM campus). Additionally, the Albuquerque city bus stops directly in front of the hotel and the university campus (bus route 66).


    Albuquerque

    Below is a list of some of the attractions and activities in the Albuquerque and New Mexico area for those interested.


    Contact

    If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

    Michael Holzscheiter (mholzscheiter@phys.unm.edu)
    Sean Luan (sluan@cs.unm.edu)
    Roy Keyes (roy@unm.edu)