Marco Durante elected Vice Chair of PTCOG

The head of GSI biophysics department Marco Durante was elected Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG). PTCOG is an international scientific community where physicists, biologists and physicians work together regarding proton and ion beam therapy.

Every year PTCOG organizes and hosts an international conference to support and improve discussion and exchange on the latest developments in particle therapy. This year the annual conference took place in San Diego and focussed on "The Modern Era of Particle Beam Therapy: Widening the Therapeutic Window for Better Patient Outcomes". During the event Marco Durante was elected Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of PTCOG. In this position Durante is also Associate Editor of the International Journal of Particle Therapy, the official PTCOG journal.

Public Relations

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Dissertation Award for Rebecca Grün

Dr. Rebecca Grün from GSI biophysics department received the dissertation award 2015 of the German Society for Radiation Onkology e.V. (DEGRO). Rebecca Grün was awarded for her PhD thesis in the research area of tumor therapy with heavy ions.

Her results contribute to an improved biological radiation planning in particle therapy by modeling the biological effect. The award is supposed to acknowledge outstanding creative achievements of individuals and especially the creativity of young researchers. The award is endowed with 1500 euro and was presented on the annual meeting of DEGRO in Hamburg in June 2015.

Public Relations

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Award for High Precision Radiation Therapy

Professor Christoph Bert, head of the working group Medical Radiation Physics at the Radiation Clinic of University Clinic Erlangen, received the award for High Precision Radiation Therapy 2015 by the German Society for Radiation Oncology e.V. (DEGRO).

He was awarded for his investigations of innovative radiation concepts for treating intra-fractionally moving tumors with scanned ion beams, which mainly originates from his time at GSI before his appointment to the University of Erlangen. The award is endowed with 2000 euro and is supposed to acknowledge outstanding innovations and developments of young scientists within the research area of high precision radiation therapy. The presentation took place during the annual meeting of DEGRO in Hamburg in June 2015.

Public Relations

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Environmental diploma Darmstadt - Discover bats at FAIR

Several of the 25 species of bat to be found in Germany inhabit Mörsbacher Grund. Where they roost, what they eat and how these are animals can be protected – all this was learnt by groups of children on three days in July in the course of guided tours of the woodland not far from FAIR. Four years ago FAIR had 130 bat boxes placed in position in Mörsbacher Grund in the framework of an environmental compensation program. The guided tours were offered by FAIR for the second time as part of the “Environmental Diploma” series of environmental education projects organized by the City of Science Darmstadt.

The series of projects for the Darmstadt Environmental Diploma is organized every year from the beginning of spring through to the summer vacation, and is aimed at children in grades 4 to 6. By proving that they have participated at six events, at the end of the project the children are honored – publicly in the framework of the Environmental Information Fair – with an Environmental Diploma certificate.

Öffentlichkeitsarbeit

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