Abstract:

Human missions to Mars are a major goal for international space exploration, with plans progressing from the International Space Station to a lunar outpost and, ultimately, a Mars mission envisaged for the next decade. Astronauts in long term space missions will face significant health risks from cosmic radiation, which can lead to cancer and other serious effects. Research is focused on developing effective shielding and advanced radiation monitoring systems, but Earth-based testing is limited by the inability to fully replicate space radiation with current accelerator technology. Over the past  twenty years,  radiation physics simulations have become an essential method for studying radiation risks to astronauts. This seminar will introduce the health hazards of cosmic radiation and the use of radiation physics simulations in space radiation protection research.  The speaker will then show her work on improving simulation tools to better predict astronaut health risks.

Biography:

Prof Guatelli trained as a nuclear physicist at the University of Genova, Italy. In 2003 she had the opportunity to undertake a PhD in physics, based at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Her enthusiasm for medical physics drove her to study possible radiation protection solutions for human mission to Mars (a project led by the European Space Agency) as her PhD research topic. Since 2009 she has been an academic at the School of Physics, University of Wollongong, and is now Head of the School of Physics. Susanna is an internationally recognised expert of Monte Carlo simulations for medical applications, including radiation protection. In 2021 she was awarded with the prestigious Women in Physics Award of the Australian Institute of Physics, which celebrates female physicists that have made a significant contribution to research in physics. In 2022 she became a member of the ARC (Australian Research Council) Panel of Experts. Susanna has been chair/co-chair of several international workshops and conference sessions dedicated to Monte Carlo codes applied to medical physics. She is Associate Editor of Physica Medica,  Radiation in Physics and Chemistry and Member of the Executive Editorial Board of Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express.