The Department of Physics has recently revised the requirements for the BA degree in physics in order to improve the preparation of students planning careers in biological physics, bioengineering, radiology, health physics, or medicine. A reduced number of physics courses permits the student to prepare for the above disciplines by taking elective chemistry and biology courses. To strengthen their preparation, the department has added a Physics of Medicine and Biology course. This project funds supporting laboratory experiments at each level of our curriculum. In the General Physics Laboratory, an experiment on the fundamentals of ultrasound detection is being added. This experiment is followed in the Intermediate Laboratory with experiments on ultrasonic imaging and velocimetry. In the Advanced Laboratory, experiments exploring the fundamentals of pulsed NMR are being added. After doing these experiments, the students go to the Medical School for demonstrations and some measurements with clinical ultrasonic and MRI instrumentation. The addition of these experiments, and the changes in our curriculum, will better prepare students for career opportunities in physics-related fields.
