This August, Dalhousie will welcome students and researchers from all over the world to campus for the 14th annual International Conference on Magnetic Resonance Microscopy (ICMRM).
According to the conference’s website, the subject of this conference is spatially resolved magnetic resonance, which includes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as any other magnetic resonance methods that deal with space such as movements of fluid through porous objects or even application of the method at a distance (not confined to within the apparatus).
The ICMRM was established in 1991, and has become a biannual tradition for researchers in this field. It has been held all over the world — Europe, UK, USA, China, and Japan — but this year it will be hosted by Canada for the first time ever.
Sessions will take place at the Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences building, with close to 200 participants spending four days networking and learning about the most recent advances in the development and application of magnetic resonance microscopy.
The conference includes three Dalhousie connections. Dr. Steven Beyea, a professor in the Department of Radiology, is the conference chair. Dr. Kimberly Brewer and Dr. James Rioux, who are both assistant professors in the Department of Radiology, are members of the local planning committee, which Dr. Beyea sits on as well.
“This conference gives researchers and students the opportunity to keep-to-date with the research happening in this field and build collaborations with colleagues from all over the world,” says Dr. Brewer. “I find I get the best ideas for my work after attending events like these.”
Joining Dr. Brewer, Dr. Beyea and Dr. Rioux on the planning committee are three colleagues from the University of New Brunswick.
Learn more: icmrm2017.com
An informative program
Those attending this year’s conference will have the opportunity to hear presentations by several world-renowned researchers.
One of those is Dr. Eiichi Fukushima, a well-known leader in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) science and one of the founders of ABQMR, Inc. He will deliver the prestigious Edwin Hahn Lecture, named after the scientist who discovered one of the key phenomena that eventually lead to the creation of MRI instruments. The focus of Dr. Fukushima’s presentation will be on the experiences he has had over the course of his career, and the importance of performing pioneering research.
“It’s really important to be pioneering in this field,” says Dr. Fukushima. “You need to go outside the box of what everyone else is doing, and do something new that will benefit humankind”
In addition to his role of a keynote speaker, Dr. Fukushima is also on the executive scientific committee for ICMRM.
“I’m really looking forward to this conference; the topics that will be discussed are all very interesting,” says Dr. Fukushima. “Also, it gives the researchers attending a chance to see one another in person, which doesn’t happen very often.”
According to Dr. Fukushima, one of the most popular sessions with conference attendees is the young investigators competition. It is intended for those who are under 35, and do not have a permanent position. Participants contribute papers, and a jury selects up to five to present their work in a plenary session. The best presentation will receive the "Sir Paul Callaghan Young Investigators Award", named in memory of one of the leading scientists in the field of magnetic resonance.
Dr. Beyea participated in this competition in 2001, and won. At the time, he happened to be completing his postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Fukushima. It was the first project that Dr. Beyea completed 100% independently, and it is the award he is the proudest of.
The conference will run from August 13-17. There’s still time to register. The early bird rates are in effect until June 30.
To register: icmrm2017.com