Research Facility News Archive
November 16, 2012
Research Trio Scanner Updates
- Installed New Spectroscopy Sequences from CMRR: MEGA-PRESS and MEGA-SEMI-LASER
- Installed Multi-Echo Navigated MP-RAGE Sequence
- Installed 19F Coil for lung imaging
November 15, 2012
Large-Scale Intelligent Systems Lecture
Jong Chul Ye , Associate Professor. Dept. of Bio/Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Inst. Of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea
Title: Sparse Signal Processing for Dynamic MRI Reconstruction and fMRI Analysis
October 10, 2012
7T Lecture Series: Thursday, October 25
Brian Rutt, PhD, Professor of Radiology, Electrical Engineering, and Bio-Engineering at Stanford University
Presentation: In-vivo Ultra-high Field MR Imaging
Ajit Shankaranarayanan, PhD, Global MR Neuro Applications Manager, GE Healthcare
Presentation: Advanced Neuroimaging: A GE Perspective
August 24, 2012
MR Research Facility Feature
The University of Iowa's MR Research Facility is features in this month's publication of GE's Signa Pulse.
Check out the article at: GE Signa Pulse
August 24, 2012
Neurological Patient Registry Study
Utilizing MR images from The University of Iowa's Neurological Patient Registry, neurology researchers study susceptibility to deceptive advertising among the elderly.
Read about their work at Iowa Now & frontiers.
July 31, 2012
Upcoming 2-day BRAINS Software Seminar
Wednesday, August 8 & Thursday,August 9, 2012
Hardin Library Info Commons East and West - 2nd Floor
$25 per person
Wednesday, August 8
- 9:00 - 10:00a - Welcome, Intro to fMRI Physics – Vincent Magnotta, PhD
- 10:00 - 10:45 - Functional Connectivity/Seed Voxel of Resting State – Michelle Voss, PhD
- 10:45 - 11:00 - Break
- 11:00am - 12:00 - Keynote Speaker – Guido Gerig, PhD, University of Utah
- 12:00 - 1:00 - Lunch (complimentary)
- 1:00 - 2:45 - Structural Analysis Lab – Hans Johnson, PhD
- 2:45 - 3:15 - Break
- 3:15 - 5:00p - Analysis of Motor Task fMRI Lab – Vincent Magnotta, PhD
Thursday, August 9
- 9:00 - 10:00a - Structural Imaging Overview – Vincent Magnotta, PhD
- 10:00 - 10:45 - Quality Control of DWI Data – Hans Johnson, PhD
- 10:45 - 11:00 - Break
- 11:00 - 11:30 - DWI Data Processing Regional Measures Using FreeSurfer – Joy Matsui, Graduate Research Assistant
- 11:30am - 12:00 - Structural Imaging/Machine Learning Algorithms – Regina Kim, Gradutae Research Assistant
- 12:00 - 1:00 - Lunch (complimentary)
- 1:00 - 2:45 - Resting State Analysis Lab – Vincent Magnotta, PhD
- 2:45 - 3:15 - Break
- 3:15 - 5:00p - DTI Analysis Lab – Hans Johnson, PhD
July 13, 2012
Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building
The top floor of the Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building (PBDB) has been poured and work has begun to enclose the building. Below are some recent construction pictures of the building's progress. The GE 7T MR950 whole body MR scanner will be located in the southwest corner of the building (bottom-right of image below).
July 7 2012
Dr. William Hedgcock
University of Iowa researcher Dr. William Hedgcock is using fMRI images to study how the brain regulates self-control. Read about his work at Iowa Now.
Other links to Dr. Hedgcock's research:
May 22, 2012
Upcoming Lectures: The MRRF is pleased to announce two upcoming lectures related to MR Imaging.
Frank Hockett, MSEE, Senior Research Technician, Washington University School of Medicine
- Presentation topic: MRI COIL DESIGN PRINCIPLES
- When: Friday June 8, 9:00 - 10:00am. Round table discussion 10:00am - noon.
- Where: 2217 Seamans Center
- More information: Presentation Flyer
Sara Nelson, PhD, Director of the Center for Non-Invasive Imaging and Metabolomics (CNIM) and the Surbeck Laboratory of Advanced Imaging at UCSF
- Presentation topic: ULTRA-HIGH FIELD MR SPECTROSCOPY
- When: Tuesday, June 19, 1:00 - 2:00pm
- Where: Braley Auditorium (01136 PFP)
May 11, 2012
Dr. Vincent Magnotta and colleagues are using T1ρ
(pron. tee-one-row) imaging techniques to measure pH resulting from
brain activity. This work was recently published in PNAS
Read about Dr. Magnotta's research on PNAS (http://www.pnas.org) and at the University of Iowa (http://now.uiowa.edu).
April 11, 2012
Updated MRI Screening Sheet
An updated MRI Screening Sheet is available for download. This form must be completed before any subject is allowed to enter the MRI scan room. Every subject (including research assistants, family members, and other staff) must remain outside the MRI scanning room until they have been screened by an MR technologist and completed and signed the MRI Screening Sheet.
April 10, 2012
MRI facility on Science exchange
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THe MR Research Facility is now listed at Science Exchange( www.scienceexchange.com), a website that helps reserchers outsource experiments to core facilities.
March 9, 2012
Beginning Monday, March 19 the research 3T TIM Trio at L169 MERF will resume 8:00am to 6:00pm scheduling availability. Late time (i.e., after 4:30pm) requests beginning March 19 are currently being accepted.
The shared 3T located at clinical MRI (0400 JCP) is
available Tuesdays from 8am to 4:30 pm and on Thursdays from 12pm to
4:30pm. The shared 1.5T (0400 JCP) is available from 2pm to 4pm Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays.
January 6, 2012
7T program in MedGadget
Did you happen to notice that our 7T program was mentioned in the online medical journal MedGadget?
2011 News Archive
December 15, 1211
An updated MRI Screening Sheet is available for download
MRI Screening Sheet
This form must be completed before any subject is allowed to enter the MRI scan room. Every subject (including research assistants, family members, and other staff) must remain outside the MRI scanning room until they have been screened by an MR technologist and completed and signed the MRI Screening Sheet.
December 12, 2011
November 30, 2011
Open Position for Postdoctoral Fellow in Dynamic and Spectroscopic MR Image Reconstruction
The application should be sent to Dr. Mathews Jacob at the address below (e-mail applications only). The position is available immediately until filled.
A post-doctoral fellowship is available at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Magnetic Resonance Research Facility (MRRF) at the University of Iowa. The research involves the development of novel compressed sensing algorithms and pulse sequences to advance the state of the art in dynamic and spectroscopic MRI, with applications to oncology and cardiovascular imaging. The fellowship provides an opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary team at the Iowa Institute of Biomedical Imaging (IIBI) and clinical researchers at the Department of Radiation Oncology. Facilities at MRRF include a research dedicated Siemens 3T TIM Trio MRI scanner and shared 3T and 1.5T Siemens magnets. A 7T GE research scanner will also be available by 2013.
Applicants must have a PhD or equivalent in electrical/biomedical engineering, medical physics, or closely related field. The ideal candidate would have a strong signal processing background and expertise in developing image reconstruction algorithms and/or MRI pulse sequences. A record of peer reviewed journal publications and expertise in C/C++, and/or Matlab are essential. Experience with IDEA sequence programming is desirable, but not required. The position is initially for one year and is extendable up to three years, based on performance.
This position is immediately available, while the start date is negotiable. The position will come with the health and other benefits at the University of Iowa. Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.
The application must include the following:
- Cover letter highlighting the candidate’s suitability for this position
- Curriculum vitae
- Up to three selected preprints/reprints most relevant to this position
- Two letters of recommendation
Dr. Mathews Jacob
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The University of Iowa
Email: mathews-jacob@uiowa.edu
Departmental Website: http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/
November 7, 2011
Access XNAT off campus
To access XNAT (our repository for all research images) from off campus, simply go to https://vpn.uiowa.edu/
and log in with your HawkID and password. The Virtual Private Network
(VPN) service provides secure access to University resources from
off-campus. The VPN can also be used if you're experiencing trouble
viewing the Research Scheduler from off-campus.
November 4, 2011
7T lecture
On Thursday, November 10 the MRI Research Facility will host the first in a six-part lecture series dedicated to all things 7T. The objective of the lectures is to inform imaging researchers about the applications, challenges and benefits available at 7T. We also hope it spurs excitement and interest in imaging research. To kick the series off, we brought in three top researchers from the GE 7T program.
Jacques Coumans, PhD is the General Manager of GE's Premium MR Business and will give an overview of GE's MR business and premium product portfolio.
Rob Peters, PhD is the Manager of MR Physics and MSK Applications for the ASL Team at GE and will discuss Musculoskeletal (MSK) MR, the GE ASL organization, and the GE research collaboration process.
Greg Hurst, PhD is GE's 7T and High Field MR Product Manager and will talk about UHF MR technology, applications and the GE 7T research program.
Please join us on Thursday, November 10 from 1:30 - 3:30 pm in the Urmila Sahai Auditorium, 2117 MERF.
August 11, 2011
Fiber optic response pads
The MRI Research Facility recently purchased left and right hand fiber optic response pads from Psychology Software Tools (creators of E-prime). The new response system is available at the the research 3T located at L169 MERF. The MRI Simulator is also outfitted with the response system.
May 16, 2011
Meet our new technologist
Autumn Craig started Monday, April 18 as our part-time technologist at the MRI Research Facility. This addition to our research staff will allow us to expand our hours of operation and to accommodate a greater number of evening and weekend scanner requests. Autumn has worked as a technologist in the Department of Radiology for the previous 8 years, and has extensive experience conducting fMRI research scans as a backup technologist for our facility. Her experience and flexibility will play an important role in the success of our young imaging facility, and will be especially valuable as we begin to establish our ultra-high field 7T program.
February 25, 2011
Meet our new technologist
The results speak for themselves. The University of Iowa Health Care Marketing and Communications tour program has been a success. Lead by expert guide Dan Thedens, students can see our facility’s image processing lab, the equipment room which houses the “brains” of our research scanner, and our state-of-the-art Siemens 3T TIM Trio MRI scanner.
Click on the thank you note to read some recent feedback.
February 17, 2011
Register for the 2011 XIP training workshop by going to:
https://mri.radiology.uiowa.edu/XIP/register.html
January 31, 2011
MR researchers featured in Kitware
Associate Professor Vincent Magnotta and Biomedical Engineering PhD graduate student Wen Li are featured in Kitware's quarterly special edition of the Source for their work on new functionalities for spherical demons registration (page 8).
January 18, 2011
MR researchers featured in Kitware
Research Scientist and expert tour guide Dan Thedens once again proves why he's the best in the business at giving tours of the MRI Research Facility. Click on the image at the left to read some recent accolades from a local 6th grade tour group.
2010 News Archive
January 10, 2010
Part time programming position
The University of Iowa MRI Research Center is looking
for a part-time programmer to perform upgrades and modifications to an
online scheduling system. To apply, send an email with your resume to joe-ekdahl@uiowa.edu.
- Department: Radiology / MRI Research Center
- Contact: Joe Ekdahl
- Telephone: 319-384-3026
- Email: joe-ekdahl@uiowa.edu
- Address: 375 Newton Road, L169 MERF, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Rate of Pay: $12.00
- Hours per Week: 20
- Work Schedule: Flexible (preferably between 7am-5pm)
- Job Beginning/Ending Dates: Immediate to ongoing
- Duties: Work primarily with open-source PHP scheduling system
utilized for scheduling MRI research scans. Merge and incorporate
changes that have been made in-house to scheduling system to the new
release of phpScheduleIt available online. Use Java, PHP & MySQL to
develop queries & cron job(s) to pull information from our
scheduling system into our Research Information System (RIS).
- Qualifications: Must have experience with Java, PHP &
MySQL. Guidance will be available both for general direction and
technical questions; however this position is expected to primarily
utilize online resources and available programming manuals.
October 27, 2010
UI receives new grant for whole body 7T MRI scanner
The University of Iowa has been awarded a $7.97 million grant, received through the National Center for Research Resources, for a whole body 7T MRI research scanner. The scanner will be sited on the College of Medicine campus in the new Iowa Institute for Biomedical Discovery (IIBD) building and will be supported by the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging. Obtaining grant funding for the 7T was a multiple departmental effort lead by Vincent Magnotta, PhD.
September 29, 2010
Dan O'Leary receives grant
Dan O'Leary was recently awarded a $2.6 million grant to use MRI to
study brain function in adolescents who have genetic risk factors for
alcoholism. To read his interview with the Daily Iowan go to:
http://www.dailyiowan.com/2010/09/29/Metro/19095.html
August 25, 2010
Updated MRI Research Scheduler manual
An updated MRI Research Scheduler manual is now available. In addition to getting a new look, many new features have been added to the scheduler. You now have the ability to include project members on reservation request emails, view your scanning protocol and IRB Informed Consent Document, add reservations to your Outlook calendar, reserve time on the MRI Simulator, and more.
July 9, 2010
New MRI Simulator
The MR Research Facility now has an MRI Simulator available to all
MRI researchers at no charge. The MRI Simulator gives subjects exposure
to the MRI scanner by realistically reproducing the scanning
environment.
The simulator is sited in room 155 MRF (behind the old Java House, near the Fountain Entrance) in the Hospital.
Features Include:
- 60 cm bore with cooling fans and lighting
- Motorized, speed-controlled table
- Amplified speakers with subwoofer and realistic scanner sounds
- 15" LCD display for fMRI presentation
- Mock head coil with rear facing mirror system
June 23, 2010
The MR Research Facility is now using the XNAT
(Extensible Neuroimaging Archive Toolkit) open source software platform
to manage all MR research images.
XNAT allows researchers to
access and manage their MR images from a secure repository immediately
following a subject's research scan. Subject data is confidential and is
now available for all current MR research projects.
To begin using XNAT, log into https://rpacs.icts.uiowa.edu/xnat/ with your hawkid and password. Once you have logged into the system, you will be manually assigned to your research project.
Please contact Joe Ekdahl at joe-ekdahl@uiowa.edu with any questions.
May 25, 2010
Photos of the 2010 NA-MIC sponsored 3D Slicer training workshop held on April 10
On April 10, 2010, The University of Iowa held a NA-MIC (National Alliance for Medical Image Computing) sponsored 3D Slicer training workshop. Over 60 participants, with backgrounds ranging from Biomedical Engineering to Internal Medicine, attended the training. The workshop was divided into two sections that focused on 3D Slicer applications, and the development of 3D Slicer.
January 13, 2010
3D Slicer Training
The National Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NA-MIC) is sponsoring a 3D Slicer
training workshop at the University of Iowa on April 9 and 10, 2010.
The format for the workshop will consist of a large presentation on
Friday afternoon, and two sessions on Saturday including a programming
tutorial session and End User training.
Presentations on Friday, April 9 will be dedicated to several venues, including:
- A joint seminar for all Departments and interest groups
to introduce the NA-MIC Kit and highlight its use in clinical research
applications.
- Presentations in regularly scheduled seminar series for the departments of Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology.
- An electronic teaching classroom with Slicer 3. Pre-loaded data sets will be available.
2 parallel sessions will be offered on Saturday, April 10 and will include:
- An introduction to Slicer 3, including a hands-on visualization and analysis.
- End User training for Slicer 3.
2009 News Archive
December 29, 2009
Form Update
An updated version of the
Research Protocol Form is available on our Forms page. Please unsure this is the version that is filled out for every subject who receives a research MRI scan.
October 23, 2009
Iowa Institute of Biomedical Discovery facility
Construction has begun on the Iowa
Institute of Biomedical Discovery (IIBD) facility. The new building will
house 8 floors of dedicated research space, 198,000 gross ft2 of space, a 15,000 ft2 imaging facility and 15,000 - 30,000 ft2 dedicated to high-risk, high-gain product-orientated research.
The estimated completion date for the IIBD is late 2013. For more information visit The U of I Institute for Biomedical Discovery website.
June 2, 2009
Explore all the MRI Research Center's latest updates and research projects
MRRF Brochure
February 17, 2009
New Equipment
Two additional pieces of equipment are now
available for general research usage at the L169 research suite in MERF.
MediGoggles, manufactured by Cambridge Research Systems, are
customizable prescription glasses that allow subjects who wear glasses
to safely participate in fMRI studies with visual stimuli. Learn more
about MediGoggles at our equipment page.
We also recently purchased the FOMRI II Dual Channel MRI Microphone System from MAGMEDICS. The FOMRI II system uses fiber-optic technology and an advanced set of noise-canceling algorithms to reproduce high quality speech from recordings within the MRI magnet.
2008 News Archive
Nivember13, 2008
New Metal Detector
The MR Research Facility recently installed the FerroGurard®Freestanding metal detector system by Metrasens.
The addition of the Ferroguard system will improve the quality
of our services by providing an additional measure of screening for
patients and subjects entering the MR scan room. Our subjects,
technologists and researchers can gain comfort from knowing an
additional screening measure has been performed on every patient,
ensuring only the highest quality of MR images are obtained. For more
information on the FerroGuard, visit Metrasens online.
August 4, 2008
Several new links have been added to the Facility Information section on the left
side of the page, including an "Images" page, an updated "Equipment" page, and
an updated "Contact Us" page with maps and directions to the MRRF.
Also of note is a "Research Projects" link, where researchers can learn
more about the current research projects here at the MRRF.
How to Find the MR Research Center - Maps and Directions
April 2, 2008
Links to the Research Scheduler, facility equipment, university
resources and more can be found at the left. In addition, a new "Contact Us"
link has been added for convenient access to the Research Center’s
personnel and imaging laboratories. We’re also currently adding
additional pages to the site, including neuro, ortho and cardiac images,
as well as a section dedicated to research news.
2007 News Archive
September 5, 2007
Scheduling for the new Research Trio 3T at L169 MERF is now
available. Users who currently schedule time on the Shared 3T in JCP
also have access to schedule on the Research Trio. Scanner time is
available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. After-hours and
weekend time is available as requested with advance notice, preferably two weeks.
To request more information about scheduling a study or for a
free informational brochure, contact Joe Ekdahl at 384-3026 or send
an e-mail to
joe-ekdahl@uiowa.edu
July 3, 2007
On Tuesday, June 12, 2007 the MR Recharge Center’s research dedicated
3T scanner arrived at its new home at L169 MERF. Siemens technicians
continue to make progress towards the ultimate goal of ramping up the
machine for research usage. Included in the list of available amenities
at the new facility is a patient waiting area with an flatscreen TV and private
dressing room, an animal prep area, cutting edge software such as
E-Prime (with serial response box) and Presentation, the MIND Input
Device, over ten research work stations, and convenient access to
parking and the Cambus.
Reservations for research time on the new machine will tentatively be
available the third week in July. Check back soon for more information
and completed construction pictures.
May 31, 2007
The MR Research Center now has the ability to perform Arterial Spin
Labeling. We are currently evaluating the Pulsed ASL sequence from the University of Pennsylvania.
This sequence was generously provided by Jiongjiong Wang.
May 31, 2007
HARDI diffusion tensor imaging sequence is now available on the
Research Avanto and Research Trio scanners. This sequence will allow for
the acquisition of up to 256 diffusion encoding directions.
May 30, 2007
The College of Medicine is preparing approximately 1,500 square feet
of space to serve the MR Research Facility. Located in the Medical
Educational Research Facility, this space will house the research
dedicated 3T scanner, an image analysis laboratory, electronics shop,
patient holding area, and an animal prep area.
Construction Pictures Now Available!
May 30, 2007
"Visible Human" CT Data Posted
Visible Human CT data generated by Bill Lorensen is now available for general use.
This data is resampled to 1.0mm isotropic resolution and saved in
DICOM format. Both the Visible Male and Female are available either as
regional tar files or as individual DICOM files.
Learn more about the Visible Human Project
2006 News Archive
January 15, 2006
Alan Stolpen Awarded High End Instrumentation Grant
NIH awarded Alan Stolpen with a High End Instrumentation Grant to
fund the purchase of a dedicated 3T scanner. This scanner will be
located in the College of Medicine (L169 MERF). Site planning is
progressing with an anticipated date of operation of July 2007.