I³R to Host Special MRI Suite Open House With Talks from Experts in Imaging

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The Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R) at the U of A will host a special edition of its fall speaker series on Oct. 24, featuring an exclusive opportunity to view the MRI suite before the scanner goes live and access is restricted to official use. The new I³R building in which the MRI suite is housed will open later this year. 

I³R will kick off the special event with talks from leading experts in medical imaging Dr. Martin Paulus, M.D., scientific director and president of the Laureate Institute at the University of Tulsa, and Dr. Steffen Sammet, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of clinical MR physics at the University of Chicago, from 4-5 p.m. (CT) in Mullins Library room 453. The two speakers will cover studies related to MRI technology, such as examining screen time effects on the brain and developing guided therapies using noninvasive methods.  

"We're pleased to welcome Drs. Paulus and Sammet to campus and look forward to learning from their experience leveraging the power of imaging to conduct groundbreaking research," said I³R founding executive director and associate vice chancellor Ranu Jung. "We are also eager for researchers and potential industry and clinical partners to preview the MRI suite and explore collaborations." 

After the talks, attendees can tour the I³R building's MRI Suite from 5-7 p.m. featuring the Siemens MAGNETOM Cima.X 3T MRI system which, since its installation in August, has made the U of A one of only three locations in the U.S. with this capability. 

Olivia Haskins, imaging account executive at Siemens, explained, "With the MAGNETOM Cima.X, Siemens Healthineers proudly offers the scientific and medical communities a whole-body 3T MR scanner that can deliver penetrating new insights into oncologic, cardiac and neurodegenerative disease." 

From physical scientists and engineers developing scans of the brain, body and organs, to computer and data scientists applying computational models to MRI data, the MRI will serve a variety of research interests across the U of A campus. 

Receiving the scanner was a collaborative effort across divisions and departments. One of those collaborators includes Dr. Josiah Leong, assistant professor of psychology, who commented on the MRI's implications for U of A faculty and students, "We can run studies just a five-minute walk from our labs, rather than traveling hundreds of miles to the nearest scanner. Our students will learn to design experiments and collect their own data, which is a lost art in the age of big data." 

Event Schedule

• Talks with Drs. Paulus and Sammet — 4-5 p.m., Mullins Library, room 453 

• MRI Suite Open House — 5-7 p.m., I³R Building, 793 W. Dickson St. Fayetteville, AR 72701 (parking available in Harmon Parking Garage) 

To RSVP, visit the U of A campus calendar event at the link here.