A Tabletop MRI Enhances In-Classroom Learning for MSBI Students [Video]

Peder Larson, PhD, teaches an annual course – Principles of MRI – to students in the Master of Science in Biomedical Imaging (MSBI) program. The course illuminates the physics behind MRI scanners, and this year includes a new tool for hands-on learning. In Larson’s classroom on the second floor of Mission Hall, with Koret Quad visible out the window, students have on their table a machine that vaguely resembles a rice cooker or a speaker about to throw down some serious bass.

It’s a tabletop MRI scanner, the Ilumr from Resonint, weighing about as much as a toddler, and it enables students to investigate the physics of MRI technology. Unlike MRI machines in clinical and research settings, which require special shielding, cooling systems, and weigh between five and 40 tons, this portable device offers an unparalleled opportunity for exploration. Students can freely manipulate imaging parameters, observe the effects of different techniques, and …