Farewells and welcomes at the start of the academic year

The start of the new academic year brings some changes to our team: several students are finishing their projects, while new ones are just getting started.

Robin, a Medical Natural Sciences student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, completed his bachelor research on the differences between model-based and delineation-based target volume definition in ocular proton therapy planning. Tekin, a medical student with a focus on ophthalmology, wrote his master’s thesis on how treatment selection for uveal melanoma has shifted since ocular proton therapy became available in the Netherlands. We thank them both for their enthusiasm and hard work, and wish them all the best for the next steps in their careers.

At the same time, we welcome three new master’s students, each bringing a different background to the group:

• Marlene studies Technical Medicine and will investigate the effect of linear energy transfer (LET) in treatment planning for ocular proton therapy.
• Jeffrey is a physics student who will use microCT imaging to determine the stopping power of ocular tissues.
• Ayesti studies Biomedical Technology and Physics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and will determine which CT reconstruction technique best visualizes ocular tumours for radiotherapy planning.

This mix of clinical, physical and engineering perspectives is exactly what our multidisciplinary research thrives on.

Finally, Anna’s time in our group has also come to an end. As a radiotherapy technician specialized in treatment planning, she contributed to many of our projects, making many, many ocular proton therapy plans along the way. We are very grateful for all her help, and we will miss her enthusiasm. Anna now continues her clinical work full time, but we hope she will join us again for future projects. She said goodbye in style, with homemade cakes decorated with the MReye logo.