Work experience at the

Forschungszentrum Jülich
This is a work experience report of the 10 Days I spent at the
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (Part of the Helmholzgesellschaft).

The guard-house where you control, who enters or leaves the Forschungszentrum to prevent
the stealing of studies' results and belongings of the Forschungszentrum.
Here you can also get a visitors entrance permission.
 Content
1. About the Forschungszentrum Jülich
- About the Forschungszentrum Jülich2
-- About the Forschungszentrum Jülich3

2.What I have done in my 10 day work

experience

3.The machines I have worked with

-The machines I have worked with 2
--The machines I have worked with 3

4.One day as a “Physiklaborant”

5.Sources
About the Forschungszentrum Jülich

The Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH is an Institute, which does research in the

categories:
Health, Energy and Environment, based on the main competences
Physics and Supercomputing.
With 4428 employees in 2008 it is one of the biggest Institutions in Europe and a
total size of about 2.2 square kilometres and about 40kilometers of road it’s easy to
get lost if you don’t visit it on regular bases.
If you visit its area it is quite useful to get a Map from the guard-house at the
entrance.
The Institution where I was stationed during the work experience was the
Institution for Neuroscience and Medicine INM.
In the INM there are different departments.
My Office was in the department for Cognitive Neurology (INM-3) in the Building
(15.2).
About the Forschungszentrum
Jülich2
The Forschungszentrum has a Budget of 415.000.000 Euros

, 4.470 Employees

and 985 guest scientists.

About the Forschungszentrum Jülich
The Fz-Jülich has 357 apprenticeship training positions

, 1.725 Publications
 and 16.276 Licenses and Copyrights.

What I have done in my 10 day

Work experience
Day 1
I was welcomed at the former BAW territory and then was driven to my Building inside of
the Fz-Juelich. I was allotted with Dr.Weidner and Mr.Haumann. Mr. Haumann was at
Holiday at the first week so I was with Dr.Weidner.
He allocated me to one Office and allowed me to get known with the department.
Dr.Weidner introduced me with Mr.Boers and they showed me the
Magneto Encephalography (Alsoin connection with the Müller-Lyer Illusion.).
Prof. Weiss Blankenhorn told me about the Forschungszentrums history and did the
Marking of Lesures on the Brain.
Day2
I was sent to Mrs. Stoffels to get to the PET (Positron Emission Tomography)
She gave me a “Dosimeter” and I visited the PET. During the Process of measuring I was
taken to the Cyclotron with Mr. M.Lang. He explained to me how it and the synthesis
work.
There is a method which is called GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)
This by the people using it is also known as “Give Me Paper”.
Day3
Today Mr. Funk visited me to see if everything is all right.
I was taken to the TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)
Day4
This day I got further Information about Neglect and Extinction but was also introduced
to the Moon Illusion.
Day5
Now I was at the MRT (Magnetic Resonance Tomography) in a study, where I have been a
proband myself one Year ago.
Last Week (5 Day’s)
In the last Week I visited the Hybrid MRT-PET, the EEG (Electroencephalography) and
the CYCLOTRON.

The Machines I have worked with

MEG (Magneto Encephalography)

is an imaging technique used to measure the magnetic fields produced by electrical

activity in the brain via extremely sensitive devices such as superconducting quantum
interference devices (SQUIDs). These measurements are commonly used in both
research and clinical settings. There are many uses for the MEG, including assisting
surgeons in localizing pathology, assisting researchers in determining the function of
various parts of the brain, neurofeedback, and others.
PET (PositronEmissionTomography)

is a nuclear medicine imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or

picture of functional processes in the body.

A PET.
The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting
radionuclide (tracer), which is introduced into the body on a biologically active
molecule. Images of tracer concentration in 3-dimensional space within the body are
then reconstructed by computer analysis. In modern scanners, this reconstruction is
often accomplished with the aid of a CT X-ray scan performed on the patient during the
same session, in the same machine.
In the Fz-Jülich they were using O15 or C11 for Brain Activity measurement and F18 for
Metabolism measurement.

The Machines I have worked with 2

COOLER CYCLOTRON ( COSY)
A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. Cyclotrons accelerate charged particles
using a high-frequency, alternating voltage (potential difference). A perpendicular
magnetic field causes the particles to spiral almost in a circle so that they re-encounter
the accelerating voltage many times.
Ernest Lawrence, of the University of California, Berkeley, is credited with the
development of the cyclotron in 1929, though others had been working along similar
lines at the time.
TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)
is a non invasive method to excite neurons in the brain: weak electric currents are
induced in the tissue by rapidly changing magnetic fields (electromagnetic induction).
This way, brain activity can be triggered with minimal discomfort, and the functionality
of the circuitry and connectivity of the brain can be studied.

The Machines I have worked with 3

Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp
produced by the firing of neurons within the brain. In clinical
contexts, EEG refers to the recording of the brain's spontaneous
electrical activity over a short period of time, usually 20–40
minutes, as recorded from multiple electrodes placed on
the scalp. In neurology, the main diagnoistic application of
EEG is in the case of epilepsy, as epileptic activity can create
clear abnormalities on a standard EEG study.
A secondary clinical use of EEG is in the diagnosis of coma, Picture:Somebody
encephalopathies, and brain death. EEG used to be a wearing the cap
first-line method for the diagnosis of tumors, stroke and with integrated
other focal brain disorders, but this use has decreased EEG electrodes.
with the advent of anatomical imaging techniques such as MRI and CT.

Hybrid f-MRT PET

The Hybrid f-MRT PET is Built like the f-MRT but inside of it there is a PET device built in.
So that both separate devices become one to take
the advantages of both devices to complement
and minimize the disadvantages.
So the high resolution, but grey, image of the MRT
meets the not so high resolution, but
metabolism/activity in colour, image. ( As seen in
the Picture.)
l eft: f-MRT image; right PET image;
middle Hybrid f-MRT PET image

One day as a “Physiklaborant”

I wake up at 6:30 and drive to work by car at 7:00. I arrive at about 8:00.
Now I first go in my Office and check all my E-mails and what I am going to do
this day. On today's plan it says, that I have to produce 18
Injections of O 15 half-value period is 2 minutes.
I start with activating the Cyclotron and start shooting the first targets to
produce O 15 which is now Radioactive and is being mixed with Water
and NaCl in the synthesis. Now it is filled into a syringe which is surrounded
with a lead protector to avoid the Laborant of getting to much Radiation.
The first time I make a Synthesis I collect one microliter of the fluid and
check it for Peaks in the wrong place which would mean, that its not sterile
or, that there was a problem with the synthesis, which would mean, that I
would have to check the whole processing machines and mechanism's.
But today the Peak is as wanted in the right spot and its the only one → the
solution is clean.
Now I measure the radioactivity in the syringe : Its normal (at 16 Roentgen
which is over 15 Roentgen, the minimum dose) because otherwise we would
have to wait until the radioactivity is less than 20 Roentgen. If it was less it
wouldn't be enough to measure until it has reached the Patient.
Now I repeat thus procedure another 15 times and do the GMP
(Good Manufacturing Practice) also known as “Give Me Paper”.
I finish the day with an Protocol of what I have done and what my does of
radioactivity is.
Now I go to the Office and check my Mail again.
No Mail → I leave at about 16:00 are at home at 17:00.

Sources