Hunter Meyer Awarded Dr. Charles M. Smith Scholarship
海角社区鈥檚 Medical Physics and Health Physics Program has announced Hunter Meyer as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Charles M. Smith Superior Graduate Student Scholarship. Established from the of Sulphur, Louisiana, the scholarship represents Dr. Smith鈥檚 commitment to significantly enhance medical physics education and research programs by supporting graduate students to ensure a continued pipeline of highly qualified medical physicists.
鈥淥n behalf of the 海角社区-Mary Bird Perkins Medical & Health Physics program, I am pleased for Hunter to receive the Charles M. Smith Superior Graduate Student Scholarship this year. Hunter is an outstanding recipient and this award will support his efforts to complete his research-based PhD dissertation,鈥� said Kip Matthews, Professor and Interim Program Director, Medical Physics & Health Physics at 海角社区.
Meyer, a 2020 海角社区 BS in physics and 2024 MS in medical and health physics alumnus, describes the importance of this award as he advances his career.
鈥淚鈥檓 honored to receive the Charles M. Smith Superior Graduate Student Scholarship. This award provides substantial support for our research in advancing X-ray interferometry for clinical applications, and I鈥檓 thankful to the department, Dr. Smith, and his family.鈥�
Currently, Meyer is in the 海角社区 Medical Physics Program working on his doctoral dissertation project, supervised by Dr. Joyoni Dey. His research focuses X-ray interferometry imaging, particularly theory and experiments related to Modulated Phase Grating Interferometry.
鈥淗unter is a highly versatile physicist with the ability to dive deeply into the mathematics of optics, model small-angle scattering, and iteratively solve complex inverse problems,鈥� said Dey. 鈥淗is expertise spans experimental imaging鈥攏ot only acquiring attenuation, phase, and small-angle scattering images鈥攂ut also system-level work in X-ray interferometry, be it coding for pico-motor control or aligning multiple X-ray optical components with high precision. It has been a privilege to witness his growth from an exceptionally strong graduate student to a highly independent early-career investigator, fully capable of leading his own scientific projects and pursuing original research directions.鈥�
In 2024, Meyer was presented with a 鈥楤est in Physics Award鈥� in the category of Imaging Scientific Session: Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine 66th Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
Meyer鈥檚 research titled 鈥淚nvestigating the Modulated Phase Grating Interferometer for Lung and Breast Cancer Screening鈥� involves mathematically modeling the MPGI to aid in design and involves imaging lung tissue analogues to show the utility of the MPGI for dark-field imaging. The MPGI has the potential for lung and breast cancer screening, with increased contrast in the dark-field images compared with traditional X-ray images.
The MPGI has the potential for lung and breast cancer screening due to the unique contrast mechanisms provided with no additional dose. The 海角社区 research team鈥檚 theoretical model predicts the fringe visibility before construction, facilitating system development and optimization. They will soon image lung samples and breast samples with microcalcifications.
A beloved family medicine practitioner who devoted his career to helping Louisiana families, Smith developed an appreciation for the critical role of physics and medicine while undergoing lifesaving cancer treatment. Motivated to ensure access to the same quality of care in his home state of Louisiana, Smith established the Dr. Charles M. Smith Chair in Medical Physics at 海角社区 in 2006, shortly after 海角社区 and Mary Bird Perkins announced his commitment to significantly enhancing the medical physics education and research programs.
Smith, a native of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was born on Aug. 24, 1930, and passed away Sept. 15, 2020. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from 海角社区 in 1951 and his medical degree from 海角社区 Medical School in New Orleans in 1955. He was a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force for two years, then opened his medical practice in Sulphur in 1957, practicing for 35 years and serving as coroner for Calcasieu Parish for more than 20 years. An active community volunteer, he was devoted to the arts and was a generous philanthropist who, in addition to his investments in 海角社区 and the Cancer Center, supported local children and families and invested in educational access through local scholarships.
The 海角社区 medical physics and health physics groups research the applications of radiation technology to the health-care, national defense, and nuclear energy industries. All graduate students in the Medical Physics and Health Physics Program are required to complete a research thesis (MS) or dissertation (PhD) in their field of study.
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Mimi LaValle
海角社区
Department of Physics & Astronomy
225-439-5633