Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center hosts educational event for Girl Scouts seeking to earn “Get to Know Nuclear” patch
(Baton Rouge, La.) Girl Scouts Troop 10770 recently learned about the fields of nuclear technology and medical physics, especially as it relates to cancer care, when they attended a special workshop at Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. The Girl Scouts, seeking to earn a “Get to Know Nuclear” patch, participated in a number of engaging information sessions presented by staff members, residents and graduate students who are part of the Mary Bird Perkins/LSU Medical Physics Partnership.
One of the sessions, “Girls in Science,” led by female LSU graduate students and a Cancer Center medical physicist, focused on famous women physicists and their influences on science, medicine and engineering throughout the ages.
“Sharing the world of science is rewarding on so many levels, and to share this with young women who may choose a career in this field is gratifying,” said Rebecca Guidry, a medical physicist at Mary Bird Perkins. “Through my work at the Cancer Center, I see how science impacts people; it can help save lives. I wanted the Scouts to know they can choose a science-related career and impact their community on a number of levels.”
Other topics covered during the workshop included computer science, medicine and engineering. Funding and event coordination was provided by the American Nuclear Society – LSU Chapter.
The Mary Bird Perkins – LSU Medical Physics Partnership provides for a multi-layered joint academic and research program between the two organizations. Created in 2004, the partnership leverages the educational and research resources of LSU and the cancer expertise of Mary Bird Perkins to benefit patients receiving cancer care in Southeast Louisiana and beyond.
About Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center
As a regional destination for cancer care, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center offers the most advanced technology and services provided by a dedicated team of nationally-recognized oncology experts. The Cancer Center provides best-practice, comprehensive care at every stage of the cancer journey, including disease site-specific multidisciplinary care teams, a robust clinical research program, extensive supportive care services and is the only facility in the Gulf South with the revolutionary Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™. As a nonprofit organization, donor generosity is essential to sustaining the mission of improving survivorship and lessening the burden of cancer for so many throughout Southeast Louisiana and beyond. For more information on the Cancer Center, and how you can become involved, please visit mbpolol.org.