proton therapy

My Saturday field trip was a tour of the proton therapy center at the big local cancer center. So cool! We got to see the therapy rooms and then the huge machine supplying the protons behind the therapy rooms and then the syncratron that makes the protons and gets them up to speed (60% of the speed of light, or was it sound? Anyway, FAST!). We also got to pick the brain of one of the big wig doctors. He sat down at our table and gave us a speedy history of radiation therapy and the development of proton therapy.

As many of you know I have a healthy fear of doctors (they always tell you that something is wrong...) and I hate hospitals, but this was more like a lab where they do cool experiments and fix you with technology. I can see why this hospital employs so many people in town--I was ready to work there after a short tour!