Joshua Coon

Adjunct Professor at Salt Lake Community College (Seeking Career Opportunities)

ab9ci9@r.postjobfree.com

Summary

Contact: jjc16_1(at)yahoo(dot)com

I recently graduated with a PhD in Physics from the University of Utah. Since graduation, I have been actively

employed as a professor at several local colleges and universities.

I am looking for a full time career opportunity, either in industry or academia. I have extensive experience with

modeling, numerical methods, optimization, algorithms, code development, finite difference methods, and

Matlab coding.

Academically, I have taught several classes as a professor at local colleges and universities. These include basic

physics classes and math classes ranging from basic Algebra to advanced Calculus and Ordinary Differential

Equations. I have also actively mentored students and participated in several community service projects.

I am available immediately for hire, and I am a citizen of the United States of America.

Experience

Item Writer at American Institutes for Research

February 2013 - Present (5 months)

I worked part-time as a Physics item writer for AIR. My job duties included writing, fact checking, and

editing physics test questions for a high profile national exam.

Adjunct Professor at Salt Lake Community College

May 2012 - Present (1 year 2 months)

As an adjunct professor in the math department at Salt Lake Community College, I taught Calculus I and II,

Business Algebra, and College Algebra. These courses are designed to give students a basic foundation in

mathematics. For some students, these will be the only math classes they take. For other students, these will

be the first steps in a deeper math education. Because of this diversity in the students that take my class, I had

to tailor my materials to be both deep and accessible to students for whom this was their terminal class.

My teaching duties included preparing exams, quizzes, lectures,PowerPoint presentations, answering

questions, organizing and attending study sessions, and supervising student learning. I found this work highly

rewarding, as I have with previous teaching opportunities.

Adjunct Professor at University of Utah

May 2012 - August 2012 (4 months)

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As an adjunct professor at the University of Utah, I taught a single section of College Algebra (Math 1010).

This class is designed to give students that have little or no formal exposure to mathematics basic

foundational math skills. My duties for this position included developing lectures, creating and grading

exams, and answering student questions. I found the opportunity to help remedial students in math to be

highly satisfying.

Adjunct Professor at Utah Valley University

January 2012 - July 2012 (7 months)

As a professor at Utah Valley University, I taught two sections of Physical Science 1000 from January to

May of 2012, and I currently teach an accelerated section of the same class. This is a basic class that

introduces students to a basic knowledge of Physics, Chemistry, Geology, and Astronomy. Perhaps the most

challenging aspect of this job for me was finding a way to adapt interesting scientific material to a level

where it would be accessible to a student with little or no knowledge of the subject. My work was highly

rewarding, and I received several glowing reviews from the students in my class.

Graduate Assistant at Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research

July 2007 - February 2012 (4 years 8 months)

I worked on treatment time reduction for cancer treatments with High Intensity Focused Ultrasound through

treatment simulation and optimization implemented on a high performance computing system with extensive

Matlab programming involved. I also helped design and attended several experiments where HIFU data was

gathered from in vivo and phantom models using a 3.0 Tesla MRI and phased array transducer, which

included simulation data and phantom data matching.

Teaching Assistant at University of Utah

August 2005 - July 2007 (2 years)

• Led discussion sections for all Physics classes in main undergraduate sequence up through quantum

mechanics. This includes Laboratory Classes, Classical Mechanics (Calculus and Algebra based), Electricity

and Magnetism (Calculus and Algebra based), and Quantum Mechanics. Six semesters of experience total.

• Developed deep understanding of basic physics, mathematics, and the application of physics to the real

world from teaching and preparing lectures

• Learned how to lead a classroom, interact effectively with students, and resolve disputes

Volunteer Experience

Judge at Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair

March 2013 - Present (4 months)

I volunteered as a judge at the science fair. I found that this was a great opportunity to interact with and

encourage many young and aspiring scientists.

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Publications

Treatment Time Reduction Through Parameter Optimization in Magnetic Resonance Guided High

Intensity Focused Ultrasound Treatments

University of Utah December 2012

Authors: Joshua Coon

This is my doctoral dissertation, written as part of the requirement to receive a PhD in Physics from the

University of Utah.

HIFU Treatment Time Reduction through Focal Zone Path Selection in Superficial Tumors

International Journal of Hyperthermia August 17, 2011

Authors: Joshua Coon, Allison Payne, Robert Roemer

Purpose: This study evaluates the hypothesis that optimising the path of a high intensity focused ultrasound

(HIFU) treatment's N focal zone heating pulses can significantly reduce treatment time, and identifies the

underlying bio-thermal principles.

Materials and methods: Thirty-one scanning paths were investigated using 3D simulations, with a minimum

thermal dose delivered to every tumour position. Treatment time was calculated as the sum of the N,

individually optimised heating and cooling periods. Tumours were superficial (skin to tumour distance

ranging from 1.3 to 2.5 cm), but always deep enough so that the pre-tumour normal tissue was routinely

heated to its constraint temperature (range: 42#45 C). Properties were uniform and constant, and a range of

blood perfusion and phased array powers were studied.

Results: The best paths significantly reduced treatment times, with the largest gains occurring when (1)

temperature superposition inside the tumour was maximised by successively heating the focal zone positions

located in a ‘stack’ along the transducer's axis, and (2) the focal zone was moved laterally to an optimised

location and another stack was applied. Stacking takes advantage of the focal zone's elongated shape, which

produces axial temperature superposition within the tumour. Reduced tumour heating times also reduced

energy deposition in the normal tissues, thus reducing or eliminating the need for inter-pulse cooling.

Conclusions: HIFU treatment times can be significantly reduced by taking advantage of axial temperature

superposition in tumours. Further reductions are obtained by correct choice of the transverse scan path

HIFU treatment time reduction through heating approach optimisation

International Journal of Hyperthermia November 2012

Authors: Joshua Coon, Nick Todd, Robert Roemer

Purpose: This study evaluated the HIFU treatment time reductions attainable for several scan paths when

optimising the heating approach used (single, discrete pulses versus volumetric scanning) and the paths’ focal

zone heating locations’; number (NFZL), spacings, sequencing order, number of heating cycles (NCYCLES),

and heating times. Also evaluated were the effects of focal zone size, increased tissue absorptivity due to

heating, and optimisation technique.

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Materials and methods: Treatments of homogeneous constant property tumours were simulated for several

simple generic tumour shapes and sizes. The concentrated heating approach (which delivered the desired

thermal dose to each location in one discrete heating pulse (NCYCLES = 1)) was compared to the fractionated

heating approach (which dosed the tumour using multiple, shorter pulses repeatedly scanned around the

heating path (i.e. ‘volumetric scanning’ with NCYCLES > 1)). Treatment times were minimised using both

simultaneous, collective pulse optimisation (which used full a priori knowledge of the interacting effects of

all pulses) and sequential, single pulse optimisation (which used only the information from previous pulses

and cooling of the current pulse).

Results: Optimised concentrated heating always had shorter treatment times than optimised fractionated

heating, and concentrated heating resulted in less normal tissue heating. When large, rapid tissue absorptivity

changes were present (doubled or quadrupled immediately after heating) the optimal ordering of the scan

path's sequence of focal zone locations changed.

Conclusions: Concentrated heating yields significant treatment time reductions and less normal tissue heating

when compared to all fractionated scanning approaches, e.g. volumetric scanning.

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Projects

HIFU treatment time reduction in superficial tumors through focal zone path selection

July 2007 to May 2010

Members:Joshua Coon, Robert Roemer, Allison Payne

Purpose: This study evaluates the hypothesis that optimising the path of a high intensity focused ultrasound

(HIFU) treatment's N focal zone heating pulses can significantly reduce treatment time, and identifies the

underlying bio-thermal principles.

Materials and methods: Thirty-one scanning paths were investigated using 3D simulations, with a minimum

thermal dose delivered to every tumour position. Treatment time was calculated as the sum of the N,

individually optimised heating and cooling periods. Tumours were superficial (skin to tumour distance

ranging from 1.3 to 2.5 cm), but always deep enough so that the pre-tumour normal tissue was routinely

heated to its constraint temperature (range: 42#45 C). Properties were uniform and constant, and a range of

blood perfusion and phased array powers were studied.

Results: The best paths significantly reduced treatment times, with the largest gains occurring when (1)

temperature superposition inside the tumour was maximised by successively heating the focal zone positions

located in a ‘stack’ along the transducer's axis, and (2) the focal zone was moved laterally to an optimised

location and another stack was applied. Stacking takes advantage of the focal zone's elongated shape, which

produces axial temperature superposition within the tumour. Reduced tumour heating times also reduced

energy deposition in the normal tissues, thus reducing or eliminating the need for inter-pulse cooling.

Conclusions: HIFU treatment times can be significantly reduced by taking advantage of axial temperature

superposition in tumours. Further reductions are obtained by correct choice of the transverse scan path.

Languages

Spanish

Skills & Expertise

Matlab

Physics

Optimization

Data Analysis

Teaching

Research

C++

Statistics

Microsoft Office

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PowerPoint

Excel

Writing

Word

Programming

Java

C

HTML

Linux

Photoshop

Problem Solving

Medical Devices

Mentoring

Mathematical Modeling

R&D

Python

Engineering

Biotechnology

Algorithms

Higher Education

Data Mining

Analysis

Public Speaking

Product Development

Education

University of Utah

Master's degree, Physics, 2005 - 2012

University of Utah

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Physics, 2005 - 2011

University of Utah

B.S, Physics, 1999 - 2005

University of Utah

B.S, Mathematics, 1999 - 2005

Honors and Awards

National Merit Scholar, 1999

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Joshua Coon

Adjunct Professor at Salt Lake Community College (Seeking Career Opportunities)

ab9ci9@r.postjobfree.com

Contact Joshua on LinkedIn

Page7

Contact this candidate