-----Original Message-----
From: William Colburn
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2011 12:00 AM
To: insiemecontroilcancro2@gmail.com; v.vigna@smatteo.pv.it
Subject: Nomination for the Leonardo da Vinci competion

To the organizers of the Leonardo da Vinci competition for early cancer detection (using particle physics)
My name is William Colburn and I am a recent ElectricalEngineering graduate currently living in England.

I read the press release regarding your competition and wasimpressed by its worthy cause of helping with early cancer detection, and thetransparent nature of the competition.

I do believe early cancer detection is they key to beatingthis dreadful disease.  My 12-year-oldnephew was diagnosed almost 2 years ago with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when he visitedthe doctor with an elevated temperature. After suffering through chemotherapyand radiation treatments he is currently symptom free.  It was caught at an early stage, but had itbeen caught even earlier, much of his suffering would have been reduced oreliminated altogether.

I also read the letter written to President Obama fromconstituents, and digging deeper (via links) read about the theory held by some expertsfrom FERMI National Laboratory who believe that the path to early cancerdetection using particle physics is to focus on increasing spatial resolution ofPET medical imaging devices, ratherthan efficiency (noting activity within the tumor).  I would like to see this disagreementresolved and believe your open competition that uses calculations and logicalreasoning can achieve this.

Therefore I would like to nominate for the Leonardo da Vinci competition the attached project by Dr. Ramberg of FERMIlab who is one of these experts who believes improving PET spatial resolution rather than PET efficiency is the right choice. However, in the last slide of his presentation, he does appear to express some doubt to this choice.

Below, I am providing two references which support my nomination.

First reference:

http://hallaweb.jlab.org/tech/Detectors/public_html/junk/10-31-10/Development%20ofa10psleveltimeofflightsystem.pdf

Second reference:

http://lss.fnal.gov/archive/test-tm/2000/fermilab-tm-2487-ppd.pdf

http://hallaweb.jlab.org/tech/Detectors/public_html/junk/10-31-10/Development%20ofa10psleveltimeofflightsystem.pdf

Cancer is a terrible disease that people fear and it needsto be detected early and eradicated. 

I wish you great success with your competition.

Thank you,

Best Wishes,

William Colburn