University of Iowa students and post-doctoral researchers in engineering, math, health care got a behind the scenes look at the commercial side of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as early career pathways in the field, through a visit to GE HealthCare (GEHC) headquarters in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

The MRI market is rapidly expanding due to advances in technology and increased accuracy of diagnosis, a potential ripe field for graduates. The visit connected learning in the classroom and MRI scanning labs with how MRI technology is developed, engineered, and commercialized at scale, said Sajan Lingala, associate professor of biomedical engineering.

"They got a behind the scenes look at how MRI technology is built and brought to market, something they'll carry with them for years to come," said Lingala, who coordinated the visit as part of his graduate-level course called Principles of MRI (BME 6230). James Holmes of the radiology department also played a key role in arranging the visit.

Facilitated by Rob Peters, global product manager for advanced MR research systems at GEHC, and supported by the entire GEHC team, the Iowa group heard from engineers and scientists working across the breadth of MRI development. They discussed pulse sequence programming, image reconstruction, safety, usability, system design, and productization. They also got an up-close look at MAGNUS, GEHC’s latest high-performance head-only MRI system, and toured the company's state-of-the-art facilities.

Graduate students, senior undergraduates, and postdocs from biomedical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, and radiology are participating in the course.

The course covers MRI from the ground up, from foundational physics (polarization, excitation, k-space, relaxation) to advanced topics including non-Cartesian reconstruction, compressed sensing, and deep learning-based image reconstruction. Students also complete hands-on scanning lab exercises on the GE 3Tesla Premier and MAGNUS scanners at the UI’s Magnetic Resonance Research Facility (MRRF).

Holmes and Xi Peng, both from the UI Department of Radiology, have contributed guest lectures and lab instruction.