{"id":1366,"date":"2020-03-31T09:22:27","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T16:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1366"},"modified":"2024-07-31T15:22:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T22:22:10","slug":"radiation-innovative-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/radiation-innovative-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"Radiation health physics instructor is on a path toward global peace"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Oregon

Lily Ranjbar, pictured here showing a colleague a circuit board, is the online program director and an instructor in Oregon State’s radiation health physics master’s degree program.<\/p><\/div>\n

Ph.D. faculty Lily Ranjbar teaches online while leading research on radioxenon detection<\/h2>\n
Editor’s note:This story was originally published<\/a> by the OSU College of Engineering<\/em>.<\/div>\n

When\u00a0Lily Ranjbar<\/a>, director of online programs for the College of Engineering\u2019s School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, left Iran to pursue her doctorate in the United States, she didn\u2019t know when she would get to return. Continuing her education in nuclear engineering at Oregon State University meant relocating thousands of miles from her family and committing to a single-entry visa. As an Iranian national studying nuclear energy, Ranjbar ran into the personal impacts of international policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody told me I didn\u2019t have a chance,\u201d Ranjbar said. \u201cBut I had to try. I wanted to make the best future for myself, and I felt that coming to the U.S. and studying at Oregon State was the best choice for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ranjbar persevered through the challenges of admission, getting a visa, and moving halfway around the world. When she arrived in Corvallis in 2012, she lived with a family for the first several days, as part of Oregon State\u2019s\u00a0homestay program<\/a>\u00a0for international students.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a really great experience for me,\u201d she said. \u201cMy husband and I stayed with a couple and they showed us around, helped us find a place to live. We didn\u2019t get culture shock as bad. We call them our American grandparents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ranjbar\u2019s doctoral research in Oregon State\u2019s\u00a0Radiation Detection Group<\/a>, headed by\u00a0Abi Farsoni<\/a>, associate professor of nuclear science and engineering, focused on designing, developing, and making radioxenon detection systems for nuclear weapons test monitoring.<\/p>\n

“<\/span>We try to make the world a better, safer place with our research.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt promotes global peace,\u201d Ranjbar said. \u201cWe try to make the world a better, safer place with our research.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her desire for and efforts to achieve peace stem from her upbringing in Iran. The country was ravaged by war for much of her childhood, and the effects of the conflicts linger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still remember those days clearly, how tough those days were. I don’t want any other children around the world to see those kind of things that I saw, those kinds of things that I felt,\u201d she said. \u201cThat’s why I came to this field, and I want to really help all children around the world, and all people, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she finished her doctorate in 2016, Ranjbar decided to keep working in academia. She leapt at the chance to stay at Oregon State and transition to teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love university culture,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a place full of passion and energy. I\u2019m always interacting with people who have new ideas and want to try new things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ranjbar began her academic career as an instructor and has since transitioned to her directorial role. She\u2019s been instrumental in developing online courses and expanding the\u00a0radiation health physics online master\u2019s program<\/a>, which is delivered through Oregon State Ecampus.<\/p>\n

Ranjbar has focused on building community by helping online distance learners feel more connected to their campus peers and on using innovative technology to create interactive lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always try to find new methods to explain things in nuclear engineering and radiation health physics,\u201d she said. \u201cEcampus is really supportive. They always help us find new ways to express things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Online education has many benefits, according to Ranjbar. It allows students, many of whom are already working professionals, to continue with their employment and remain present for their families. In order to personalize the experience, Ranjbar chats via Skype or Zoom. She also created what she calls Student Lounge, where students can ask questions of each other virtually and find study partners.<\/p>\n

Ranjbar divides her time between teaching, research, and her work as director. She also sits on doctoral advisory committees and is known among students for her compassion and support.<\/p>\n

“<\/span>I tell them, no matter how hard it is, to keep following the light in their path and to keep moving forward.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She\u2019s still expanding on her doctoral research, working to make radioxenon detectors even more sensitive, and is also involved in nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear security research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nuclear field is still new and challenging,\u201d Ranjbar said. \u201cA lot of things with this major are experimental, and I like experimental procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite some of the doubts and obstacles she initially encountered, Ranjbar is glad she stuck to her path, and she tries to instill that same persistence in her students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always use myself as an example, how hard it was to come from a village and continue my education as a first-generation student,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I tell them, no matter how hard it is, to keep following the light in their path and to keep moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ready to take the next step? Learn more about the radiation health physics program today.<\/p>\n

Request information<\/a><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Ph.D. faculty Lily Ranjbar teaches online while leading research on radioxenon detection Editor’s note:This story was originally published by the OSU College of Engineering. When\u00a0Lily Ranjbar, director of online programs for the College of Engineering\u2019s School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, left Iran to pursue her doctorate in the United States, she didn\u2019t know when … Radiation health physics instructor is on a path toward global peace<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":1523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,9,678,3],"tags":[160,23,344],"class_list":["post-1366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-faculty","category-faculty-and-programs","category-features","tag-college-of-engineering","tag-engineering","tag-radiation-health-physics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Lily-Ranjbar-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-m2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1105,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-engineering-graduate-programs-top-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":1366,"position":0},"title":"Online engineering graduate programs earn Oregon State top 10 national ranking","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"January 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Powered by the expertise of its engineering faculty and the excellence of their students, Oregon State University has been ranked No. 9 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs. 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