Hands-on, accessible learning experiences were developed to introduce students and community members to core concepts in medical physics. This case report describes the development, implementation, and instructional design of two straightforward activities combined in a single lesson plan. The activities use simple, fabricated, and commercially available materials to model principles from nuclear medicine imaging and external beam radiation therapy in an approachable format.
The authors emphasize connecting physical models to medical experiences familiar to many learners as a strategy to provide an entry point into medical physics concepts and career pathways. The full text and associated materials are available via PubMed Central (PMCID PMC13385513). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The lesson structure pairs concise instructional presentations with guided, hands-on exploration. Presentations introduce core principles and vocabulary; hands-on tasks let learners apply those principles using simplified physical models. This structure is designed to be adaptable: educators can tailor depth, technical language, and pacing to middle school, high school, undergraduate audiences, educators, or community participants.
Activities were originally developed for secondary students and later expanded for a broader set of audiences. In 2025 the authors presented both activities at national professional meetings for medical physicists and physics educators, where accompanying materials were distributed to support broader adoption.
The diagnostic activity models the process of localizing a “tumor” within a phantom using sealed radioactive check sources and handheld survey meters. A sealed Sr-90 disc source is embedded inside a fabricated patient phantom so the source is concealed from learners. Students use handheld radiation detectors to search for and localize the emission source.
This activity exposes learners to fundamental topics such as radiation detection, measurement variability, and diagnostic uncertainty. By performing repeated measurements and searching for a hidden source, participants experience practical aspects of localization and quantify variability inherent in measurement devices and techniques. Photographic figures in the report illustrate the phantom construction and the completed patient phantom alongside the radiation detector used in the exercise.
The radiation therapy or treatment activity employs a gelatin-based phantom with an embedded target and colored structures representing organs at risk. The report refers to a completed “Jello head” phantom showing a dark blue embedded target and red organs at risk during mold preparation and after unmolding.
Learners simulate stereotactic radiation beams by inserting wooden skewers through the gel phantom in geometries analogous to CyberKnife or Gamma Knife treatment arrangements. The skewers serve as tangible proxies for radiation beam paths and allow students to explore how beam geometry, alignment precision, and planning decisions affect the spatial relationship between beams, the target, and organs at risk.
Figures demonstrate the mold, embedded components, and examples of skewers placed to approximate stereotactic treatment geometries.
Although the activities were developed for secondary students, the authors expanded use to multiple audience types including middle school, high school, and undergraduate learners, as well as educators and community members. In 2025 both activities were presented at national professional meetings attended by medical physicists and physics educators. Materials distributed at these meetings were intended to support wider adoption by educators and outreach practitioners.
Photographs in the report show adult educators interacting with the mold materials at a professional conference and young learners using the same materials in classroom settings, underscoring adaptability across ages and settings.
Materials include simple fabrication components and commercially available items: sealed check sources (the report specifies a Sr-90 disc source for the imaging activity), handheld survey meters, gelatin molds and dyes for the treatment phantom, and wooden skewers to represent beams. Photographic documentation in the article provides stepwise visual guidance for phantom construction and activity setup.
The diagnostic activity naturally introduces discussions about measurement variability and diagnostic uncertainty; the treatment activity emphasizes precision, geometry, and planning. The authors designed the lesson so educators can modulate technical depth and safety discussions appropriate to learner age and local regulations. Specific procedural or regulatory details beyond the equipment and setup shown were not reported in the abstract.
These two simple phantom-based activities combine accessible materials with guided inquiry to teach core ideas in medical imaging and radiation oncology in an outreach context. By pairing brief instructional content with hands-on exploration, the lesson enables learners to experience detection, localization, planning, and geometric trade-offs firsthand. The authors shared materials at national meetings to encourage broader implementation. The activities serve as an approachable introduction to medical physics concepts and potential career pathways for diverse audiences.