An international course in accelerator radiation protection took place on October 2-9, 2001, in the beautiful city of Erice, in the northeastern corner of Sicily. The small historical city is perched atop a high and steep rocky mountain. From the plain down below, the trip to Erice up the narrow, winding road appears slow and fraught with peril. The same could be said about the process of setting up the course, which took several years of preparation. It all started at the Health Physics Society annual meeting in San Antonio in 1997 with a suggestion by Alessandro Rindi and Ralph Thomas to revive a series of popular courses organized in Erice in the seventies and early eighties. After some initial setbacks, the Accelerator Section joined forces with colleagues from CERN and, in spite of difficulties along the way (lack of funding being just one of them), the course took finally place.
This course was organized as part of the School of Radiation Damage and Protection, one of many such "schools" under the auspices of the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture. It was attended by 52 students from 17 countries and 12 faculty from Europe and North America. Most of the "students" were accomplished professionals and many of them renowned experts in their field, which undoubtedly contributed to the lively and open discussions among all participants during courses and coffee breaks. Discussions were further encouraged by the Marsala wine freely flowing from two barrels strategically located in the social room in the San Rocco Center.
The program, which was previously advertised in these pages, covered many different aspects of accelerator radiation protection. Most of the presented talks will appear in the special issue of Radiation Protection Dosimetry, currently in print. All participants agreed that the course was a resounding success, resulting in equal measure from the quality of the technical program, flawless performance of the Ettore Majorana facilities and support of their personnel, and the breathtaking beauty of the place. Perhaps the pictures below will bring closer the ambiance of the course. We hope that similar courses in the School of Radiation Damage and Protection will follow in the not-so-distant future.