The research I performed for my thesis focused on the safety of diagnostic ultrasound. Typically, ultrasound is considered perfectly safe. There have never been any reports of ultrasound cause permanent harm, but the potential for ultrasound to cause bioeffects exists. Ultrasound is a form of energy and much of it is absorbed by the body and converted to heat. This may in turn heat up tissue and if the temperature increase is great enough, permanent damage may be done. Additionally, the pressure in an ultrasonic wave may be great enough to cause mechanical damage to cells or cell membrances. My work is on ways to more accurately measure the amount of ultrasound produced by diagnostic scanners.