Oregon Professor Lisa M. Zurk Earns NSF CAREER Award, Is To Research Terahertz Imaging
The National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program is the NSF’s most prestigious award, offering early career development support of “those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.” The NSF review panel rated Zurk’s proposal very highly, describing it as “an excellent proposal that clearly articulates innovative concepts.the broader impact of the project is extremely significant.”
An assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, Lisa Zurk will use the grant funding to explore properties of the terahertz (THz) spectrum with a specific application of Thz spectroscopy to detection of explosives and to biomedical imaging. She plans to develop models for THz propagation and scattering through different and complex materials; the resulting models will be tested in conjunction with the University of Washington’s THz measurement facility. The grant also enables Zurk to incorporate undergraduate and graduate students in groundbreaking research.
Until recently, scientists have lacked the means to effectively generate and detect energy at terahertz frequencies, which fall between microwaves and infrared waves (300GHz-30THz) on the electromagnetic spectrum, earning the nickname “the terahertz gap.” Scientists such as Prof. Zurk are just now beginning to explore terahertz radiation, which presents enticing sensing opportunities unavailable elsewhere on the spectrum, including the potential to:
* Scan for explosives by detecting signature “fingerprints” of deadly materials;
* Noninvasive detection of skin cancer with non-ionizing radiation posing no health risks.
The CAREER Award grant leverages a number of other research projects exploring scattering and propagation models, including an Office of Naval Research Entry-Level Faculty Award for a three-year, $300,000 grant, “Mid-Frequency Bottom Scattering Model Development and Validation.”
Lisa Zurk founded and runs the Northwest Electromagnetics and Acoustics Research Lab (NEAR-Lab), which employs eight students (graduate and undergraduate) and one postdoctoral research associate, and which conducts research in the area of wave propagation and scattering applied to physics-based techniques for sensing applications such as radar, sonar and biomedical processing.
Zurk is the fifth Portland State faculty member to receive a CAREER award from NSF since 1999. Zurk joined the Maseeh College’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in January 2005. Since arriving, she has secured over $1.5 million in research funding, spearheading a record number of collaborations with such institutions as MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington, Oregon Health & Science University’s OGI School of Science & Engineering, Oregon State University and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Background
Zurk’s research interests are primarily in the area of sensing phenomenon and have such relevant applications as remote sensing of the earth’s surface, detection of explosives or bio-agents, and acoustic detection of underwater sources (such as salmon populations). She is the author of over 50 technical publications and serves on numerous professional committees.
Prior to Portland State, Zurk spent nine years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory, was a visiting Fulbright Professor in the University of Helsinki Math Department and spent four years in industry in the area of biomedical instrumentation. Zurk received a bachelor’s degree in computer science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a master’s in electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of Washington.
Located in the heart of Oregon’s Silicon Forest, Portland State University’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science is uniquely positioned to deliver progressive engineering and computer science education. In recent years, the College has seen a sharp increase in funded research, reflecting the new priority placed on world-recognized research activity.
By teaming with regional industry and government, faculty members keep the curriculum current and prepare Portland State students to make an immediate contribution to the workforce through participation in Senior Capstone design projects, internships and research opportunities. During the 2005-2006 academic year the College enrolled over 1,800 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs.
For more information about Portland State University, go to http://www.pdx.edu/, NEAR-Lab at Portland State: http://nearlab.ece.pdx.edu/
Source:
http://www.pdx.edu/news/9032/