Invention of the Year Award: 2004
Meet More Of Our Outstanding Faculty and Staff:
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Meet the 2004 Recipients
Physical Science
Assistant professor Benjamin Shapiro (Aerospace Engineering, Institute for Systems Research), Elisabeth Smela (Mechanical Engineering), Pamela Ann Abshire (Electrical and Computer Engineering, ISR), and Denis Wirtz of Johns Hopkins (shown clockwise in photo) have developed a new technology that will enable selective pathogen detection by exploiting the signaling machinery of living cells.
Cell-level pathogen detection will function by monitoring the response of cells when exposed to a specific external pathogen. Developed by University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University researchers, this technology combines bioengineering with micro-engineered hardware, creating an improved system for pathogen detection. This technology has applications in homeland security, pathogen detection and pharmaceutical screening. A U.S. patent application is pending.
Information Science
Post-doctoral researcher Weifeng Su (ISR), professor K.J. Ray Liu (ECE, ISR), and alum Zoltan Safar (ECE, ISR) (shown top to bottom in photo) have developed three space-frequency code design methods that can guarantee reliable data transmissions at high data rates in broadband wireless communications.
This is the first coding scheme to guarantee both full rate and full diversity in such communications. No other technology demonstrates the same functionality. This technology has potential applications in the design of the next generation of broadband wireless communication systems.