Three Biomedical Engineering faculty members have been elected by the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) to their College of Fellows. Professors Richard B. Borgens, Edward J. Delp, and Peter C. Doerschuk will be inducted as AIMBE Fellows on February 22, 2003 during its annual meeting at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Fellows are recognized by AIMBE as persons who have distinguished themselves in the field of medical and biological engineering. The Purdue inductees' outstanding engineering accomplishments and contributions include: Professor Richard B. Borgens was the first researcher to develop the use of oscillating DC voltages for the treatment of acute human spinal cord injury. He developed another pioneering method of poly(ethyleneglycol) administration to restore conduction through damaged spinal cords. He has developed other methods for the in vivo recovery of nerve impulse conduction and functional recovery in small animals and in clinical cases of paraplegia in dogs.

Professor Edward J. Delp has conducted groundbreaking research in the use of computer-aided diagnostic techniques for automatic detection and classification of breast tumors. His methods are based on the introduction of state-of-the-art signal processing concepts such as multiscale wavelets analysis, Bayesian segmentation, and his now widely adopted methods for the design of statistical decision trees. This new approach to mammogram analysis offers the promise of unparalleled improvements in tumor detection.

Professor Doerschuk, in collaboration with structural biologists, especially Professor J.E. Johnson (The Scripps Research Institute), has developed and implemented algorithms for computing the 3-D structure of viruses from a variety of types of data including solution x-ray scattering curves and cryo electron microscopy images. The overall goal of this work is to understand how the 3-D structure of a virus effects the functioning of the virus, for instance, the process by which a virus particle enters and infects a new host cell.

The number of individuals granted membership in the AIMBE College of Fellows is limited to 2% of the total number of individuals active in medical and biological engineering. It is the highest status attainable in AIMBE.