Tech Topics - Fall 2008 - (Page 14) THE HILL PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH on a headset outside the mouth or on an orthodontic brace inside the mouth. The sensor output signals are wirelessly transmitted to a portable computer, which can be carried on the user’s clothing or wheelchair. Full text: http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/ release.html?id=1960&ga=1 Todd Tapped for Search Panel Bill Todd, IM 71, chair of the Alumni Association, has been appointed to the search committee charged with finding a replacement for former Tech president Wayne Clough, whose 14-year tenure ended June 30 with his departure to head the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Willis Potts, IE 69, a member of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia, serves as committee chair. Regents serving on the committee are Hugh Carter, IE 64; Mansfield Jennings, IM 56; Jim Jolly, Text 64; Don Leebern; Eldridge McMillan; Ben Tarbutton, Mgt 94; and Richard Tucker. Committee members from Tech are professor Gisele Bennett, representing the Georgia Tech Research Institute; professor Thomas Boston, School of Economics; professor Steven French of the College of Architecture; Don Giddens, AE 63, MS AE 65, PhD AE 66, College of Engineering dean; Gary May, EE 85, chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; professor Sandra Slaughter, College of Management; professor Jeffrey Wu, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Herky Harris, IM 65, chair of the Georgia Tech Foundation; and Darryl Richard, Mgt 07, MBA student, athlete and member of the Georgia Tech All-Academic Team. Also named to the committee were Joe Rogers, IM 68, Waffle House CEO, and Chris Young, HTS 00, of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. RESEARCH Nanoparticles Combat Cancer Scientists at Georgia Tech have developed a potential new treatment against cancer that attaches magnetic nanoparticles to cancer cells, allowing them to be captured and carried out of the body. “This technology may be of special importance in the treatment of ovarian cancer where the malignancy is typically spread by free-floating cancer cells released from the primary tumor into the abdominal cavity,” said John McDonald, School of Biology chair and Ovarian Cancer Institute chief research scientist. This technology holds more promise than solely using antibodies to fight cancer because there seems to be less potential for the body to develop an immune response due to the unique peptide-targeting strategy and the composition of the magnetic nanoparticles. Full text: http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/ release.html?id=1992&ga=1 TRANSITIONS Foley Takes Computing Reins James D. Foley, professor in the School of Interactive Computing, became interim dean of the College of Computing effective July 1, following Rich DeMillo’s announcement in June that he would step down to pursue research interests and return to the faculty. Foley was one of the computer graphics pioneers who helped establish human-computer interaction as a discipline. He is the first author of what is considered to be the definitive text in computer graphics, “Fundamentals of Interactive Computer Graphics,” which has sold 400,000 copies in 10 translations. He came to Tech as a professor of computer science in 1991 and founded the Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center. Four years later, U.S. News & World Report ranked the center No. 1 for graduate computer science work in graphics and user interaction. Foley became director of the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratory in 1996 and CEO and chairman of the Mitsubishi Electric Information Technology Center America in 1998. He returned to Georgia in late 1999 to head up the state’s Yamacraw economic development initiative in the design of broadband systems, devices and chips. TECHNOLOGY Tongue System Aids Disabled An assistive technology system developed by Georgia Tech engineers allows individuals with disabilities to operate a computer, control a powered wheelchair and interact with their environments just by moving their tongues. “This device could revolutionize the field of assistive technologies by helping individuals with severe disabilities, such as those with high-level spinal cord injuries, return to rich, active, independent and productive lives,” said Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering who developed the system with graduate student Xueliang Huo. “We chose the tongue to operate the system because unlike hands and feet, which are controlled by the brain through the spinal cord, the tongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve that generally escapes damage in severe spinal cord injuries or neuromuscular diseases,” Ghovanloo said. Movement of the magnetic tracer attached to the tongue is detected by an array of magnetic field sensors mounted 14 TechTopics | Fall 2008 http://www.ferstcenter.org http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=1960&ga=1 http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=1960&ga=1 http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=1992&ga=1 http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=1992&ga=1 http://www.ferstcenter.org
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