FOE Website

My research examines biologically-inspired concepts derived from the cuttlefish (Cephalopods) along with adaptive and autonomous systems in other insects and mammals and studies multi-scale engineering techniques where these and other discoveries can be applied in the development of multifunctional sensing and communication technologies for science, engineering, and education.

The interactive blending of intellects and open forum for critical thinking in the Frontiers of Engineering program coalesce into a unique and collaborative medium that both examines and facilitates transformative ideas for technological advances and social innovations.

My focus is on building leading-edge cloud computing solutions for health care.  I have implemented a centralized web-based system that hosts over 40 million patient records across 47 states and executes over 1 million transactions per day.

The Frontiers of Engineering program offered me the rare and extraordinary opportunity to network with peers who are literally at the top of their fields. From cloud computing to genome sequencing to robotics to music visualization, the topics ranged from areas I was deeply familiar with to topics I had never encountered. While learning about these topics was enjoyable, the best part was actually talking about the connections between fields.  I can think of no better environment for that type of wide-ranging exploratory discussion.

My research is in the area of nano-photonics.  I study how light interacts with materials in order to design higher sensitivity biosensors for the detection of various pathogens, higher speed and lower power components for next-generation on-chip optical computing, and higher efficiency emission from light-emitting diodes for improved lighting applications.

FOE provides an intellectually stimulating environment where researchers across multiple areas of engineering who may not typically interact are given the opportunity to come together and exchange ideas. I learned about scientific challenges that are outside the scope of my current research focus, hypothesized with fellow attendees about novel ways to address some of these challenges, and brought back the spirit of these discussions into the classroom at Vanderbilt as inspiration for my students.

My research is in the area of biomedical optics.  I work with biologists, chemists, and engineers to develop imaging tools to diagnose disease and guide treatment.

Attending the FOE meeting was a tremendously valuable and enlightening experience for me.  I was exposed to new topics, listened to top-notch presentations by leaders in their respective fields, and interacted with a very talented and passionate pool of engineers from so many disciplines.  Being surrounded by such bright and engaging people was extremely energizing.

My research focus is on enabling access to advanced computational techniques to the scientific middle class, thus democratizing research.

The FOE symposium was a great place to meet with similarly-minded people and forge collaborations. It was very interesting to hear great talks from different fields of engineering.

I develop droplet-based microfluidic systems that enable precise quantification of DNA concentrations through digital PCR (polymerase chain reaction).

FOE provides a rare opportunity to engage with a large group of outstanding engineers from academia and industry whose research interests and breadth of expertise span the entire field of engineering.