Current Research

Radar detection of icebergs – This research is a revisit of work done in 1959 under orders from the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard to evaluate methods of detecting icebergs by remote sensing. During the impingement of icebergs on the N.Atlantic shipping lanes and elsewhere, reports of collisions with icebergs in spite of the modern radar systems led the International ice Patrol to launch an investigation of the reasons radar might not be dependable. Budinger determined that cold iceberg ice had a very low dielectric coefficient (3.05) as inferred by measurements at sea on 90 icebergs. The revisit is a confirmation of these data along with the data on the magnitude of wind effect on iceberg drift trajectory. The motivation is the prediction that increased ship traffic in the Northwest Passage regions need to recognize detection reliability is dependent on the atmospheric conditions and surface temperature of icebergs.

Linkages between Blunt Trauma to the Head and Brain Injuries – This project explores the hypothesis that the pituitary receives pressure stresses greater than other brain tissues due to the bone tissue architecture and differences in the speed of pressure stresses between bone and brain tissues. Experimental work includes mapping pressure distributions with sensors after blunt trauma at different stress rates and computational simulations with a high fidelity tissue and bone model with the MIT group of Dr. Raul Radovitzky and the computational center at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Co-investigator is Paul Lum of UC Berkeley.

Intra-oral wireless controller for the handicapped – This project involves development of a tongue touch device for wireless control of computers and other devices. The uniqueness of the device relative to other inventions is the use of Zigbee, pressure switch placement, energy saving algorithm and method of home kit personalized manufacture of the device platform. While commenced in 2006, the system has not reached the specification of one year operations without battery replacement and reestablish communication with touch screens and cell phones. Co-investigators are Dr. Qiyu Peng and Dr. Jonathan Maltz.

20 Tesla magnetic resonance Spacial Resolution for human brain studies – The capabilities to explore biochemical substrates and chemical dynamics, as well as cation regional gradients, oxygen metabolism and brain structures at the 50 μm level in the human brain have prompted a program of design and planning with a team of 24 researchers including magnet and magnetic resonance hardware  engineers and physicists; biophysicists, chemists, inverse problem scientists, and researchers experienced in magnetic field health effects and safety. The study is a response to a National Research Council Report recommendation and is the subject of an NIH application for planning imaging systems beyond anything available, which systems will allow new studies of the brain Lead.Co-investigators include Dr. Mark Bird, (N all. High Magnetic Field Lab, Tallahassee.) and Lceio Frydman, and Joanna Long, Univ. of Florida Gainesville, FL.