August 14, 2001
Rensselaer Researchers Receive $1 Million From the
National Science Foundation
Troy, N.Y. — Four researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute have received a $1 million grant from the National
Science Foundation to solve a range of problems — including
using the elastic properties of tissue to detect tumors in the
human body — with a branch of mathematics known as inverse
problems.
The recipients of the grant are: Joyce McLaughlin, Ford
Foundation Professor of Mathematical Sciences; Margaret Cheney,
professor of mathematics; Antoinette Maniatty, associate
professor of mechanical engineering; and Clifford Nolan,
assistant professor of mathematics.
"It is unusual for mathematicians to get a grant of this size,
and while it is not a diversity program, three of the
researchers are women. I am proud of that," McLaughlin
said.
Inverse problems is a branch of applied mathematics in which
researchers develop non-invasive methods to gain information
about inaccessible regions — for example, in the human body or
in remote regions of the earth — by probing them with elastic
or electromagnetic waves.
The three-year program is a "Focus Group" award given by the
Division of Mathematical Sciences at NSF to groups of
researchers working collaboratively. The first project at
Rensselaer will be to develop an algorithm for a procedure that
will enable doctors, using low-frequency elastic waves, to
detect abnormal human tissue such as that found in
tumors.
The other projects are:
* Locating sources and objects by time-reversing received
signals, as in reversing a digital tape. The procedure will
locate submerged objects such as submarines, mines, or even
kidney stones.
* Advancing near-field electromagnetic imaging systems to
improve detection of small objects, especially in the human
body. This work has medical imaging and nondestructive testing
applications such as finding cracks and corrosion in
airplanes.
* Developing airborne and satellite-borne radar for locating
partially hidden objects and enhancing detailed topographic
maps.
"Advances in the field of inverse problems depend on a wide
range of expertise — mathematical analysis, engineering,
mathematical modeling, and scientific computation," McLaughlin
said. "The team for each problem brings expertise in all these
areas."
Contact: Megan Galbraith
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A