College of Engineering Magazine- Spring 2001

X-Ray Vision

Research Center Penetrates Hidden Worlds with New Sensing and Imaging Approaches

By David J. Craig

At first glance, there seem to be more differences than similarities: searching for heart defects using ultrasound, detecting landmines using ground-penetrating radar, finding deformities in a cell by using advanced optics. But they have a common theme — looking for secrets beneath a surface, and all will soon be easier to accomplish thanks to technologies developed by a new multi-institutional research effort involving several College of Engineering faculty members.

Six academic and research institutions and two teaching hospitals will collaborate with industrial partners as part of the Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (CenSSIS), which is supported by a five-year, $16.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

A primary goal of the center is to create a “unified framework for understanding subsurface sensing systems,” according to Professor Bahaa Saleh, chairman of ENG’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and CenSSIS deputy director.

“No matter what the scale of the objects we try to identify, whether they be large archaeological objects or microscopic cells — and whether the sensors utilize light waves or sound waves — the physics and mathematics that form the basis of these technologies are very similar,” Saleh says. “But in the past, researchers working on subsurface sensing in different areas have gone their own ways and haven’t communicated well. This is going to bring everybody together to share our experience and tools.”

“The research could result in advances in a new generation of medical imaging for better and less invasive diagnosing of cancer and heart disease, and methods to improve in vitro fertilization and to detect underground pollution or hidden highway bridge damage,” says CenSSIS Director Michael Silevitch, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University.

Northeastern University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez are collaborating with BU on CenSSIS, as are researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

CenSSIS will also establish design competitions and pre-engineering programs for middle and high school students, sensing and imaging laboratories for undergraduates at the four contributing academic institutions, research internships in industry, and interdisciplinary, team-taught courses that focus on how engineering work is applied in the real world.

Michael Ruane, an ENG associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, will direct the CenSSIS educational effort at BU, which should include a new internship program in which students continue to be paid by an industrial partner for research done at BU after their on-site work is complete.

CenSSIS will have “a major impact on education at BU for a long time,” according to Saleh. “One complaint nationally about engineering education is that it is too abstract and students don’t learn how the tools they create fit into the larger system in which they’re used. But through the internships and the undergraduate lab work in sensing and imaging, the center will help students understand the practical applications of their work at a very early stage, and it will show them the role engineering plays in society.”

BU’s main contributions to the center’s research will be in the areas of acoustics and ultrasonic imaging, photonics, and signal processing.

Ronald Roy, an ENG associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, will lead a team of researchers in developing new, highly effective sensors that use sound waves to detect objects beneath a variety of surfaces, based on his pioneering work in acoustics and ultrasonic imaging.

Also working to develop new subsurface sensors will be a group of researchers under Saleh’s direction. With Malvin Teich, an ENG professor of electrical and computer engineering, Saleh holds a patent for a new form of microscopy, called entangled-photon fluorescence microscopy. The technology allows scientists to look deeper into human tissue at a finer resolution than traditional microscopes can, while causing less damage to living cells. Also active on the project is Alexander Sergienko, an ENG associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

“Boston University’s expertise in acoustics and photonics provides a promising array of approaches for the development of sensors for use in a variety of subsurface environments,” says Saleh. “We also have researchers here with expertise in extracting information from blurred and noisy data. That is vital to interpreting data collected by the sensors, so the structure of the imaged objects can be clearly seen.”

David Castanon, an ENG associate professor of electrical and computer engineering who is associate director of CenSSIS, will lead the processing of data gathered by the subsurface sensors.

Under the terms of the National Science Foundation grant, the four academic institutions will provide matching funds of about $16 million over the grant period. With additional support from industry partners and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the center’s annual budget is expected to be $8 million. About twenty-five biomedical, engineering, and high-tech firms, including Raytheon and Mercury Computers, have indicated an interest in working with CenSSIS, according to Saleh.

Saleh says the collaborations fostered by CenSSIS will help bring his own invention closer to commercialization. “Our microscopy technology hasn’t been tested in a real-life setting yet,” he says, “and having access to the hospitals that are participating in the project could get us to that stage soon.

“Another advantage is that our group does not have the expertise to develop the special computer programs necessary to extract useful information from what our microscope reads,” he continues. “Other partners in the center will provide that.”


X-Ray Vision Research Center Penetrates Hidden Worlds with New Sensing and Imaging Approaches By David J. Craig At first glance, there seem to be more differences than similarities: searching for heart defects using ultrasound, detecting landmines using ground-penetrating radar, finding deformities in a cell by using advanced optics. But they have a common theme — looking for secrets beneath a surface, and all will soon be easier to accomplish thanks to technologies developed by a new multi-institutional research effort involving several College of Engineering faculty members. Six academic and research institutions and two teaching hospitals will collaborate with industrial partners as part of the Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (CenSSIS), which is supported by a five-year, $16.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. A primary goal of the center is to create a “unified framework for understanding subsurface sensing systems,” according to Professor Bahaa Saleh, chairman of ENG’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and CenSSIS deputy director. “No matter what the scale of the objects we try to identify, whether they be large archaeological objects or microscopic cells — and whether the sensors utilize light waves or sound waves — the physics and mathematics that form the basis of these technologies are very similar,” Saleh says. “But in the past, researchers working on subsurface sensing in different areas have gone their own ways and haven’t communicated well. This is going to bring everybody together to share our experience and tools.” “The research could result in advances in a new generation of medical imaging for better and less invasive diagnosing of cancer and heart disease, and methods to improve in vitro fertilization and to detect underground pollution or hidden highway bridge damage,” says CenSSIS Director Michael Silevitch, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University. Northeastern University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez are collaborating with BU on CenSSIS, as are researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. CenSSIS will also establish design competitions and pre-engineering programs for middle and high school students, sensing and imaging laboratories for undergraduates at the four contributing academic institutions, research internships in industry, and interdisciplinary, team-taught courses that focus on how engineering work is applied in the real world. Michael Ruane, an ENG associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, will direct the CenSSIS educational effort at BU, which should include a new internship program in which students continue to be paid by an industrial partner for research done at BU after their on-site work is complete. CenSSIS will have “a major impact on education at BU for a long time,” according to Saleh. “One complaint nationally about engineering education is that it is too abstract and students don’t learn how the tools they create fit into the larger system in which they’re used. But through the internships and the undergraduate lab work in sensing and imaging, the center will help students understand the practical applications of their work at a very early stage, and it will show them the role engineering plays in society.” BU’s main contributions to the center’s research will be in the areas of acoustics and ultrasonic imaging, photonics, and signal processing. Ronald Roy, an ENG associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, will lead a team of researchers in developing new, highly effective sensors that use sound waves to detect objects beneath a variety of surfaces, based on his pioneering work in acoustics and ultrasonic imaging. Also working to develop new subsurface sensors will be a group of researchers under Saleh’s direction. With Malvin Teich, an ENG professor of electrical and computer engineering, Saleh holds a patent for a new form of microscopy, called entangled-photon fluorescence microscopy. The technology allows scientists to look deeper into human tissue at a finer resolution than traditional microscopes can, while causing less damage to living cells. Also active on the project is Alexander Sergienko, an ENG associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. “Boston University’s expertise in acoustics and photonics provides a promising array of approaches for the development of sensors for use in a variety of subsurface environments,” says Saleh. “We also have researchers here with expertise in extracting information from blurred and noisy data. That is vital to interpreting data collected by the sensors, so the structure of the imaged objects can be clearly seen.” David Castanon, an ENG associate professor of electrical and computer engineering who is associate director of CenSSIS, will lead the processing of data gathered by the subsurface sensors. Under the terms of the National Science Foundation grant, the four academic institutions will provide matching funds of about $16 million over the grant period. With additional support from industry partners and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the center’s annual budget is expected to be $8 million. About twenty-five biomedical, engineering, and high-tech firms, including Raytheon and Mercury Computers, have indicated an interest in working with CenSSIS, according to Saleh. Saleh says the collaborations fostered by CenSSIS will help bring his own invention closer to commercialization. “Our microscopy technology hasn’t been tested in a real-life setting yet,” he says, “and having access to the hospitals that are participating in the project could get us to that stage soon. “Another advantage is that our group does not have the expertise to develop the special computer programs necessary to extract useful information from what our microscope reads,” he continues. “Other partners in the center will provide that.”
[Table of Contents] [Current Issue] [Archives] [ENG Home] Copyright Trustees of Boston University Last updated on: January 8, 2003