LeTourneau Professor Gets Award

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Dr. Seung Kim has been awarded a National Science Foundation Early Career Development Award (CAREER) of $400,000 over the next five years, beginning June 1, 2014. The NSF CAREER Program is a foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards for early career faculty. The grant is in support of his biomedical research to develop a low-cost, highly sensitive and portable biosensor device which will be able to test for multiple diseases such as cancers using a small amount of a biological sample, usually blood.

“Research work like Dr. Seung Kim is doing here at LeTourneau University is a great example of the cutting-edge research and hands-on education that our students participate in, even as undergraduates,” said LETU President Dr. Dale A. Lunsford. “The work he is doing could have a life-changing impact on our students as well as on people in developed and developing countries around the world.”

Dr. Kim’s design is composed of a biosensor with a simple, two-reflecting-mirror structure (optical resonance cavity) constructed using well-known microfabrication processes. The simple design of the device ensures it will be low cost, making it accessible to patients in both developed and developing countries.

Since early detection of diseases is key to treating them effectively, it is crucial for patients to be tested regularly. This device will enable tests to be conducted by patients in their homes or at a physician’s office, in lieu of extensive and time-consuming tests, allowing the patient to regularly monitor for the presence of diseases.

Enabling patients to test themselves regularly will allow diseases to be discovered early and allow for more effective and less expensive treatments.