Tomasz Tkacyk, assistant professor in bioengineering at Rice University, has won the 2012 Norman Edmund Inspiration Award, comprising $5,000 of Edmund Optics products. Tkacyk was recognised for the development of optical imaging technologies used for the early detection and treatment of infectious diseases and cancer.
Tkaczyk's research has led to the development of new imaging technologies that are compact, portable, low cost and adaptable to mass production. Tkaczyk and his team have made significant advancements to miniature microscope objectives and endomicroscopy systems, which are being used to gain a better understanding of global health threats such as tuberculosis and malaria.
'The research done by Doctor Tkaczyk and his associates at Rice University embodies Norman Edmund's spirit of innovation. My father would be proud to know that EO's optics were used in the development of a technology that both advances the field of medical diagnosis and reduces its cost. My fellow board members and I congratulate Dr Tkaczyk on this ingenious accomplishment,' remarked Joan Husted, Edmund Optics board member and daughter of Norman Edmund.
Professor Tkaczyk, who is also the first place award recipient of the 2012 Higher Education Grant Program in the Americas, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Applied Optics and in Biomedical imaging from the University of Arizona; has a PhD in Optical Engineering and Physical Optics from the Institute of Micromechanics and Photonics at Warsaw University of Technology in Poland, and an MS in Optical Engineering from Warsaw University of Technology.
The 'Norman Edmund Inspiration Award' honours the contributions made by Norman Edmund to advance the science of optics. The recipient of the award is chosen from the first place award recipients in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, by the Edmund Optics Board of Directors Committee, who best embodies the legacy of Mr Edmund.
