| Engineers for Infants Project |
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In Loving Memory of
Giancarlo Nicoletti
October 14, 1994-January 5, 1995 |
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Dedicated on March 11, 1998
to Biomedical Engineering Solutions
for High Risk Infants |
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Our laboratory is primarily dedicated to biomedical signal processing
research, with a focus on applications in physiological monitoring. Although
many of our projects target adult populations, we have also collaborated with
pediatric neurologists in the investigation of electroencephalography (EEG)
based seizure prediction and have worked on heart rate variability solutions
intended for high risk infants. More recently, we have diversified into
biomedical optics and are developing functional optical brain imaging
technologies and signal processing methodologies for pediatric populations.
Several students have engaged in research and completed their research
assignments in our laboratory. Although each and every one of my students has
been special to me, I consider my mentoring Denise Nicoletti during her years at
Drexel a highlight of my career as a professor: Denise joined our laboratory as
an undergraduate co-op engineer and moved on to conduct her senior engineering
design project and her Master's Thesis under my supervision. She later continued
her graduate studies in our laboratory and completed her doctoral research,
which was jointly advised by Dr. Nihat Bilgutay. Her excellence as a researcher
coupled with her leadership qualities earned her an assistant professorship at
the Worcester Polytechnic Institute right after her graduation from Drexel. The
birth of her first son Giancarlo Nicoletti followed soon after in October 1994;
sadly, his life was cut short when he fell prey to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
At his funeral in January 1995, Denise and I resolved to create the "Engineers
for Infants Project" dedicated to biomedical engineering solutions for high-risk
infants. Our understanding was that she would work toward her tenure and
promotion and I would quietly begin fundraising. In March 1998, I was promoted
to the H. H. Sun Professorship at Drexel and dedicated the professorship and its
funds to the Engineers for Infants Project that Denise and I had envisioned.
| Pediatric Engineering Initiative |
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In Loving Memory of
Denise Nicoletti
Passed Away on June 22, 2002 |
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Dedicated on December 27, 2002
to Biomedical Engineering Solutions
for the Care and Development
of Infants and Children |
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In the intervening years, Denise continued her meteoric rise in her academic
career and received her tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, while
becoming the proud mother of a little girl Celeste and twin boys Lucio and
Marcello. On our side, we continued to work on pediatric engineering research
projects and initiated a series of lectures in pediatric engineering as part of
our BIOMED Seminars: Dr. Arye Rosen and Dr. Harel Rosen were our inaugural
speakers.
Great sadness revisited us on July 22, 2002, when we tragically lost Denise
to a traffic accident. That Monday, she was again on her way to open the
seventh 'Camp Reach,' a summer camp for girls entering sixth grade that
introduces them to the wonders of engineering and science. Recognizing from her
own experience the importance of exposing young girls to the sciences, Denise
co-founded the camp in 1997 and had been its director since that time, quickly
turning it into a state-wide phenomenon. Following up on the success of Camp
Reach, Denise wanted to develop a program directly with elementary schools to
introduce all young children to engineering. In November of 2002, Denise was
posthumously awarded a $1 million NSF Grant to develop an engineering curriculum
for grades K - 6 in the Worcester, MA Public School System. On December 27th,
2002, when we welcomed back the Nicolettis to our campus to celebrate Denise's
loving memory, we dedicated our new and broader scope 'Pediatric Engineering
Initiative' to biomedical engineering solutions for the care and development of
all children. Although Dr. Arye Rosen had not yet joined our faculty, he led the
event, and I knew in my heart that he would soon decide to invest full time in
the pediatric engineering cause.
As the stars are lining up to make our dream come true, I have no doubt that
we are guided by Denise's spirit: her deep and sincere commitment to children is
our North Star.
Dr. Banu Onaral, Ph.D.
H.H. Sun professor and Director
Pediatric Engineering Initiative Ceremony Pictures
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Last Modified: 11/25/2008 |
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