The Scientists:
Charles Brau, Ph.D. :
To see his CV click here >Charlie Brau
Frank Carroll, M. D. : is a Board certified Diagnostic Radiologist and licensed Nuclear Medicine physician. He is a sub-specialist in Thoracic Imaging, and received his research and academic training at the University of California at San Francisco. Formerly, he was a Navy submarine medical officer and served on a Polaris nuclear submarine and at the Armed Forces Staff College. He has been a member of the faculty at Yale, Duke and Vanderbilt. His past research efforts have proven productive in areas as diverse as: the absorption of antimicrobial agents across experimental wounds, the in vivo evaluation of pulmonary arterial dynamics, elucidation of lung water accumulation in lungs and the characterization of interstitial and intravascular fluids in the lung using MRI, examination of therapeutic approaches to ARDS and cardiogenic pulmonary edema in intensive care units, as well as the production and use of pulsed, tunable, monochromatic X-rays in diagnosis and therapy. He was one of the founders of the Vanderbilt University Medical Free Electron Laser program, whose facility encompasses a large interdisciplinary collaboration including physicians, physicists, biomedical engineers, cell biologists, materials scientists, and electrical and mechanical engineers. The pulsed, tunable, monochromatic x-ray beamline at the W. M. Keck Vanderbilt Free Electron Laser Center was conceived, designed, constructed and commissioned by Dr. Carroll and a group of physicists, and engineers, yielding the first embodiment of such x-rays in a geometry useful for imaging in humans and animals. This same team developed and built the more compact device discussed in the News section. His research helped elucidate the differences in linear attenuation in cancerous versus normal tissues using monochromatic x-rays in work performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s National Synchrotron Light Source. This investigator is a member of the E. Bronson Ingram Comprehensive Cancer Center at Vanderbilt University, one of the National Cancer Institute’s funded cancer centers of excellence.
To see his CV click here > Frank Carroll
Scott Degenhardt: Scott Degenhardt is a native of the Middle Tennessee area
and is popularly known for his astronomy information of current happenings in
the sky. He is an avid amateur astronomer and has been involved as a search
member of the International Occultation Timing Association. He helped pioneer
the use of video for the timing of the eclipsing events of stellar and solar
system objects. He has discovered three new binary star systems using this
technique. This background in optics and his technical training and experience
in electronics and computers has lead Scott through many interesting career
paths. He has done everything from controlling the program broadcast by
satellite for Country Music Television to working on spacecraft for NASA. He
spent many years calibrating equipment used for testing of aircraft, spacecraft,
missiles and rockets at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee. He also spent some
years on a laser research project at Vanderbilt University at the Free-Electron
Laser (FEL) Center. The Free-Electron Laser is a laser that is tunable in a wide
range of infrared wavelengths where no lasers currently exist. It was here at
the FEL Center were Scott worked on the assembly and testing of the prototype of
the monochromatic X-ray machine. He currently is helping in the development of
the current model finding ways to improve and streamline the operation and
output of the monochromatic X-ray source. Scott is certified as a private pilot,
loves photography, making movies, the great outdoors, any form of physical
fitness, anything technical, and generally thinks of himself as a large
collection of somewhat useless trivia.
Travis Henry: Travis Henry is a second-year medical student at Vanderbilt School of Medicine and has been performing research for MXI as part of his medical training since the spring of 2002. Prior to entering medical school, Travis received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech in May, 2002, where he graduated suma cum laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He has previous research experience in cancer biology and molecular genetics as well as a significant background in computer science and mathematics. He was a member of the Virginia Tech Honors Program, the German Club of Virginia Tech, and a two-time Academic All-American collegiate bowler. This past year he served as Chief Editor for the Vanderbilt Medical School student publication, The Paddle. After finishing his medical school training, Travis hopes to become a radiologist and continue research and development of medical applications for monochromatic x-rays.
Marcus Mendenhall: is a Research Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Mendenhall was Associate Director for Operations of the Vanderbilt University Free Electron Laser (FEL) Center from 1991 to 1995, and the lead developer of the computer control system for the FEL. He serves on the Vanderbilt University Radiation Safety Committee. He is a consultant to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Quantum Metrology Group (Gaithersburg, MD) where he develops and supports computer control systems for X-ray diffraction systems. Prior to 1991, Dr. Mendenhall was Assistant Professor of Physics at Vanderbilt University and was involved in accelerator and ion-beam based surface analytical techniques. His work in that field resulted in a patented surface analytical technique, which has been commercially marketed through a small company, which was co-founded by Dr. Mendenhall. Dr. Mendenhall holds an A.B. in Physics (1979) from Washington University in St. Louis and a M.S. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in Physics from the California Institute of Technology. He has been awarded an NSF graduate Fellowship, an IBM graduate Fellowship, and a NATO post-graduate Fellowship, and is a member of Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa.
To see his CV click here >Marcus Mendenhall
Gary Shearer: We hope to see Gary's bio here soon.
Robert Traeger, B.S. : is also a Senior Research Assistant, having worked on the FEL X-ray development project for the past 5 years. Prior to Vanderbilt, Mr. Traeger was Vice President General Manager Toshiba America Manufacturing/Engineering Division which he established in 1977 as the first Japanese manufacturing facility in TN (annual sales over $500 million). From 1974 to 1977, he was VP of Manufacturing, Engineering and Product Service for all of Sony America US operations, which included establishing two new manufacturing plants. From 1951 to 1974, he was with General Electric Co. in various management positions with the last three years as President Managing Director GE Consumer Products Ltd. Singapore, establishing, building and managing a plant employing 3500 people. Mr. Traeger holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington. Mr. Traeger was also the Chairman of the Engineering Policy Committee for EIA Consumer Products Group for two years.
To see his CV click here >Bob Traeger
James Waters, Ph.D. : is a physicist. He received his degree at the University of Wisconsin, specializing in elementary particle physics, before coming to Vanderbilt. He has been involved in many experiments at national and international laboratories, such as Fermilab and CERN, primarily in the field of particle spectroscopy. For three years he was a staff scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics in Munich, Germany, working in an international collaboration, including Vanderbilt, which made a precise measurement of the sigma hyperon magnetic moments, as well as determining other properties of strange baryons. He has been part of the monochromatic X-ray project almost from the beginning, being responsible for the electron beam design of the FEL.
To see his CV click here >Jim Waters