Seeing in Color: Bringing Spectroscopic Detection to Science and Medicine

This event is sponsored by FAMU-FSU Engineering Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering.

Abstract: Visual observation has been a hallmark of the scientific method for centuries. Changes in color and texture have been the basis for documenting an incredibly wide range of events, from chemical reactions to skin cancer progression. Within the past century, development of spectroscopic technologies has greatly extended observational capabilities. Spectroscopic measurements provide several key improvements over visual observation – detection of wavelengths outside of the range of human vision, generation of contrast not accessible to human vision, and quantitative measurements based on detection of many wavelength bands. Spectroscopic capabilities have been well utilized in the sciences and medical field. Nonetheless, the history of visual observation continues to greatly influence imaging-based technologies that are used in the biological sciences and clinical practice, such as microscopes and endoscopes. The focus of this seminar will be to describe development of hyperspectral imaging technologies that bring spectroscopic capabilities to imaging platforms. Specifically, excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging systems developed in our lab will be presented, with an emphasis on task-specific optimization. Applications in second messenger cell signaling, tissue characterization, and cancer detection will be highlighted. Finally, the potential of hyperspectral imaging technologies for translation to clinical imaging platforms will be discussed.

Silas J. Leavesley, Ph.D.

Professor and Interim Chair

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of South Alabama

Speaker Bio: Silas Leavesley is a Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, as well as a Professor of Pharmacology, and a member of the Center for Lung Biology at the University of South Alabama. He received a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering in 2003 from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in 2008 from Purdue University. His research interests focus on the development of spectral imaging technologies for medical sciences research and clinical applications.