BME Master's Defense Announcement for Robert Thurston (J. Rispoli, Chair)

Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 1:00 pm.

Title of the Thesis Research: Modeling of Radiofrequency Wave Propagation in the Body

Date: April 10th, 2023

Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location: MJIS 2001

Thesis Committee:

Dr. Joseph Rispoli, Chair

Weldon School of Biomedical and

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Dr. Elsje Pienaar

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Luis Gomez

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract:

Understanding how radiofrequency (RF) pulses propagate through and interact with the body is crucial for determining regions of the body that are subject to potential heating or damage. Applications of pulse propagation include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cell phones which utilize directed pulses that can cause undesirable heating in the body. Notably, these interactions are closely when monitored in organs, but due to composition and location of organs, there exist multiple transition zones between tissues with differing physical and electrical properties. Therefore, structures such as the skull or pelvis may limit entry of the pulse while creating internal refractions once the signal enters the body. This study utilizes finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solvers to simulate the potential interactions of an external, targeted pulses or waves in the body, specifically the prostate and the brain. This study is divided into two sections with the first section studying the interactions of electromagnetic fields that are generated from 5G cell phones and a human prostate. These interactions will be evaluating regions in the prostate more susceptible to local peaks in specific absorption rates (SAR) and damage to the tissue. The second section will focus on the effects of targeted pulses on the brain. By observing the local peaks in electric field, the general propagation patterns of the wave once it enters the head, and checking for internal reflections of the wave, this study observes which regions of the brain might be susceptible to abnormal events such as neuron triggers or hormone changes.