In his 36-year career at Sacramento State, Warren Drew Smith, professor of electrical and electronic engineering, has been a recognized leader at the University and in the field of biomedical engineering. He will add to that legacy when he receives the 2009 Outstanding Scholarly Achievement Award, given by the Research and Creative Activity Subcommittee of the Faculty Senate.
The award ceremony is 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 5, at the University Union Hinde Auditorium. Smith will deliver his lecture, “A Sacramento State Biomedical Engineer: Developing New Monitors to Help Surgery Patients, Doctors, Nurses and Children.” A reception will follow.
Smith’s extensive research covers three areas: anesthesia monitoring, virtual instrument monitoring for patients, and wearable medical monitors for everyday living.
Smith and his students have worked with anesthesiologists to improve the methods of monitoring the level of a patient’s anesthesia. He also developed a way to measure the performance of anesthesia monitors, called Prediction Probability which has been adopted as a worldwide standard.
“I became a biomedical engineer because I wanted to use my engineering know-how to help people with medical needs,” Smith says. “As a professor, I’m delighted when students come to me with that same interest. I love sharing my passion with them.”
Smith and his students are also working with researchers at Shriners Hospital for Children of Northern California to develop miniature wearable monitors for children with cerebral palsy. These monitors will be used to detect falls and activity levels and help improve the children’s quality of life.
Smith is the 47th recipient of the Outstanding Scholarly Achievement Award.
For more information on the lecture and reception, call 278-6402.
About the writer: Sacramento State’s Mike Ward can be reached at mward@csus.edu
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