UNIVERSITY NEWS - OCTOBER 2003

MEDIA CONTACT: Kristine M. McGrath
561-297-1168, kmcgrath@fau.edu

FAU Hosts Lecture Focusing on "Building the Bionic Man" Kenneth W. Horch To Open Frontiers in Science Lecture Series

BOCA RATON, FL (September 24, 2003) - Building a bionic man isn't just science fiction, it is also the topic of Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science first Frontiers in Science lecture of the season. Kenneth W. Horch, professor of bioengineering and physiology from the University of Utah, will speak on the topic of "Building the Bionic Man" during the kick off lecture of the series on Thursday, October 2 at 4 p.m. in room 126 of the Charles E. Schmidt Biomedical Science Center on Florida Atlantic University's Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Horch's lecture will discuss the basic principles that make neuroprosthetics, the use of artificial devices to replace, restore or augment lost function in the nervous system, possible. He will explain the limitations of neuroprosthetics, explore cochlear implants, which restore hearing to the deaf and discuss artificial limb control. The use of neuroprosthetics has helped a wide range of people, including quadriplegics and those with Parkinson's disease. Future applications of neuroprosthetics may include recording activity from the brain to control devices such as wheelchairs or computers for locked-in patients, and interfaces to peripheral nerve stumps to control artificial limbs.

Horch is currently co-chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Utah. His research lies in the area of how the nervous system processes information and controls behavior.
This lecture is the first in a three-part Frontiers in Science lecture series. On October 23, a lecture will be presented on "How Babies Learn About the World Around Them." The final lecture of the series, "Mapping the History and Fate of the Universe," will be held on November 20.

For more information on the lecture series, contact Joan Gove at 561-297-2954.
- FAU -