"Force, Fibers, Finiteness, Fractals and Fractional Calculus in Elastography”
Speaker: Dr. Tom Royston,
Professor and Head, Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Illinois Chicago
Day and Date: Friday, September 4, 2026
Time: 9:00AM to 10:00AM
Location: IA B023
Abstract:
Dynamic elastography attempts to reconstruct quantitative maps of the viscoelastic properties of materials by noninvasively measuring mechanical wave motion in them, typically via magnetic resonance, ultrasound or optical imaging methods. The target motion is usually transversely-polarized relative to the wave propagation direction, such as bulk shear wave motion. In addition to neglecting waveguide eff ects caused by small lengths in one dimension or more, many reconstruction strategies also ignore nonzero, non-isotropic quasi-static preloads. Signifi cant anisotropic prestress is inherent to the functional role of some biological materials of interest, which also are small in size relative to shear wavelengths in one or more dimensions. In our research we examine the interplay between the confounding eff ects of nonzero stress conditions, anisotropy and fi nite boundaries. A coordinate transformation approach to simplify the reconstruction of prestressed anisotropic material properties based on elastography measurements is introduced.
Personal Bio:
Tom Royston is Professor and Head of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and has been a faculty member at UIC since 1995, with appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and head of Biomedical Engineering since 2009. Tom’s NIH and NSF-supported research in mechanical wave motion and imaging in porous and nonporous viscoelastic materials, and acoustics applied to medical diagnostics and therapy has been recognized with the NSF Career Award, the NIH NIBIB Nagy Award and the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Lindsay Award. Tom is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the ASA. He has served as associate editor for journals of the ASA and ASME and is a founding member of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Magnetic Resonance Elastography Guidelines Committee. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 200 additional conference and other publications.
This event is free and open to the public. Please reach out to the Department of Bioengineering's team (inbioe@lehigh.edu) with any questions or comments.