USD Magazine, Fall 1995

Kim's research is part of the Teledyne Research Assistance P rogram, through which the company works with universities to bring in fresh perspectives and new ideas. The benefits are an expanded base of creativity for the company, a chance fo r the professor to work on cutting-edge technology and , often, an exposure to real-world projects fo r the students. "The undergraduate students who work on this project will get an understanding of what it's like to be part of an engineering team," Kim says. "They'll be testing new designs, running com– puter simulations and offering their own suggestions and ideas about making the project work. " The students also will get an intimate understanding of dead– lines, as Kim wants to complete the miniaturization before the end of this year. T o do that, he needs to solve some difficult problems, such as whether the device will be powered from an internal battery or an external source. But to Kim, that's the fun part of being an engineer. " It's a creative science, and we get to act like artists," he says. "We use the knowledge found by scientists and mathematicians as a tool to create new things." exactly where it will take you. When USD history professor Elizabeth Cobbs H offman began her research, she never expected to find herself halfway around the world in the West African nation of Ghana. "I thought I'd just be doing research in the United States," says H offman, who is preparing to write a book on the history of the Peace Corps, a U.S. organization founded in 1961 that sends volunteers to aid developing countries around the world. "Instead, I found myself traveling to seven different countries, including Switzerland, Canada and Ghana." That last country has a symbolic importance, H offman explains, because it was the first country to which Peace Corps volunteers traveled. Hoffman's trip there in January was fortu– itous, as the people of that country ended up figuring very promi– nently in her research. " It was amazing to see the extent of the Peace Corps' influence in a country so fa r away," says H offman, who met a number of government officials, teachers and others who willingly shared their experiences with the Peace Corps. " I didn 't expect to be as impressed as I was." H offman uncovered a good dea l of unexpected info rmation through her research, which she has been conducting for the past four years between her teaching commitments. For example, many in this country see the Peace Corps as a uniquely A merica n institutio n, but she learned that fo reign volunteerism was an idea that several Western countries happened on at about the same time. "The earliest prototype of this kind of organization was founded in Australia in 195 1," H offman notes. "The British bega n a similar program in 1958, and the United States and Canada both started their programs in 196 1." This knowledge led H offman to places such as London and Paris, where she studied the development of foreign volunteer Peace Talks One of the most exciting aspects of research is that you never know

Research begins with a question, and with a person who is compelled to find the answer. The questions often are deceivingly simple - H ow does it work? Why does it happen? How can I make it better? - but the answers, more often, are decidedly complex. T o find them, it takes a person who has the courage to explore,

to lea rn and to want to make a better world. Researchers at U SD are asking these questions, and traveling the long roads that lead to the answers. From the inner work– ings of the human body to the inner workings of a sea-floor volcano, they are journeying to new places. From the cry of a newborn baby to the birth of our solar system, they are looking for clues about how life begins and how it can be improved. From the history of peace organizations to negotiating a peaceful settlement of differences, they are exploring the ways people search fo r a better society. Following are the stories of a handful of USD researchers and their discoveries of new ideas, new solutions and new ways of thinking about ourselves and our world. many other support systems in your life: You don't think about them too much until some– thing goes wrong. The difference is that when your car or your computer breaks, fixing it is as simple as bringing it back to the shop and getting a replacement part. When something goes wrong with your knees, however, it's not quite as simple, because doctors still aren't sure precisely how the knee works. But USD engineering professor Ernie Kim is work ing on a system to improve their medical blueprints. Kim's assignment - through a project with Los Angeles-based Teledyne Electronic T echnologies, a T eledyne Inc. company that makes everything from medical devices to aeronautics equipment - is to perfect a device that will provide orthopedic surgeons with more detailed schematics of the human knee than they've ever seen before. Kim's project will give them the inside information - literally. "We're working on a telemetry system - an electronic device that sends out radio signals - that will fit inside an implant used fo r knee replacement surgery," says Kim. "The system can be turned on when the patient sees their doctor for studies or rehabilitation, then turned off when the session is complete." The device, which fits inside a prosthesis for a part of the knee called the tibial plateau, will broadcast information about how the knee functions to a radio receiver hooked up to a com– puter. Orthopedic surgeons will then use the information to solve some riddles about how the knee works and further refine existing models of the knee, helping them to diagnose problems and improve rehabilitation techniques. "T eledyne already had a prototype of the device; my job is to shrink it down and make it fit inside the implant," says Kim, who adds that he and the company expect to have a finished product within the next year and a half. " I also need to make the modifications that will make it perform optimally." In one sense, your knees are like

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