Collaborators

Mayo Clinic Collaborators

Division of Engineering

As part of the longest running collaboration in the Neural Engineering Laboratory, the Division of Engineering has been a key partner since the lab was founded in 2006. Kevin E. Bennet, M.D., M.B.A., and his team of engineers and technologists have been instrumental in designing and producing neurotechnology devices for research use in the laboratory.

Engineering team

• Joshua (Josh) B. Boesche, M.B.A.

  • Boesche is a principal engineer in the Software Development Unit of the Division of Engineering, where he is responsible for the design and development of software systems for a wide range of projects. He has been involved in all aspects of software development: requirements acquisition, design, implementation, testing and support.

    Boesche received a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering and a Master of Business Administration from St. Cloud State University.

• Diane R. Eaker, M.S.

  • Eaker is proficient in programming with MATLAB, LabVIEW, C and various assembler languages targeting a wide range of processor families. She has extensive VHDL experience targeting various field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), as well as a solid hardware design and firmware design background.

    Eaker received a Bachelor of Arts in business from Hamline University, a Bachelor of Science in physics from Minnesota State University Mankato and a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota.

• Malcolm B. McIntosh, M.S., PMP

  • McIntosh is section head of technology development in the Division of Engineering. He is the administrative lead of electronics and software development in multiple operating units providing development, implementation and integration of innovative technology solutions across Mayo Clinic. He provides technical oversight and input for project design and implementation and is a key facilitator of continuous improvement and quality systems compliance. Responsible for staff development, selection of development tools and processes, and capital improvement plans, he also directs our medical device safety engineering efforts.

    McIntosh's educational background includes a Master of Science in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in physics from the College of Charleston. He also is a certified project management professional.

• Warren O. Dennis, M.S.

  • Dennis is a principal engineer II in the Division of Engineering's Software Development Unit. His first major assignment is to help create the next iteration of the Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration Sensing System (WINCS) along with other Division of Engineering and Neural Engineering Laboratory staff, with a focus on firmware.

    Dennis earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering at Drexel University and a Master of Science in electrical engineering related to adaptive controls at the University of Virginia.

• Tyler J. Van Buren, M.S.

  • Van Buren is a principal engineer II in the Division of Engineering's Electronics Development Unit. His first major assignment is to help create the next iteration of WINCS, called Cadence, along with other Department of Engineering and Neural Engineering Lab staff. The focus for this version is on porting some functionality into a FPGA.

    Van Buren earned undergraduate degrees in physics, from Lawrence University, and electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. More recently, he received a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Leeds in the UK related to radio frequency (RF) communications, implementing multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), 4G physical layer in radio transfer level (RTL) targeting low-cost FPGA devices.

• Graham P. Cameron, Ph.D.

  • Cameron is a senior engineer in the Division of Engineering's Electronics Development Unit. His primary responsibilities include circuit schematic and printed circuit board (PCB) design along with equipment testing in the development of patient test and procedure devices, as well as various other division projects.

    Cameron received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Carleton College, followed by Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota with a concentration in magnetics.

• Beverly J. (Bev) Berghuis

  • Berghuis is a design electronic engineering technician in the Division of Engineering's Electronics Development Unit. Her main responsibilities include PCB design and configuration management. She also is involved in the documentation and fabrication of division projects.

• Matthew (Matt) E. Hainy

  • As a mechanical engineer in the Biomechanical Development Unit of the Division of Engineering, Hainy is responsible for the design and development of mechanical systems for a wide range of projects. He received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and is completing a Master of Science in mathematics from South Dakota State University.

External collaborators

• University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

  • The Dr. Lee's Neural Engineering Laboratory collaborates with Felicia S. Manciu, Ph.D., a professor in the UTEP Department of Physics, who specializes in optical spectroscopy and microscopy. As a co-investigator on the Neural Engineering Lab's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative grant, Dr. Manciu works with the Electrode Development Project team and analyzes the quality of boron doping in the lab's diamond-coated electrodes via Raman spectroscopy.

• Hanyang University

  • The Neural Engineering Lab works with Dong Pyo Jang, Ph.D., a professor in Hanyang University's Department of Biomedical Engineering in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Jang is an expert in voltammetry techniques and is using a technique he invented — multipulse fast-scan cyclic voltammetry — to measure the absolute concentrations of neurotransmitters such as dopamine in the brain. When combined with the Neural Engineering Lab's diamond electrode, this technology will provide an accurate and chronically implantable means of recording brain electrochemistry. Dr. Jang is a co-investigator on the BRAIN Initiative grant.

• University of Arizona

  • Our laboratory works closely with University of Arizona investigator M. Leandro Heien, Ph.D., in the development of our voltammetric techniques and electrode fabrication. Dr. Heien is an international expert in the field of analytical chemistry and has provided valuable input in many of the lab's projects.

• University of Minnesota

  • Lab staff collaborate with Jian-Ping Wang, Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota in the development of a novel magnetic stimulation technology.

• NaviNetics

  • A spin-off medical device company, NaviNetics focuses on the development of state-of-the-art neuromodulation devices.