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Until recently, scientists lacked the means to detect energy at frequencies that fall between microwaves and infrared waves—nicknamed “the terahertz gap”—on the electromagnetic spectrum. Now, researchers like Zurk have begun to explore the unique properties of terahertz radiation, which could be used to scan for explosives by detecting signature “fingerprints” of deadly materials, and for detection of skin cancer with non-ionizing or “safe” radiation.
An assistant professor in the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Zurk is the fifth PSU faculty member since 1999 to receive a CAREER award—considered NSF’s most prestigious grant. It supports teachers and scholars who are conducting significant research early in their careers.
Since arriving at Portland State in January 2005, Zurk has secured over $1.5 million in research funding. She founded and runs the Northwest Electromagnetics and Acoustics Research Lab, which allows students to conduct research on wave propagation and scattering for such applications as radar, sonar, and biomedical processing.
Zurk has also spearheaded a record number of collaborations with other institutions, including MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, the Applied Physics Laboratory at University of Washington, Oregon Health & Science University’s OGI School of Science & Engineering, Oregon State University, and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
In addition to explosives and bio-agent detection, Zurk is interested in remote sensing of earth surfaces and acoustic detection of underwater life, such as salmon populations.