Prof. Wen H. Ko

Wen H. Ko came to Case in 1954 as a M.S. student and received his Ph.D. in 1959. In the first 13 years, he progressed through all range of positions, including research assistant, teaching assistant, instructor, assistant, associate, and full professor. For over 40 years, Dr. Ko has been a pioneer in the development of solid state electronic devices and technology, microelectronics circuits, microelectromechanical systems (sensors and actuators, and micro-technology) for biomedical instrumentation. His research has resulted in ~150 journal publications and ~300 conference papers. He has more than 26 patents in the fields of industrial control, bio-telemetry, micro-sensors, application specific integrated circuits, and electron devices. His exploratory research on medical implant telemetry, stimulation and implantable closed loop control systems as well as electrical stimulation of nerve and muscle have paved the way for many medical prostheses and biological research instruments. His work on physical and chemical (gas) microsensors in early 1970s represents one of the earliest efforts in this field. In recognition of his accomplishments he was elected Fellow of IEEE BioMedical Engineering Society in 1976 and Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering in 1992. He has received the following international awards in recognition of his research contributions: (1) the Outstanding Research Award at the 4th International Meeting on Chemical Sensors in Tokyo in 1992; (2) the Career Achievement Award from the International Sensors and Actuators Conference in Chicago in 1997; (3) the Founders Award from the International Transducer Conference in Beijing, China in 2011; (4) the Technical Achievement Award from the IEEE Sensors Council in 2012; and (5) the Founder Award from the Hilton Head MEMS and NEMS Workshop in Hilton Head South Carolina in 2012. Some highlights of his teaching, research and international service activities are detailed in corresponding sections.