Outstanding Researcher Dr. Kenneth Kihm
Dr. Kenneth Kihm, the COE's Magnavox Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, is pioneering the relatively new field of micro/nano fluidics and transport. During his sixteen-year career with Texas A & M, Kihm established an interdisciplinary research field in micro/nano-scale transport, using advanced laser diagnostic techniques with an active interest in developing non-intrusive bio-sensing tools.
Through his innovations of micro/nano transport phenomena and biomedical applications, Kihm has become most enthusiastic about his work on the development and implementation of sub-microscale optical diagnostic techniques for tracking nanoparticles with a spatial measurement resolution of a few nanometers—that's less than 1/1,000th of a human hair.
"There are two purposes for such study," said Kihm. "One is to study the scientific phenomenon of energy transfer of metallic nanoparticles in suspension, and two, to delineate biomedical transport of living cells, such as the tracking and transport of nanomedicines in and out of cells."
Kihm's current research contributes to the exploration of engineering properties for high throughput cytometry (the mechanized counting and measuring of cells) for target cells such as cancer cells and stem cells. "Cancer cells are difficult to study because they have very challenging characteristics. They're not uniquely defined and vary from cell to cell," said Kihm. "One way to alleviate challenges will be to deal with statistics and large data sets, searching for consistencies. Engineers can identify possibly more distinctive properties from an engineering point of view to add to those marks already identified from a biomedical point of view.
"For example, cancer cells are softer than other cells—they're made to grow and have no cytoskeletons. Thus, the elasticity of a cell can be considered as a distinctive mark for the pertinent cytometry. Other engineering properties such as density, stickiness and temperature may lead to better identification of such target cells. The joint force of engineering and biomedical will result in better solutions. It's a long term goal."
Kihm said that the interdisciplinary developments between micro/nano engineering and the biomedical sciences will have far-reaching effects: "I emphasize to graduate students that they should begin early with an interdisciplinary approach to avoid some of those challenges. A truly interdisciplinary field of micro/nano fluidics is one that advances into a new area. We all should explore interdisciplinary growth of traditionally subdivided fields connected to the diverse biomedical areas ranging from the day-to-day capsuled lives of astronauts to medical breakthroughs in cell research."
"Biomedical applications will grow," said Kihm. "Some areas in engineering have come and gone. But micro/nano engineering is just beginning. The medical arena demands continued exploration."
As much as he enjoys research, Kihm also feels strongly about teaching. His primary teaching interest has been in the optics and optical techniques for both an undergraduate elective and a graduate course. "In my heart I'm a teacher," said Kihm. "A teacher can be a good researcher, but it doesn't always work the other way around. The day I received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Association of Former Students at Texas A & M was the day I felt most prestigious," said Kihm. He keeps an open-door policy, always welcoming any questions from students.
Kihm received both his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Seoul National University in Korea, and his Ph.D. from Stanford. He said he desires to dispel any misconceptions undergraduates may have about advanced engineering degrees. "Many undergrads have quick intuitions about mechanical engineering," he said. "They think of gears and heavy machinery—and yes, those are essential areas that are needed everyday. However, in grad school we try to innovate and implement new things beyond the quick intuitions in other areas of research as well."
The Micro/Nano Fluidics and Energy Transport (MINSFET) Lab's clean environment is well equipped with advanced optics for interdisciplinary research combining mechanical engineering with medical, materials science and other areas of research. "I like to find the path where I can show the grad students' diverse master activities to undergraduates to develop their research interests in advanced degrees," explained Kihm.
Kihm said he and his family are adjusting well to Tennessee since their arrival in August 2004, welcoming changes in climate, culture and geography. "The Knoxville area has year-round mild weather and beautiful mountains. I am quite happy now," he said. Kihm explained his wife, Jennie, is his best asset in obtaining his career goals: "I am a lucky guy. My wife has always been fully supportive of any direction I chose to take." His daughters, Grace, 15, and Christina, 14, like their new home.
As for leisure, Kihm joked that he feels "too young to play golf," but questions if his days are numbered on the racquetball courts. "It's good that the ball stays inside the court," he laughed, "So that I do not have to worry about the sand and the ponds."
For more information about Dr. Kihm and his research, the MINSFET Lab and micro/nano fluidics, please visit http://minsfet.utk.edu.