Kamal Sarabandi honored with 2011 IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award

Sarabandi’s research encompasses a range of topics in the area of applied electromagnetics, and has been principal investigator on NASA projects related to remote sensing.

Kamal Sarabandi Enlarge
Kamal Sarabandi
 Kamal Sarabandi
Rufus S. Teesdale Professor of Engineering   Director, Radiation Laboratory
Director, Center for Objective Microelectronics
and Biomimetic Advanced SensorsAbout the Award
Past Recipients of the Award

Kamal Sarabandi, Rufus S. Teesdale Professor of Engineering, has been selected to receive the 2011 IEEE Judith A. Resnik, “for contributions to space-based, microwave and millimeter polarimetric radar remote sensing of the Earth’s surface for civilian and military applications.”

Prof. Sarabandi’s research encompasses a wide range of topics in the area of applied electromagnetics, specifically: microwave and millimeter-wave radar remote sensing; antenna miniaturization and reconfigurable antennas for wireless applications; wireless channel characterization for performance assessment of wireless systems; and millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave subsystems and components with applications to radar imaging (collision avoidance, autonomous vehicle control, security, etc.). He has been principal investigator on many NASA projects related to remote sensing of terrestrial targets such as vegetation, soil moisture, and snow using synthetic aperture radars (SAR) including polarimetric and interferometric systems.

His work reaches into such diverse areas as global warming, security at airports, and trouble-free wireless communication. His extensive work with antennas has led to important work in antenna miniaturization, as well as new work in metamaterials for antennas.

A member of the NASA Advisory Council since 2006, Prof. Sarabandi received a NASA Certificate of Appreciation for Significant Contribution for his service on the Workshop on Science Associated with the Lunar Exploration Architecture. In addition to numerous awards for research and teaching excellence by the University of Michigan, he has received the Humboldt Research Award and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society. He is a Fellow of IEEE.

**********************************************

About the Award

The IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award, established in 1986, rewards outstanding contributions to space engineering within the fields of interest of the IEEE.The Award is named in honor of IEEE Member Judith Resnik, who was a Mission Specialist on the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger, which exploded on 28 January 1986. Dr. Resnik was a biomedical engineer and staff Fellow with the National Institute of Health when she was selected by NASA in 1978 to join the Space Program. She first flew as a NASA Mission Specialist on the maiden voyage of the orbiter Discovery, which, during 96 orbits of the earth, deployed three satellites and removed hazardous ice particles from the orbiter using the Remote Manipulator System, a Shuttle 50-foot robot arm for which Dr. Resnik developed operational Procedures and Software. Among other NASA projects, Dr. Resnik developed deployment procedures for a Tethered Satellite System.

The award is sponsored by the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society, the IEEE Control Systems Society, and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Individuals and teams are eligible for the award.