3:15 p.m., Dec. 4, 2008----Thomas S. Buchanan, professor of mechanical engineering and deputy dean in the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware, has been elected a fellow of two professional societies -- the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the American Congress of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

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AIMBE was founded in 1991 to establish a clear identity for the field of medical and biological engineering. The organization's College of Fellows consists of 1,000 accomplished individuals from academia, industry, and government who “have distinguished themselves through their contributions to public health in research, industrial practice, education and innovation.”

ACSM promotes and integrates scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science. The largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world, ACSM was founded in 1954 and now has more than 20,000 members.

Buchanan also recently won two national awards -- the Innovation in Research Award from ACSM and the DelSys Award for Innovation in EMG (electromyography) Research from the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB). The awards were both based on published conference papers, one co-authored with assistant professor of mechanical engineering Kurt Manal and the other with graduate student Qi Shao.

In addition to these honors and awards, Buchanan has been named president elect of the ASB and will take over as president in 2009. The current ASB president is another UD faculty member, Irene Davis, professor of physical therapy.

“The University of Delaware is becoming the hot place to study biomechanics,” Buchanan says, “largely because of the unique collaboration between engineering and physical therapy here. It's truly a great symbiotic relationship, with both sides providing a critical perspective on the solution of clinical problems.”

Buchanan's research interests include muscle coordination modeling, medical imaging, knee stability and osteoarthritis, and kinetic and EMG patterns after ACL injury.

He earned his Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics from Northwestern University.

Buchanan served as chairperson of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 2004 to 2008.

He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and was the recipient of the E. A. Trabant Award for Women's Equity earlier this year.

Article by Diane Kukich