Dr. Thomas P. Vogl

George Mason U., Fairfax, VA ,1992 – 1998 (retired)
Research Professor Emeritus, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, 1995 - pres.
Professor, Institute for Biosciences, Bioinformatics, and Biotechnology, 1995-‘98
Professor (Affil.), Institute for Computer Sciences and Informatics (CSI), 1996- pres.
Professor (Adj.) of Computer Science, 1992-1998 (retired)
Senior Research Scientist and Manager, ERIM,Washington Office, 1986 – ‘97 (ret.)
Expert Appointee, Office of the Director, NIH, 1979-1986
Exec. Secretary, National Commission on Digestive Diseases, DHHS, 1977-1979
Principal Staff Officer, Division of Medical Sciences, National Research Council,
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., 1974-1977
Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology (Adj.), Columbia U., College of Physicians
and Surgeons, 1972-1979
Manager, Optics, Westinghouse Research Labs, Pittsburgh, PA 1961-1974
Instructor, Engineering Extension, UCLA, 1957-1974
Head, Infrared Section, Hughes Research Labs, Malibu, CA 1960-1961
Research Scientist, Westinghouse Research Labs, Pittsburgh, PA 1952-1960

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE

Dr. Vogl has performed and directed research in optical physics, the biological effects of light, and the application of computer modeling and non-linear optimization techniques to these and related areas since 1952. His work, reported in over 160 publications, has addressed problems in infrared detection and imaging, laser damage in optical materials, semi-automatic design of optical and illuminating systems, the use of light in the treatment of jaundice in the newborn, and, more recently, neural networks. After a decade of Federal service evaluating components of biomedical research, research policy, and coordinating research among Cabinet level agencies, Dr. Vogl joined ERIM and became active in research on the application of adaptive neural nets to image comprehension; in this context he is developing detailed computer models of portions of the neural system of animals to enhance our understanding of the biophysical basis of learning at the cellular level, and has developed a novel artificial neural network algorithm (Dystal) based on this research. Dystal has repeatedly demonstrated its power on face recognition, ATR, OCR, and biochemical identification tasks. At George Mason University, Dr. Vogl continued his research on associative memory and information processing in the cortex. He also mentored Ph.D. candidates and taught a course on modeling of biological systems.

Dr. Vogl has been associated with George Mason University since 1992, when he was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Computer Science Dept. Since that time he has been increasing his involvement with the university and its students. He was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Biosciences, Bioinformatics, and Biotechnology in 1995, and Research Professor in the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study later in the same year. In 1996 he was appointed Affiliate Professor in the Institute for Computer Sciences and Informatics. He mentors graduate students and post-doctoral Fellows and teaches a course on modeling biological systems.

From 1986 - 1997, Dr. Vogl was Research Manager, Advanced Concepts, in the Washington Regional Office of ERIM, a position from which he retired in March, 1997. Research under his direction is applying ERIM's and his extensive experience in software development, image processing, and system optimization to medical X-ray image enhancement; developing methods to categorize synthetic aperture radar images; investigating the applicability of adaptive networks to these problems. He recently completed a study for NEL/NPIC of the effects of digitization of historic National Imagery on its interpretability for longitudinal environmental impact studies. His personal research effort, in collaboration with Daniel Alkon, M.D. Chief of the Laboratory of Adaptive Systems, National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health, is developing detailed computer simulation model of information processing in the visual cortex with emphasis on the role of associative learning, memory, and recall. The associative learning algorithm, Dystal, that he developed can read handwritten Japanese Kanji characters and recognize faces. He continues in this role as a consultant.

From 1979 until 1986, Dr. Vogl was attached to the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health where he designed and developed the Federal Government-wide data base and retrieval system of scientific and financial data on all federally funded human nutrition research and served as deputy to the Chairman and Executive Secretary of the Joint Subcommittee on Human Nutrition Research, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President.

From 1977 until 1979, he served as Executive Secretary of the congressionally mandated National Commission on Digestive Diseases where he was solely responsible for the day to day management of the commission, including its operation and $1.5 million budget, its staff of 25 professionals, 30 sub-professionals and clericals, its support contractor, public hearings, data collection and reduction, and for the preparation of its five volume report. This effort resulted in comprehensive report to the Congress and significant increases in the funding for digestive diseases research.

From 1974 to 1977, Dr. Vogl was Principal Staff Officer, Division of Medical Sciences, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Vogl's activities included serving as staff officer (sole full time staff) for the Committee on Prosthetic Research in the Veterans Administration; Committee for the Study of Institutional Differences in Postoperative Mortality; and the Visiting Committee on the Committee on Prosthetics Research and Development. He was responsible for guiding the activities of these committees within allocated budgets, and prepared and/or edited committee reports. He participated in marketing to obtain support for future activities. Dr. Vogl served as Deputy Staff Director for Research of the Committee on Health Care Resources in the Veterans Administration with a staff of 30 professional and 40 support personnel.

During the 1973-1979 period, he also held appointment as adjunct (full) Professor of Radiation Biophysics, Departments of Radiology and Pediatrics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University. Dr. Vogl was principal investigator of clinical and laboratory studies on the use of light (phototherapy) in the treatment of jaundice of the newborn. He also coordinated additional research activities, in the hospital and the university at large, dealing with newborn jaundice and its treatment, and supervised pediatric Fellows in neonatology and Ph.D. and M.S. candidates in bioengineering and pathology.

From 1961 to 1974, Dr. Vogl was Manager, Optics, at the Westinghouse Research Laboratories in Pittsburgh, PA, responsible for a corporation wide consulting service and supporting R&D in all areas of optics, supervising a professional staff of 12. Major projects included: Wide bandwidth passive infrared imaging system, gold-doped germanium IR detector development, design of broad spectral range optics for Defense Meteorologic Satellite and solution of related systems problems during construction phase; design evaluation and system tolerancing of TV optics for first manned lunar lander; design of underwater illuminating system for Deepstar submersible vessel; etc. Other R&D projects included development of a computer program for modeling illuminating systems that incorporated Grey's non-linear optimization algorithm, demonstration of the first holographically produced diffraction grating, growth of high valency oxide crystals for lasers, and studies of laser damage in optically transparent media.

Prior to 1961, Dr. Vogl was associated with the Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, CA as Head of the Infrared Section, and with the Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh, PA.

In the period from 1957 to 1975, Dr. Vogl taught annual extension courses at the University of California at Los Angeles. Courses taught included "Modern Optics" (including the application of Fourier theory to imagery); "Optical Physics"; "Theory and Application of Infrared Radiation and Detection"; and "Photobiology, Photopharmacology, and the Clinical Applications of Light."

He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, and a member of the American Society for Photobiology, the International Neural Network Society, the Society for Neuroscience, a Member of the Corporation of the Marine Biology Laboratory, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Vogl was a member of the National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council Committee on Phototherapy in the Newborn and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Bioengineering Aspects.

He holds five patents in the field of infrared imaging and detection including the basic patent on the use of liquid crystals for temperature sensing and seven patents on a novel artificial neural network derived from neurobiological considerations (Dystal), with several other patents pending.
 

Vacuum Tight Windows. Pat # 2,966,592 (Method for sealing barium fluoride infrared window to photoemissive detector envelopes and imaging tubes.)

Color Sensitive Infrared Detector. Pat. # 3,061,726 (Simultaneous use of intrinsic and extrinsic photoconductivity in gold-doped germanium infrared detector for wavelength discrimination.)

Passive Thermal Imaging Device Utilizing a Cholesteric Liquid Crystalline Phase Material. Pat. # 3,114,836 (Basic patent on temperature measurement using liquid crystals)

Infrared Optical System. Pat. # 3,363,962 (F/0.75, 3" focal length, 5/8" diameter image plane, diffraction limited infrared triplet)

Optical Apparatus for the Infrared. U.S. Pat. # 3,468,594 (Wide angle anti-reflection coating for silicon and germanium lenses.)

Neural Network with weight Adjustment Based on Prior History of Input Signals. Pat. # 5,119,469. (Basic patent on the Dystal ANN).

Dynamically Stable Associative Learning Neural System with One Fixed Weight. U.S. Pat. # 5,222,195 (Dystal with patches and associated improvements).

Three U.S. and foreign patents pending on the DYSTAL network and its architecture.

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