February 28, 2001
Oklahoma Daily
Will Lupardus

Two engineering students will be traveling to Russia this weekend to study at a world renowned laser research institute.Electrical engineering seniors Jim Jeffers and Chad Roller will leave for Moscow on Sunday to do work at the Lebedev Physical Institute. They will be the first American college students to visit the institute in 40 years, if not longer, Jeffers said."The main reason I'm excited about going is to be studying lasers in the country, where in the '80s the Russians developed everything to fight against us in the battle for technological supremacy," he said.The Lebedev Physical Institute has won four Nobel Prizes in the last 70 years. The institute created the first hydrogen bomb and co-inventedthe laser."To my knowledge, these will be the first students to study at this institution," Electrical Engineering Professor Patrick McCann said. "It's a really big deal actually. OU should be honored to have this prestige by association.""They are going to continue the story, so to speak, to develop lasers at this institute," McCann said.He said Russian scientists have a good understanding of the hardware involved but they need a little help with the software interface. McCann said that's where Jim and Chad come in."We will be using this opportunity to catch them up with the latest equipment," Roller said.One of the scientists they will be working with is Yuriy Selivanov, who has made three visits to OU to work with the electrical engineering department. He fabricates semi-conductor lasers and builds the key component in medical diagnostic lasers, McCann said."He is the best in the world at what he does," Roller said. "I'm looking forward to seeing Yuriy again. It's fun to see the homeland of someone you've worked with and respect."Jeffers and Roller were invited to the institute by the Russian Academy of Science on a grant from the National Science Foundation, which will go toward materials, research and lasers."I had asked the National Science Foundation for money to have Russian scientists come here," McCann said. "But they initiated the idea of having our students go over there."While in Moscow, Jeffers and Roller will be studying breath diagnostics, focusing on schizophrenia, Roller said."It (breath diagnostics) is a simple test that uses lasers to measure the content of breath," Roller said. "This is all non-abrasive, no needles."Breath diagnostics can detect illnesses such as schizophrenia, breast cancer, lung cancer and mad cow disease, he said.Jeffers and Roller will also travel to a university in Zellonograd, Russia, to give a breath diagnostics presentation to students in the electrical medicine department.For more information about the College of Engineering, go to www.coe.ou.edu/hme/index.html.URL: http://www.oudaily.com/archives/022820016462032809.shtmlCopyright: 1995-2000, OU Student Publications Board, All Rights Reserved.