Tyrone Porter Tyrone Porter has always been fascinated with both engineering and biology, making bioengineering a natural choice. While attending Prairie View A&M University in Texas, where he majored in electrical engineering, he read an article on using lasers to trap cells and was amazed at what could be accomplished at a cellular level. He decided to learn more. His research led him to the University of Washington, which he discovered has one of the best bioengineering graduate programs in the world. During an exploratory trip to the UW, Porter expressed an interest in ultrasound, and ended up having a long talk with Lawrence Crum of the Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound. "I was impressed by the level of enthusiasm and creativity that permeated the entire department," Porter recalls. "More importantly, I felt that everyone was driven toward assisting each other to succeed." He also fell in love with the Pacific Northwest, which he considers "the most breathtaking region in this country." With Crum as his advisor, Porter began work on obtaining a Ph.D. in bioengineering. Since becoming involved in this project, he has had to learn acoustics, biochemistry, physical chemistry, thermodynamics, physiology, and various microscopy and surface analysis techniques. He has also had the opportunity to work with neurosurgeons, physicists, chemical engineers, and biotechnologists as well as fellow bioengineers. "In just a few short years," he says, "my understanding of science and research techniques increased exponentially." One of his first projects involved the use of high-intensity, focused ultrasound (HIFU) to create blood clots extracorporeally, i.e., from outside the body, without damaging tissue around the ensonified area. Currently, he is investigating the effects of ultrasound on cell morphology. One of his most interesting studies is how oscillating bubbles in an acoustic field alter the shape of the cell membrane, creating "pores" that render it more permeable to macromolecules. Concentrations of bubbles, called contrast agents, are often injected into patients to provide better visualization on sonograms. These bubbles can be labeled so that they seek out signals from specific cells, say cancer cells, and home-in on them. One researcher in Arizona is already placing drugs on contrast agents and sending them off on seek-and-destroy missions. Better understanding of how HIFU might help molecules to penetrate the cell wall could have tremendous implications for the treatment of certain medical conditions, and maybe even provide another method for introducing genetic material into cells. As excited as he is about bioengineering, Porter never forgets that its goal is to help people, a principle he has practiced all his life. While at Prairie View A&M, he founded a peer group called Peers Advising, Counseling, and Teaching (PACT) in 1992 to help young black people develop an understanding of their history and a positive outlook on the present and future. In recognition he was selected for the USA Today Academic First Team, one of 20 students from throughout the nation who have excelled academically and contributed to society in their own right, either through research or through community involvement. In 1997 Porter was featured in the book Face Forward: Young African American Men in a Critical Age by Julian C.R. Okwu, which presents portraits and interviews with 40 men "leading exemplary lives, defying the statistics, destroying the stereotypes." Porter finds his research exhilarating and plans to continue as a post-doc after he obtains his Ph.D. Eventually, however, he would like to teach. Unlike many Ph.D.s, he won't be looking for big names and research space. He'd prefer to pass on the knowledge and passion that he's gained for bioengineering in a smaller school, ideally a historically black college like Prairie View A&M. "I'm not only driven to be the best," Porter says, "but to help others achieve their best. Spreading the word about bioengineering is, in my opinion, the greatest occupation to have."