In Memoriam

Rama K. Jonnada, GEE’69

Rama K. Jonnada, an engineer involved in the telecommunications industry as a project manager and executive director of design and development since the 1970’s, died November 15, 2004, in Morristown, New Jersey. Having received his Ph.D in electrical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Jonnada joined AT&T Bell Laboratories in Whippany, New Jersey in 1972, and remained with the evolving company until 2000. He was promoted to Executive Director of Bellcore in 1984, appointed as Lead Solution Architect in Australia in 1992, and led Telcordia Technologies into the world of internet protocols (IP). Dr. Jonnada was involved in Indian cultural activities for over 30 years, sponsoring many South Indian Carnatic Music concerts and serving as the first president of the Telugu Fine Arts Society. He is survived by his wife, Savitri, three children: sons Siva and Madhu of Morristown, New Jersey; and Padma Priya Palanki of Farmington, New Mexico; and two grandchildren, Aneel and Vinitha.

Herman P. Schwan, Professor Emeritus

Herman P. Schwan, pioneer in biophysics and bioengineering and professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, died at his home in Radnor, Pennsylvania on March 17, at the age of 89.

Dr. Schwan was born in Aachen, Germany in 1915. He graduated from the Goettingen Gymnasium with excellence in 1934, and earned his doctorate in physics from the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Biophysics at the University of Frankfurt in 1940. He received his teaching certificate at the University and his professional doctorate in the fields of physics and biophysics in 1946.

In 1947, Dr. Schwan moved to the U.S. to accept a position at the Aeromedical Equipment Laboratory of the U.S. Naval Base in Philadelphia. In 1950, he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine, and the following year, he became a member of the faculty of the Moore School of Electrical Engineering. In 1973, he helped establish Penn’s department of bioengineering, where he served as department chair until 1974 and subsequently spent the rest of his career. He retired as Alfred Fitler Moore Professor Emeritus in 1983, and continued lecturing for more than 15 years. The Department of Bioengineering and the Institute for Medicine and Engineering established the Herman P. Schwan Distinguished Lecture series in honor of Dr. Schwan and his contributions.

Dr. Schwan published more than 300 scientific papers. He received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions, including the Edison Medal of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the first d’Arsonval Award of the Bioelectromagnetics Society, membership in the National Academy of Engineering, and several honorary degrees. As a scientist, Dr. Schwan is best known for many biophysical studies related to electrical properties of cells and tissues, and on nonthermal mechanisms of interaction of fields with biological systems. He was also involved in the issue of possible health effects of nonionizing electromagnetic fields. Among many other committee activities in the field, he chaired the committee that established the first (1965) U.S. exposure limit for radio frequency (RF) energy, for the American National Standards Institute. This standard evolved into the present IEEE C95.1 standard and was widely influential in the development of exposure limits around the world.

Dr. Schwan is survived by his wife of 55 years, Anne Marie Del Borello Schwan; four daughters: Carolyn, Barbara, Margaret and Catherine; his son Steven; and six grandchildren.