The
Harold Berger Lecture By
Dean Kamen
 Recipient
of the Harold Berger Award
“for his creative use of technology to
advance health care and his unwavering championing of engineering
education”
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
5:00 p.m. Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall
Reception to follow
Look for the Segway scooter around campus prior to the
lecture!
Dean Kamen, inventor and physicist, has dedicated his life
to developing technologies that help people lead better lives.
With his latest invention, the Segway™ Human Transporter
(HT), Kamen aspired to improve upon the most basic form of
transportation, walking, by allowing people to go farther,
move more quickly, and carry more without separating them
from their everyday walking environment. As a result, the
Segway™ HT is a breakthrough in personal transportation
that uses sophisticated and elegant self-balancing technology
to improve the way people work and live.
After founding DEKA Research & Development in 1982, Kamen
patented a fluid management system that became the core of
the Baxter HomeChoice™ PD peritoneal dialysis machine.
Unlike traditional stationary dialysis equipment, it is a
compact and portable device. In addition, Kamen developed
the INDEPENDENCE™ iBOT™ 3000 Mobility System,
a sophisticated mobility aid capable of climbing stairs, navigating
rough terrain, and raising the user to eye-level with a standing
person. Like Segway™ HT, the iBOT uses self-balancing
technology.
One of Kamen's proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST
(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
in 1989, an organization dedicated to motivating the next
generation of engineers to understand, use, and enjoy science
and technology. Kamen remains the driving force behind FIRST,
recruiting titans of American business, government, and education
to invest time and resources in the initiative. The FIRST
Robotics Competition, an annual event teaming professional
engineers with high school students nationwide attracts hundreds
of teams, breaks participation records every year and inspires
students to pursue careers in science and technology.
Kamen has received numerous awards and accolades for his
innovative inventions that have revolutionized healthcare
technology including the National Medal of Technology in 2000,
the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002 for Invention and Innovation,
and The New Freedom Award in 2003.
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