Biomedical Applications: Taking Stock [Microwave Surfing]

If you attended the recent IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium 5–10 June 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, or the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and United States National Committee for the International Union of Radio Science (USNC/URSI) Meeting 3–8 July 2011 in Spokane, Washington, you probably noticed that the RF/microwave research community remains seriously engaged in the pursuit of biomedical applications of this part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Such annual events, highlighting the beneficial aspects of the nonionizing electromagnetic waves, clearly remind us of how far we have come in exploring applications that transcend the traditional defense-based boundaries of this engineering field. At the same time, they also serve as a useful counterpoint to the periodic media reports on the putative dangers of nonionizing electromagnetic radiation.