Valencia Koomson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Valencia Koomson
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| Born |
Washington, D.C., United States
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Cambridge |
| Awards | Senior Member of the IEEE, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professorship, National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Marshall Scholarship |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Imaging |
| Institutions | Tufts University, Howard University, University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Thesis | Integrated Circuit Design for Wireless Network Receivers |
| Doctoral advisor | Dr. David M. Holburn, University of Cambridge |
Valencia Joyner Koomson is an American electrical engineer. She is a professor at Tufts University. There, she works in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She also helps lead the Advanced Integrated Circuits and Systems Lab.
Contents
Early Life and School
Koomson was born in Washington, D.C.. She went to Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. Her parents, Otis and Vernese Joyner, moved to Washington, D.C. during a time called the Great Migration. Before that, they lived as farmers in Wilson County, North Carolina. Her family has a long history in the United States. Her oldest known relative was Hagar Atkinson. She was an African woman whose name was written in a will in 1746.
Koomson studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She earned her first degree in electrical engineering and computer science in 1998. She got her Master's degree in 1999. She then went to the University of Cambridge in England. There, she earned another Master's degree in 2000. She finished her PhD in electrical engineering from Cambridge in 2003.
Research and Career
After her studies, Koomson taught at Howard University from 2004 to 2005. She also worked as a Senior Research Engineer. Later, she was a visiting professor at other universities. In 2005, Koomson joined Tufts University as a professor. She became an associate professor in 2011. In 2020, she was a special visiting professor at MIT.
Designing Smart Devices
Koomson's lab at Tufts designs tiny, smart electronic systems. These systems are called microsystems. They focus on making devices that use different materials. This helps with fast wireless communication. It also helps with medical imaging and sensing.
Making Medical Devices Fair
Recently, Koomson has worked on a very important issue. She is helping to fix racial bias in medical devices. One example is the pulse oximeter. This device measures how much oxygen is in a person's blood. Many people used pulse oximeters during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Koomson found that these devices might not work as well for people with darker skin. This is because the devices use light to measure oxygen. Skin tone can affect how much light gets through. To fix this, Koomson is creating new technology. This technology measures a person's skin tone. It then helps the pulse oximeter shine more light. This makes sure people with more melanin (darker skin) get an accurate reading.
Koomson also talks to lawmakers and scientists. She wants the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to check these devices for bias. Her efforts helped set up an FDA meeting in late 2022. At this meeting, they discussed the problem. She told The Tufts Admission Magazine that she contacted lawmakers in Massachusetts. She wanted them to know about these issues. Senator Warren then asked the FDA to review the devices in 2021.
Koomson also helped develop a smart parking system. This system uses both light and radio signals.
Awards and Recognition
- MLK Visiting Professor at MIT, 2020
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