Address:   Doheny Vision Research Center                  1355 San Pablo Street, Suite 182                  Los Angeles, CA 90033 Email:        aweitz@usc.edu Phone:      (323) 442-6765 Fax:          (323) 442-6755

 

Background:
Andrew received a B.S. degree in Computer Engineering from Penn State University, where he graduated with honors in 2004. His undergraduate research and thesis was in the field of multidimensional medical image processing. After graduating, Andrew was hired by a small start-up called Geo-Spatial Technologies, which was later acquired by SAIC. Andrew worked there for four years designing software and hardware for DARPA programs. During this time, he served as deputy project manager for a DARPA program to detect IEDs in vehicles, he managed a large software project for visualizing vast amounts of 3D data, and he was awarded a patent for inventing a system that performs automated 3D urban modeling. Andrew left SAIC in 2007 to study Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern Calfornia. He received his M.S. in 2008 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D.

Current Research:
Andrew is using an in vitro model of the retinal prosthesis to understand the spatial properties of the retina's response to electrical stimulation. In this model, a multielectrode array delivers current pulses to an isolated retina. Calcium imaging is used to report action potentials of retinal ganglion cells. The goal is to activate only cells near the site of stimulation. By achieving focal stimulation in the isolated retina and applying the same principles to the retinal prostheis, he hopes to help increase the spatial resolution and accuracy of the prosthesis