A Mount Ayr Community High School graduate has recently been recognized as one of the world's foremost experts in nuclear medical technology.

David McDaniel PhD., a 1969 Mount Ayr graduate, was recently nominated for the Edison Award, one of the most prestigious accolades honoring excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centerd design and innovation from the General Electric Corporation.

McDaniel's area of expertise is Photon Detection and Positron Emission Tomography, otherwise known as PET scans. According to the National Institute of Health, a PET scan is an imaging test that uses a radioactive substance called a tracer to look for disease in the body. A PET scan shows how organs and tissues are working. PET scans can be used to diagnose a health condition, as well as for finding out how an existing condition is developing. PET scans are often used to see how effective ongoing treatment is.

McDaniel is currently the senior detector physicist and principal engineer in the PET Department at General Electric.

Support for McDaniel's nomination for the Edison Award came in from across the country and around the world. One nomination stated, ". . . [McDaniel] can be considered, if not the father, of every invention in PET detection in the last 25 years, at least the godfather . . ." Another nomination stated, ". . . [McDaniel] has brought over 18 PET products to life, with over 2200 system installations and an estimated 225 million patient exams. . . " The head of the Imaging Research Labratory at the University of Washington credits McDaniel's design and specifications for at least 12 classes of PET PET/CT and PET/MR scanners released since 1994.

To date McDaniel holds over 50 patents and has over 30 published papers and numerous conference presentations, posters and abstracts to his credit.

Several nominations cited McDaniel's approachability and willingness to train the next generation of medical nuclear physicists. "I have never seen him refuse to sit with someone and explain, clarify, teach or mentor," wrote one. "This is truly an instangible aspect of a great leader and is very hard to measure. There is no metric other than the personal testimony of hundreds of people Dave has worked with."

McDaniel graduated in 1973 from Northwest Missouri State University with a bachelor of science in physics and a minor in mathematics He carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average during his four years at Northwest. He had graduate school offers from the University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Choosing Wisconsin, he obtained a Master of science in nuclear physics in 1975 and a doctorate in nuclear physics in 1980. From 1980 to 1982 he served as a research associate position at the physics department at Wisconsin. He then accepted a postdoctoral fellowship position in radiology at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston from 1982 to 1983. He was hired by General Electric Medical Systems in 1983 and has been with with the company for 32 years.

McDaniel and his wife Brenda (Payne), also a 1969 Mount Ayr graduate, live in Dousman, WI. They are the parents to three children: Eric, Scott and Teresa. A prominent designer in his own right, Eric McDaniel was lead software engineer on last year's release of the popular video game "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare"

McDaniel is the son of Leo and the late Geraldine McDaniel of Redding. Brenda is the daughter of the late Troy and Edna Payne-Sickels of Mount Ayr.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, June 11, 2015, Page 1

McDaniel wins Edison Award

The second time was the charm for a Mount Ayr Community graduate who was recently honored as the recipient of the prestigious Edison Award from the General Electric Corporation.

After being among the award nominees last year, David McDaniel, a 1969 Mount Ayr graduate, was named the 2015 winner of the award that recognized excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design and innovation.

McDaniel was cited for his work on PET (Positron Emmission Tomography) and CT (Computerized Axial Tomography) machines during his career with General Electric Medical. McDaniel is widely considered as one of the world's foremost experts in nuclear medical technology. He is currently the senior detector physicist and principal engineer in the PET Department of General Electric.

To date he holds over 50 patents and has over 30 published papers and numerous conference presentations, posters and abstracts to his credit.

McDaniel is the son of Leo and the late Geraldine McDaniel of Redding. His wife Brenda is the daughter of the late Troy and Edna Payne-Sickels of Mount Ayr.

Photographs courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2015