Active Microwave Thermography -- A New Twist on Microwave NDT

The field of microwave nondestructive testing (NDT) includes numerous test and measurement techniques with a wide range of applications. It is a field that I have been a part of since my undergraduate days, and one that I now contribute to as an academician, along with my own undergraduate and graduate students. I feel extremely fortunate to have the job that I have and the research team with whom I work, and as such, would like to share some of what we do on a regular basis. When I give students and visitors tours of my lab, they are often surprised to see the sorts of items sitting on our lab benches. Along with the expected items (antennas, power supplies, etc.), one may also see a microwave oven, a thermal camera, corroded steel rebar, and small concrete samples.