The award recognizes his lifetime achievements in the field of Bioelectromagnetics, which include extensive research on the dosimetry and biophysical interactions with living systems of static and low-frequency electric and magnetic fields. He has also been a major contributor to numerous national and international organizations that have established guidelines for human exposure to electromagnetic fields over the entire nonionizing radiation frequency spectrum.

Tom received his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in Physics from Harvard University. His Ph.D. was awarded in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. His strong interest in bioelectromagnetics began with the use of static electric fields for single-cell microelectrophoresis during his PhD. thesis work in the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s he conducted a broad range of biological studies on static and ELF magnetic fields that were of importance in establishing safety limits for a number of technologies that involve human exposure to strong magnetic fields, including magnetic resonance imaging. During the past decade he has become involved in the analysis of potential biological effects of higher frequency fields, including the modulated RF fields used for wireless communication.

Over the past 30 years, Tom’s contributions to bioelectromagnetics have been many and varied. His work on electromagnetic fields has ranged from instrumentation development and the use of these instruments for the study of a wide variety of cellular and whole-animal systems, to the application of knowledge so gained to broader scientific and policy issues. He has provided leadership in many national and international committees focused on determining the extent and impact of interactions of electromagnetic fields with biological systems. Tom’s research and management experience has spanned several disciplines, including studies on biological effects of ionizing and nonionizing radiation, environmental and occupational health sciences, medical applications of radiation, surface chemistry of normal and cancer cells, and biological spectroscopy.

As part of Tom’s early work on the biochemical properties of cell surfaces, he developed a simple instrument for the electrophoretic characterization of surface charges on single cells suspended in an aqueous medium and exposed to electric fields and currents. The virtue of his system was that it was relatively simple to use, sterility was easily maintained, and the experimental preparation was protected against contamination from the current-injection electrodes. In a series of experiments, Dr. Tenforde used this system to characterize ionizable chemical species at the surfaces of normal and tumor cells and to investigate the interactions of cells with drugs such as thorazine, enzymes such as neuraminidase, and microorganisms such as the malarial parasite.

Tom’s most notable contributions have resulted from more than 20 years of theoretical and experimental research on the mechanisms of interaction and thresholds for biological effects associated with exposure to high-intensity magnetic fields. He and his colleagues performed extensive research on the magnetic induction of electric voltages in the aorta and other major vessels in the central circulatory system. The quantitative analysis of this magnetohydrodynamic effect has formed the basis of public, occupational, and medical limitations on exposure to static magnetic fields that are used throughout the world today.

Early in his career, Tom also carried out theoretical work to elucidate the physical basis for the extreme sensitivity of some biological materials to electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields. He studied ELF and RF field effects on bound calcium ions at cell surfaces, and found that the energy required to affect this binding was considerably more than could be supplied by the fields that were used in previously published experimental work. He also developed a model showing that near phase transitions, membrane functional properties can be extremely sensitive to small fields, sensitivities that are beyond what would be expected to be theoretically possible on the basis of single-cell physical noise arguments.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Tom and his colleagues at the Donner Laboratory at the University of California developed what soon became the foremost program investigating the biological effects of strong static magnetic fields. Biological systems covered in these investigations included the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, thermoregulation, circadian rhythmicity, lipid bilayer membrane permeability, and animal behavior. This work initially began because of concerns about human exposure to strong magnetic fields that occur near thermonuclear fusion reactors, magnetohydrodynamic power systems, and high-energy physics facilities such as cyclotrons and bubble chambers. However, in the end its greatest impacts have been on demonstrating the safety of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, and on the establishment of occupational and public exposure guidelines for exposure to static magnetic fields by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists and the International Commission on Nonionizing Radiation Protection. Tom and his colleagues played a key role in the evaluation of potential risks to patients and workers from MRI facilities. His research and knowledge in this area gave assurance that an emerging medical technology, which was soon to come into common usage, was safe. Indeed, Tom has been very influential in guiding decision-makers about the hazard or safety of many emerging electromagnetic technologies, and has been a pioneer in this area.

In the early 1980s, Tom led research in the development of a small computerized exposure meter for recording static magnetic fields that could be worn during a normal work day. Subsequently, this meter was modified for EPRI to measure small ELF magnetic fields. This meter was the first of what has become a continuing series of smaller and more capable meters developed for electromagnetic field exposure measurements. Now the fabrication of such a meter is not difficult because of developments in microminiature electronics and computers, but in the early 1980s, it was truly a formidable undertaking.

Tom is currently a Senior Chief Scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In this role he provides scientific leadership in research ranging from laboratory biology to radiochemistry. Although he has many administrative responsibilities, he has remained active in scientific work. He has been centrally involved in the development of new NMR spectrometer systems, including the world’s highest frequency (900 MHz) analytical NMR spectrometer for the study of large biomolecular structures. This development is important because most biological molecules of interest are too large to be satisfactorily studied in aqueous solution with existing NMR systems operating at lower frequencies.

Tom has always been a strong proponent of research on the biological effects and human health risks associated with exposure to EMF. He was instrumental in helping to promote the U.S. federal program funded under the Energy Policy Act of 1992, presenting Congressional testimony on this subject during the early stages of formation of the EPACT program when it was having difficulty because of delays in funding. At the same time he is a vigorous advocate for setting human exposure standards that are soundly based on well-established scientific findings. Tom has made significant contributions through service to more than 30 national and international committees with the responsibility for analyzing potential health effects and setting occupational and public guidelines for exposure to magnetic and electromagnetic fields; included are his services to several National Research Council committees (including Chairman), the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (member of the Board of Directors, Vice-President for Nonionizing Radiation, honorary lifetime member), the International Commission on Nonionizing Radiation Protection, IEEE COMAR, and the Physical Agents Committee of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.

In addition, Tom has served the Bioelectromagnetics community directly through involvement in BEMS. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1981 and then subsequently served as President of the Bioelectromagnetics Society in 1987-1988. He has been an author of over 220 journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports, and was a valued member of the Editorial Board of Bioelectromagnetics for 15 years. Tom has also served as a reviewer in the area of nonionizing radiation for federal agencies, private organizations, and more than 25 refereed journals.