Coral WilsonWhen Lee Schiel graduated from Edison...

Coral Wilson

When Lee Schiel graduated from Edison High in Huntington Beach in

1974, the school didn’t even have computers. Now, 29 years after

graduation, Schiel, 47, returned to show students his latest creation

-- a supercomputer equipped with the software and hardware to convert

CT scans and MRI data into high-resolution, 3-D maps.

Schiel’s technological breakthroughs could help doctors cure

cancer and scientists solve the mystery of the dinosaurs’ extinction.

But he takes his discoveries to schools because sometimes children

are the only ones willing to listen.

“We, as adults, we are afraid of things,” Schiel said. “Children

don’t know what to fear. Computers are like a third arm to them.”

His 3-D scanned body images allow surgeons to judge spatial

differences, examine every nerve and vessel and rotate it to any

desired angle. The technology gained significant recognition in

January when it was used in the surgical separation of Maria de Jesus

and Maria Teresa Quiej Alvarez, the twins from Guatemala joined at

the head.

Knowledge of the equipment is not widespread, but some doctors are

already convinced of its potential. Howard Liebeskind, team

podiatrist to the U.S. World Cup and national teams, uses enhanced

imaging as a research tool and for the specialized clinical needs of

his patients.

“The brilliance and energy that Lee exhibits is unparalleled

anywhere within the health spectrum,” Liebeskind said. “He has really

been on the forefront of medical diagnostic imaging and has now

provided is with cutting-edge MRI technology. He has made outstanding

technological strides that will assist many patients, both today, as

well as in the future.”

Through early intervention and more accurate assessment,

Liebeskind said Schiel’s computer could ultimately decrease long-term

medical costs.

“My clinical judgments are now more comfortable and definitive in

terms of accuracy,” he said. “We are on the cutting edge of a new

technology that will truly be an asset to all physicians that require

the use of MRI.”

Pointing and clicking is enough to navigate the equipment, Schiel

said, who on a recent visit to his alma mater, let Edison students

experiment with images of the conjoined twins, his own knee and an

aneurysm.

“I want you to fly through these data sets so you can see what a

super computer feels like,” Schiel told the students. “When you don’t

know what to expect, I can expect you will find something no one else

can find.”

Jennie Lee, 16, found the aneurysm without even knowing what she

was looking for.

“The best way to learn is through discovery,” Schiel said. “She

was able to find it by looking at the patterns of the brain.”

With a degree in business and accounting and no medical

background, Schiel said that all the skills he needed to succeed in

this field, he learned in high school. He credited science teacher

Lee Saviers and woodworking teacher Gary Monji, who were in the

audience. Both still teach at Edison High.

Holding up a carved candlestick and spring-loaded jackknife made

in a woodworking class, Schiel recalled how he had to prove himself

to join Monji’s class.

“The ability to think in three dimensions and produce something

with my hands is no different that what I am doing here,” Schiel

said, pointing to the computers.

He is a twin in a family with three sets of twins. All six

children attended Edison High at the same time.

As teachers flipped through old yearbooks in the back of the room,

Monji, 61, fondly remembered a younger Schiel. Monji said his former

student still has the same strong will, determination and curiosity

that has always made him succeed.

“His curiosity is something he had a long time ago, so it doesn’t

surprise me,” Monji said. “What I admire in people is the ability to

go against the grain, and the kid that will argue about something is

one of the most precious students.”

Schiel first took an interest in medicine and CT scans when he was

misdiagnosed with cancer. He urged the students on as they zipped

through the video game-like data files at turbo speed.

The same technology is being used for video games and digital

graphics for movies. It is not new, but money is being invested in

entertainment instead of medicine, Schiel said.

“It is an essential component for a surgeon,” said James Crouch,

MRI specialist for the West Hills Hospital in the San Fernando

Valley. “To me, it could be the missing link.”

Schiel says the technology could be revolutionary in other fields.

When he was able scan a rock from China and reveal the fossilized

bacteria of a baby dinosaur, Schiel said he was told by NASA

officials that the concept had revolutionized their approach to

finding life in space. Now NASA will look for life on Mars in the

form of fossilized bacteria instead of live bacteria, he said.

Schiel also was able to make a high-resolution, detailed map of a

2-day-old mouse fetus, smaller than the head of the pin. Pointing out

the detail revealed in the optic nerve, Schiel said the implications

could be significant in finding early cases of cancer.

“This is how dinosaur eggs, science and wellness all fit

together,” he said. “It is pretty amazing how dinosaur eggs can lead

to the practical cure for cancer.”

While Schiel says he wants to offer doctors a better map of the

body, he said the general response is resistance to change. Since

this generation is refusing to listen, he said he is pitching the

concept to the next generation.

“This kind of computing power, put in the hands of high school

students -- we are going to get some stuff done,” he said.

* CORAL WILSON is a news assistant who covers education. She can

be reached at (714) 965-7177 or by e-mail at

coral.wilson@latimes.com.