PRESIDENT ELECT TIM LUZADER introduced Paul Robinson, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue, who talked about The Unlikely Journey to the 
Top of Everest. It all began in 2006 when Steven Lewis, the UN Secretary General for AIDS in Africa asked, "Why can't intelligent people solve simple problems?" In trying to solve that "simple problem" that Professor Robinson caught himself saying, "It would be easier to climb Mt. Everest than to solve this problem (low cost diagnostic tool for Africa)."
That led him to climb: Mr. Rainier (hard), Denali (brutal), and a mountain in Nepal, before preparing for the challenge of Everest. The early preparation was climbing stairs at Purdue with 75 pounds of bricks in his backpack. He described the nine-week climb, which ended with a six day brutal march to the top, noting that the climb up is done at night when sight of what lies below is eliminated. Physical challenges included loss of appetite, inability to sleep, and constant fatigue. This makes it a mind game with a brain that does not work properly. He completed the climb successfully, but always the last one in his group (which he found depressing). Explained that he was changed forever, his goal is to do something to really impact people's lives in a positive way. If you are interested, the Discovery Channel's "Everest Beyond the Limits" episode 5 entitled "One Last Breath", was filmed while he was on the mountain.
