On-Line Classes -- Sign Up Now:  Sign up for semester-long, for-credit optics classes, delivered anywhere in the world.  These are the same classes, taught by the same faculty members, that we offer to our on-campus students at The University of Arizona.  You may choose to take individual courses tailored to your specific interests, earn a professional graduate certificate in optics, or complete a Master's degree in optical sciences -- all on-line.  And now, signing up is easier than ever as international students taking on-line classes do not need to submit TOFEL scores.   For admission, registration, and all the details, please visit:  http://www.optics.arizona.edu/academics/distance.htm

Turbulence and Vortices in Two-Dimensional Bose Gases.  P.I.:  Brian Anderson.  Sponsor:  National Science Foundation.  June 15, 2009 to May 31, 2012.  $489,208.

Wide Field for View Night Vision Goggles.  P.I.:  Jose Sasian.  Sponsor:  SA Photonics.  June 29, 2009 to September 30, 2009.  $50,000.

STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF

OSC's Jennifer Barton is Named to Bio5 Post:  From a July 8 article in Lo Que Pasa by Deborah Daun, Bio5 Institute.  Jennifer Barton, an imaging expert and joint OSC faculty member, interim head of the department of biomedical engineering and chair of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, has been named assistant director of the BIO5 Institute.  BIO5 brings together scientists from five disciplines - agriculture, medicine, pharmacy, basic science, and engineering - to treat disease, feed humanity and preserve livable environments. BIO5 creates science, industry and education partnerships to engage in leading-edge research, translate innovations to the market and to inspire and train the next generation of scientists.  She is developing both the technology and potential applications of optical imaging. Her research focuses on optical coherence tomography, known as OCT, a noninvasive technique that directs a beam of near-infrared light on tissue.  Images similar to ultrasound are obtained, but with much higher resolution. She is particularly interested to see if OCT can be used to detect cancer at a very early stage, when it is most curable.  Photo:  Jennifer Barton.

OSC Students Welcome UA Freshmen:  From Meredith Kupinski.  On July 17, OSC students: Brittany Lynn, Chris Summitt, Livia Zarnescu, and Steven Haim introduced a group of 28 students from UA’s New Start Program to the College of Optical Sciences. New Start is a summer bridge program for incoming UA freshman. During the lively panel discussion OSC students were asked questions about their research, course load, and tips for freshman year survival. One New Start student even declared he was changing his major to optics!! Thank you Brittany, Chris, Livia, and Steven for your valuable contribution to OSC recruitment!   Photo:  UA's New Start students and their OSC hosts.  Please click on the thumbnail for a larger image.

SPIE Scholarships:  In 2009, SPIE has given scholarships to 14 students from OSC.  Congratulations OSC students and thank you SPIE for recognizing and rewarding our students.

2009 SPIE Scholarship Recipients from OSC:  Michael Borden, Michael Gaj, Dae Wook Kim, Houssine Makhlouf, Brian Miller, Justin Paul, Timothy Renkoski, Matthew Schwab, Lirong Wang, Brian Wheelwright, Rigel Woida-O'Brien, Livia Zarnescu, Jun Zhang, and Rui Zhang.

ALUMNI 

Focus is on the Little Things -- Nikon Research Corporation Knows Smaller is Better With Electronic Devices:   From an article by Dan Sorenson.  Published in the Arizona Daily Star on July 18.  Say "Nikon" and most people hear "camera," but Nikon Research Corporation of America has a local presence that often has more to do with your laptop than your camera.  A small group of optical engineers — most of them PhD's from the University of Arizona's College of Optical Science — work out of NRCA's modest office and lab in a quiet Rancho Vistoso business park in Oro Valley.  They can't tell anyone much more than that, because their work often has to do with product development, often involving patented features, said Eric Goodwin [OSC BS 2002, MS 2004, and PhD 2007], one of the three UA optical engineering PhDs working there.  Nikon, says NRCA CEO Tom Novak, is the second-largest maker of the equipment used in creating those chips.  Any error in the optics used to make the circuits causes flaws.  He said Nikon maintains an operation here because of the research, training and other resources available at the UA's College of Optical Science.  "It's definitely because of the University of Arizona," said Novak. "It's world renowned. As far as I'm concerned it's the Number One optical university. … We wanted to be in close proximity to the professors and students. We use them as advisors from time to time."  Contact reporter Dan Sorenson at 573-4185 or dsorenson@azstarnet.com.

NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Terahertz and Mid Infrared Radiation:  Mauro Pereira, OSC MS 1989 and PhD 1992, now a Professor at Sheffield Hallam University's Materials and Engineering Research Institute, sends greetings and information about an upcoming conference: The NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Terahertz and Mid Infrared Radiation: Basic Research and Applications (TERA - MIR 2009).  The workshop will be held from November 3 to November 6, 2009 at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Physics in Turunç-Marmaris, Turkey.  Topics of interest include but are not limited to: Interaction of MIR or THz radiation with living biological material, Applications of MIR and THz to medical diagnosis MIR and THz imaging, Detection of explosives and dangerous substances, Last mile communication, Integration of THz and MIR with optical fibers, Out of the box methods for MIR and THz generation and detection, Lasers without inversion, Nonlinear MIR and THz optics, Difference frequency and other nonlinear methods of generation of THz radiation, Millimeter wave and microwave generation and detection – bridging the gap to THz, Quantum Cascade Lasers, Quantum Cascade Detectors, and Intersubband Transport and Optics.  For more information, please visit http://www.smmo.org/TERA-MIR2009/

OTHER

Antiques Roadshow:  The OSC Version:  Next week, while you're at SPIE's Optics and Photonics, please take a moment to visit our exhibit of antique and historic optics -- selected portions of our collection are on loan to SPIE's O&P during this International Year of Astronomy and the quadricentennial anniversary of Galileo’s first telescopic observations.  The goal of the exhibit is to show the development of telescopes and binoculars from relatively early instruments to later instruments that represent what we recognize as the modern form.  John Greivankamp, the collection curator, will be at O&P and is available for questions.  At the College of Optical Sciences, the exhibit's permanent home, the collection is open to visitors Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Portions of the collection may be viewed on-line at www.optics.arizona.edu/antiques/

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Optics Camp, June 8 - 12:  Our high school campers had a grand time and so did we.  For highlights, please visit http://www.optics.arizona.edu/News/2009Newsletters/OpticsSummerCamp2009.htm

OSC ON-LINE STORE

OSC Polo Shirts:  These are the same shirts that our students and faculty members wear when they represent OSC at professional functions.  The words under the rainbow diamond simply say "College of Optical Sciences".  The shirts are available in a variety of sizes for men and women and come in three colors:  alumni red, UA blue, and white.  Price:  $25 each plus an additional fee for shipping if required.  To Purchase:  please contact Luz Palomarez in the Dean's office by e-mail at luz@optics.arizona.edu or by telephone at 520-621-6997 ext. 1.

Much of the information included in this e-mail can also be found in our weekly e-newsletter, Watt’s Up. If you would like to subscribe, you may add (and later remove if you wish) your name to our Watt's Up listserv by visiting http://www.optics.arizona.edu/helpdesk/listserv.htm

Cathy Alexander

Information Specialist Coordinator

College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona

cathy.alexander@optics.arizona.edu