Asteroid 15465 is Named for OSC Alumnus Richard A. Buchroeder

15465 Buchroeder was discovered on January 15, 1999 by the observer of record, Dr. Jeff Larson, then a Postdoc with LPL's Spacewatch Project team.  The team named the asteroid for the man who designed the optics used for its discovery:  Dr. Richard A. Buchroeder.
 

Dr. Buchroeder, who designed the five-element corrector -- one of three wide field-correctors used on the two Spacewatch telescopes -- is an expert designer of decentered and other innovative optical systems.  He completed his doctorate in Optical Sciences in the Spring of 1976 under Professor Roland Shack's guidance.

On November 4, Dr. Buchroeder has been invited to present the Optical Sciences Center Colloquium.  As details become available, they will be posted to the Optical Sciences Center calendar at http://www.optics.arizona.edu/Calendar/Default.htm.  The Colloquium will begin at 3:45 p.m.  It is free and open to the public.
 

The discovery of 15465 Buchroeder was made with Kitt Peak's 36-inch telescope.  LPL's Mr. Joseph I. Montani said the telescope, originally installed on the UA campus at Steward Observatory on April 23, 1921, was the first large telescope mirror successfully cast in the United States with United States-produced materials.  In the early 1960s, the telescope was moved to its present home on Kitt Peak and made available to the Spacewatch Project team with the stipulation that Spacewatch assume responsibility for all refurbishing and maintenance.  Dr. Buchroeder's new primary mirror design and wide-field corrector were added by Spacewatch during a recent refurbishing.  For more information about the Spacewatch Project and its mission to explore asteroids and comets, please visit http://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu.
 

The asteroid was officially named on July 14, 2004.  Mr. Montani said that when an object thought to be an asteroid is discovered, it is logged in at the Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Minor Planet Center, known as the MPC, and assigned a number indicating its order of discovery.  Once the numbered object is confirmed as an asteroid, the International Astronomical Union's Committee on Small Body Nomenclature invites the discoverer to suggest a name and a corresponding citation that explains the reasons for the naming.  From that point, it can take up to another two months before the 13-member committee approves or rejects the name.

Asteroid names must follow a few simple guidelines and they cannot be sold or exchanged for favors or support.  Dr. Buchroeder's namesake cruises through space in rather grand company: the official list of minor planet names includes not only the inevitable Asimov, but also such real and legendary luminaries as Brahms, Ceres, Dickens, Einstein,  Lucifer, Poincare, Rousseau, Teller, Tomlinson, Unitas, van Gogh, and Zappa.
 

If you'd like to take a look at the list of minor planet names, please visit  http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/MPNames.html. 

Introducing  Philo Joyce Thomas, OSC PhD 2032
OSC Assistant Research Professor Jayan Thomas and his wife, Lynta, welcomed a new daughter into their family.  Philo Joyce, who joined her sister Merin and her brother Judin on July 13 at 6:40 p.m., weighed six pounds, one ounce.  Jayan tells us that both baby and mom are doing great.

Sign Up for the Computer Generated Holography Workshop
The workshop will be held at the Optical Sciences Center from August 17 through August 19.  The tuition of $1,500 includes three days of lectures and labs, all course materials, coffee breaks, and sandwich lunches.  SPIE members receive a 10% discount.  To register, please call Pat Gransie at 520-621-1925.  For a detailed schedule of the classes and labs, please visit http://www.optics.arizona.edu/milster/CGH%20WORKSHOP/CGH%20Workshop%20Announcement%20-%20Final.pdf.

Topics in Entrepreneurship for Scientists:  PHYS/MATH/MCB/ENTR 595F for Fall 2004
From Alaina G. Levine, Director of Special Projects, UA College of Science. Wednesdays, 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  Physics and Atmospheric Sciences, room 220.  1 credit .  This course will present different topics in and aspects of entrepreneurship specifically for graduate students in science. The goals of the course are:  to give students exposure to and understanding of the elements of the entrepreneurship process in scientific ventures to prepare them for scientific careers in industry, and/or to pursue the development of a new scientific venture -- to introduce the connection between science, scientific innovation, and business in an entrepreneurial venture, and in scientific and high technology industries overall -- to give students access to and detailed accounts from established entrepreneurs, scientists, business people, venture capitalists, intellectual property attorneys, and other industry leaders who have successfully created careers that combine science, business, and industry, or/and have been intimately involved in the scientific entrepreneurial process -- to introduce the concept of technology transfer and its role in bringing scientific innovation to commercialization -- to give students experience in "thinking like an entrepreneur" by developing and writing their own white paper (a prerequisite to a business plan) and -- to give students the opportunity to learn the resources available to an entrepreneur and how to take advantage of those resources.   Grades: Attendance and participation: 50% (sign-in sheet).  White Paper: 40%.  Involvement in Industry Activities, Committees, and Conferences: 10% .  Perk: Each week, students are invited to join the speaker and course instructor for dinner following class. Dinner is free. Although having dinner with the speaker is not a required part of this course, students are highly encouraged to take advantage of this free and unique opportunity to network with the guest speaker.  For more info, details, and the syllabus, please visit
http://psm.arizona.edu/content/entrepreneurshipcourse/index or contact Alaina Levine at 621-3374 or Alaina@u.arizona.edu.

Happy Birthday

July 26
Makoto Kuwata-Gonokami (gonokami@ap.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
Mark Neifeld (neifeld@ece.Arizona.EDU)

July 27
Brian DeBoo (bdeboo@optics.arizona.edu)
Jia-Fu Wang (jf4wang@yahoo.com)

July 28
Yakov Sidorin (ysileo@yahoo.com)
Aramais Zakharian (armis@email.arizona.edu)

July 30
Amritanshu Palaria (apalaria@email.arizona.edu)
Jordan Thomas (rats@email.arizona.edu)

July 31
Samuel Hill (slh1012@hotmail.com)
Pouria Valley (pvalley@optics.arizona.edu)
Jim Wyant (jcwyant@optics.Arizona.EDU)

August 1
Dong Lu (dongl@U.Arizona.EDU)

Watt's Happening – The OSC Master Calendar

July 28, 2004 -- PhD Final Exam -- 10:00 a.m. -- Meinel 554
Christopher Tebow will present Tunable Computed Tomographic Spectrometer.

July 30, 2004 -- PhD Final Exam -- 10:00 a.m. -- Radiology 101
Andrew Rouse will present Multi-Spectral Confocal Microendoscope for In-Vivo Imaging.

August 3, 2004 -- OSC Alumni Reunion -- 5:00 p.m. -- Hyatt Regency Denver
OSC alumni, students and faculty are invited to attend the OSC Annual Alumni Reunion Reception at the SPIE Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, August 3rd, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.  The reception will be held in the Moulin Rouge Room of the Hyatt Regency Denver, 1750 Welton Street, Denver, Colorado; a five-minute walk from the Colorado Convention Center.  As always, your families and guests are welcome.  There is no need to RSVP, but if you have questions, please contact Barbara Myers at bmyers@u.arizona.edu or call her at 520-621-8418.  We look forward to seeing you in Denver.

August 10, 2004 -- SATC and AOIA Luncheon -- 11:30 a.m. -- Radisson City Center Tucson
For more information, please visit http://www.optics.arizona.edu/News/07-15-04.htm

August 10, 2004 -- PhD Final Exam -- 3:00 p.m. -- Meinel 410
Dong Lu will present Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Sol-Gel Materials and Components for Integrated Optoelectronics.

August 13, 2004 - PhD Final Exam -- 2:00 p.m. -- Meinel 554
Eugenio de la Rosa Rivera will present Web Caching Coordination for Robust Storage in Networks.

August 17-19, 2004 -- Computer Generated Holography Workshop at OSC
For more information, please visit http://www.optics.arizona.edu/milster/CGH%20WORKSHOP/CGH%20Workshop%20Announcement%20-%20Final.pdf.  To register, please contact Ms. Pat Gransie by telephone at 520-621-1925.

August 23, 2004 -- First Day of Classes and Laboratory Sessions

September 6, 2004 -- Labor Day -- University Holiday

September 18, 2004 -- OSC 40th Anniversary Celebration -- Doubletree Hotel, Tucson

Employment 

Optical Research Engineer.  Agfa's Graphic Imaging Technology Center, located in Wilmington, Massachusetts, is a highly motivated technical team which is an efficient and flexible developer of world class imaging products, ensuring quality, value, and high levels of productivity for our customers.  The goal of the GITC is to expand the leading market position of Agfa's $2 billion Graphic Systems Division through the development of cutting edge technologies for various industrial imaging applications.   We are looking for a creative, self-motivated, results driven team player with excellent analytical skills to design and execute laboratory experiments for feasibility studies in a product development environment.  Description: You will: Be responsible for the planning, design, execution and interpretation of feasibility studies for new products in the high-resolution commercial graphic arts market.  Work closely with optical and mechanical engineers to translate proof-of-concept results into manufacturable products.  Requirements:  5 years work experience in photonics related industries with a focus on optical metrology.  Practical experience with light modulators, laser sources and optical bench setups.  Experience with modeling, simulation and optical design software (such as Code V), programming skills for stage and equipment controls (CCD, BeamView and/or BeamScope), and data acquisition and analysis software (LabVIEW, MathCAD and/or MATLAB).  Demonstrated skills in planning, communication, documentation and presentation. Contact:  Ellin LaBonte, AAP Specialist, Agfa Corporation, 200 Ballardvale Street, Wilmington, MA  01887.  Ellin.Labonte@Agfa.com  Ph  978-284-5059.  Fx  978-658-4759.

Senior GUI/Software Engineer.  Summary:  Functions as a key technical resource in the definition, architecture, design and implementation of new product designs of high technical complexity.  The specific responsibility for this position is the user experience:  graphical user interface, streamlining system operation, automating multiple user function choices, and automating video processing algorithms.  Duties and Responsibilities:  Performs high-level system architecture and high-level module design for new product designs of high technical complexity.  Authors system architecture and high-level design specifications.  Assists in the partitioning of design activity, provides detailed time estimates and helps plan projects.  Performs detailed design activities, including but not limited to: image processing algorithm development and implementation, software architecture, graphic user interface design, and sensor/system integration to combine multiple system features into an automated, congruous whole.  Includes ability to write detailed design specifications and hardware/software interface specifications, coding, logic synthesis, algorithm analysis, simulation, real time performance profiling, design verification, preparing for and conducting design reviews.  Expands technical knowledge through continuing education.  Reads industry publications, attends classes, seminars, trade shows and company meetings.  Provides technical guidance in defining the feature set of new products.  Determines the technical feasibility of new product ideas and helps determine project scope.  Researches advanced new technology (algorithms, software packages, design tools, test equipment and other companies’ designs) and introduces the technology into the company.  Analyzes competitive products and helps the company develop an appropriate response.  Mentors more junior engineers, reviews other engineers’ designs (formally and informally).  Represents the company’s interests in the technical community.  Communicates on technical issues to key customers and partners; may help develop industry-wide standards.  Requirements:  Communication: Direct and concise.  Keeps people informed.  Listens effectively to others.  Teamwork: Effective at working in team situations, provides technical guidance in all team situations.  Initiative/Results Orientation: Originates action. Finds ways to get things done.  Creates optimal solutions to challenging problems.  Quality: Promotes continuous improvements in product quality, design processes and methodologies and the company’s technical competence.  Customer Responsiveness: Understands and responds well to internal or external customer needs.  Analytical Thinking: Breaks down complex problems; systematically identifies causes and develops optimal recommendations.  Strategic Thinking: Sees broader implications; judges particular events in context of the whole.  Understands the company’s strategy.  Technical Competence:  Respected inside the company for breadth and depth of technical knowledge and capabilities as a designer.  Willingness to Learn: Possesses an innate curiosity about technology; pro-actively continues the lifelong process of learning about new and evolving technologies.  Education:  BSEE/BSCE/BSCS required at a minimum; advanced degree desired.  Experience:  A minimum of ten years of software engineering and human factors/user interface experience in the military electro-optical realm.  Must be fluent in C and assembly language, with experience in Visual Basic and C++ desirable.  Must possess excellent analytical and communications skills.  Experience working with military users and developing real-time graphical user interfaces is a must., as is algorithm development (preferable video processing).  Experience developing real-time embedded software, using in-circuit emulators and PC’s as a development platform, is required.  Must possess the ability to provide technical guidance to other, more junior, software engineers.  The ability to keep up to date in developments in software engineering and embedded systems is required.  Please send all resumes/inquiries to resumes@generatorgroup.net Please include the job number: 173 in the subject line of your email. 

Student Positions.  The MMT is a 6.5-meter telescope atop the 8550’ summit of Mt. Hopkins, 40 miles south of Tucson.  The duty station for this position is located on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, but some days will be spent at the telescope.  Position 1: The MMT Observatory seeks a mechanical engineering or physics student to join our team in the continuing development and operation of a modern optical and infrared astronomical observatory.  Position 2:  The MMT Observatory seeks a dependable student with hands-on experience to join our team in the continuing development and operation of a modern optical and infrared astronomical observatory.  Details:  Job start date: July 19, 2004.  Full time:  40hrs per week, during summers and school breaks.  Part time.  Flexible during the academic school year.  Departmental Contact: Court P. Wainwright, cwainwright@mmto.org

Undergraduate Student Position.  We have position open in our 3M Tucson Facility that would be ideal for an undergraduate looking for 10 to 20 hours of work per week. The position primarily involves making routine optical measurements and sample preparation. There is some limited opportunity to participate in "project level" work involving research aspects, but this would be candidate dependant. The hiring would be made through a temp agency.  If you know of any undergraduates or any colleagues who would, please pass this on. Interested candidates could either call (651-737-3590) or email Mark Roehrig at maroehrig@mmm.com or Clark Bright (520-746-7061) to get more information.