Watt's Up

College of Optical Sciences News for January 31, 2008

Today's Colloquium

3:30 p.m. in Meinel 307

Ming Wu, University of California at Berkeley, launches our 2008 Colloquium Series with Optoelectronic Tweezers for Manipulating Cells and Nanowires.  Stanley Pau is the host.  Abstract:  Optoelectronic tweezers (OET) is a new optical manipulation technique developed recently at UC Berkeley. Based on light-induced dielectrophoresis, OET can trap and sort colloidal particles and biological cells. It requires 100,000 times less optical power than conventional laser tweezers. As a result, we can use digital light projects to form massively parallel dynamic traps. As many as 31,000 individually addressable traps have been generated over an area of ~ 1 mm x 1 mm.  Recently, we have succeeded in trapping semiconductor and metallic nanowires (~ 100 nm diameter, a few microns in length). Once trapped, we can use the same optical beam to excite and measure the Raman spectra of the trapped single nanowire. Potentially, we can also use trapped nanowire as a SERS probe for in situ Raman characterization. Dynamic manipulation and sorting of biological cells using phototransistor-based OET will also be discussed.  Short Bio:  Ming Wu is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, and Co-Director of Berkeley Sensors and Actuators Center (BSAC). His research interests include MEMS, optoelectronics, and optofluidics. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley in 1985 and 1988, respectively. Before joining the faculty of UC Berkeley, Dr. Wu was a Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, from 1988 to 1992, and Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA from 1993 to 2004. In 1997, Dr. Wu co-founded OMM in San Diego, CA, to commercialize MEMS optical switches. He is an IEEE Fellow, a Packard Fellow (1992-7). He was recently awarded  the 2007 Engineering Excellence Award from the Optical Society of America. He has published over 440 technical papers, and holds 16 patents.

Next Colloquium

Our Colloquium Series will continue on February 14 when Syun Aksaofu will present The Aurora. 

UA Names Michael Marcellin Regents Professor

The University of Arizona has announced that Michael Marcellin, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Optical Sciences has been inducted as a Regent's Professor.  He was selected on the basis of his contributions to the development of JPEG 2000, a data-compression technique that is expected to become a broadly applied standard for all images and audiovisual products for the next decade.  JPEG 2000 has already been incorporated into more than 300 commercial products, including video cameras, cell phones and archival storage and has been selected to be the standard for a number of medical imaging applications, including CT scans and MRI. 

According to a UA Communications news article on January 24: "The next time you go into a movie theater, if you are dazzled by the brilliance of color, the quality of the image, the lack of flicker in the film, and the symphonic sound quality, it is likely to be because you are viewing a new form of film, developed by Marcellin's team."

At The University of Arizona, Regents' Professor is an honor awarded only to full professors who have gained national and international recognition for their achievements.  No more than 3 percent of tenured and tenure-track faculty members may hold the rank at any given time.  Becoming a Regents' Professor requires nominations from other tenured faculty members. After an advisory committee reviews the nominations, the president then decides which names to forward to the Arizona Board of Regents for approval.

Michael Marcellin joins an elite group of OSC faculty members who are also University of Arizona Regents Professors:  Harrison Barrett, Willis Lamb, Roger Angel, Pierre Meystre, and Farhang Shadman.

Student Scholarships Now Available for CGH Workshop

From Tom Milster.  Dear Students:  It is my pleasure to invite you to the March 17-21, 2008, Computer Generated Holography and Diffractive Optical Element (CGH/DOE) Workshop at the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona.  This year, our program has three emphasis areas: DOEs, CGHs, and optical testing using DOEs.  The lectures are complimented by a significant amount of laboratory time, where students design, fabricate and test their own elements.  A limited number of full tuition student scholarships are now available.  Please contact Pat Gransie at pgransie@optics.arizona.edu or Tom Milster at milster@arizona.edu for details.  Please see the following web site for more information. http://www.optics.arizona.edu/milster/CGH/CGHhome.htm

UA Service Awards

From Stella Hostetler.  Each year University of Arizona employees are recognized for their service to this institution for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 or more years.  They are honored at the Annual Service Awards Luncheon and presented with a gift. This will be held Wednesday, April 9.  If you have not already been contacted by Stella, and you feel you meet the criteria and are eligible to participate in the Annual Service Awards Luncheon, please contact her at hostetls@u.arizona.edu  Thanks.   

College of Optical Sciences

Outstanding Graduate Student Award

Nomination Deadline:  February 22

From Carl Maes.  The Academic Office is now accepting nominations from faculty and staff for the annual College of Optical Sciences’ Outstanding Graduate Student Award!  This award recognizes graduate student excellence in the following areas: academics, research, and social outreach activities. 

Academics:

The student goes above and beyond classroom expectation. He or she demonstrates exceptional knowledge and engages other students in discussions or projects.

Research:

The student’s research is current and the student may be conducting independent research (thesis or dissertation).  The student attends workshops, conferences, and seminars to advance his or her knowledge.

Social Outreach:

The student actively participates in events sponsored by the College of Optical Sciences or the University of Arizona.  The student is actively involved in an organization(s) or program(s).  Programs may include social events, speaker events, and workshops. 

Eligibility Requirements:

• The nominee must be an admitted MS or PhD full-time on-campus graduate student majoring in optics

• The nominee must have an overall GPA of at least 3.8

• The nominee must have completed 2/3 of his/her academic program and submitted an official Plan of Study; for a doctoral nominee, he/she should have completed his/her comprehensive exam

• The nominee must demonstrate academic excellence including evidence of research which includes but is not limited to publications and presentations

• The nominee must demonstrate leadership and/or service including outreach activities

Nomination Process:

All nominees will remain confidential.  College of Optical Sciences staff and faculty are invited to submit nomination packets.    In early March, the selection committee will announce the Outstanding Graduate Student and invite faculty, staff and students to an award reception.  The graduate student recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Award will receive a framed award and $200.  

Nomination Packet: 

1. Nomination Form highlighting nominees excellence in academics, research, and social outreach

2. 1-2 page nomination letter

3. Unofficial transcript (to be printed by the Academic Programs office staff)

Nomination Packets must be submitted to the Academic Programs Office, Meinel 403, by 5:00 p.m. on February 22.

Happy Birthday and Best Wishes for a Wonderful Year

February 4 

Michael Descour (michael.descour@optics.arizona.edu)
William Molina (molina@email.arizona.edu)

February 5

Galina Khitrova (galina@optics.arizona.edu)

February 6

Tom Casavant (tom.a.casavant@lmco.com)
Rajesh Raghavan (rraghava@optics.arizona.edu)
Daniel Smith (dgsmith@u.arizona.edu)
John Sullivan (jsullivan@optics.arizona.edu)

February 7

Roger Angel (rangel@as.Arizona.edu)

February 8

Misha Scepanovic (mscepano@email.arizona.edu)

February 9

Khanh Dinh (kdinh@email.arizona.edu)
Andrew Dotson (dots@email.arizona.edu)
Rakesh Kumar (rkumar@optics.arizona.edu)
Philip Slater (philip.slater@optics.Arizona.edu)

February 10

Oscar Martinez (omar14@email.arizona.edu)
James Nagel (jnagel@optics.arizona.edu)
Xiaorui Wang

Other Optics Employment Opportunities

Please visit our optics employment Web site at

http://www.optics.arizona.edu/employment/default.htm

Electrical, Optical, and Computer Engineers.  Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate.  The Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) provides the United States Army and Department of Defense with technology solutions for night vision and electronic sensors and sensor suites for target acquisition, engagement and defeat of enemy forces day or night, and under all battlefield and weather conditions.  NVESD’s primary research and development activities are in the areas of thermal imaging, low energy lasers, short wave infrared, image intensification, aided target recognition technology, sensor fusion, force protection, mine detection and neutralization and humanitarian demining.  NVESD is currently hiring electrical, optical, and computer engineers and physicists with bachelor’s or master’s degrees to work at its Fort Belvoir, Virginia laboratory facility. Additionally, NVESD is looking for image and signal processing skills and has one specific need for experience with navigation systems (gyroscope).  NVESD offers excellent career advancement to its entry-level engineers and scientists, hands-on technical assignments and advanced degree training opportunities.  Current U.S. citizenship is required.  Interested applicants should send a resume and a copy of their transcripts to:  Ms. Genie Shires, Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, ATTN:  AMSRD-CER-NV-OPS.  10221 Burbeck Road, Fort Belvoir, VA  22060-5806.  Questions can also be directed to Ms. Shires at (703) 704-1140, toll free at 1-800-572-9372 (extension 41140), or via e-mail to genie.shires@us.army.mill

The Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate will be conducting an information session on February 27 in Meinel 821 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.  and on-campus interviews on February 28.  For more information, please contact Jamie Bommer at 621-8154.

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Fiber Lasers.  USAF Academy Laser and Optics Research Center.  The successful candidate will pursue a program of research in advanced concepts for fiber lasers and amplifiers.  The main portion of the work will center on experimentally investigating and expanding the performance limits of these devices.  Analytic and numerical work in support of these goals is encouraged and extensive high performance computing resources are available.  The development and characterization of novel photonic crystal fiber designs including resonantly-coupled core, stimulated Brillouin scattering suppressive and non-Gaussian mode profile designs is our primary approach.  Resources are also available for the candidate to initiate his or her own lines of investigation as well.  This position is funded for two years by a High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office Multidisciplinary Research Initiative grant and includes work at both the 1 micron and 1.5 micron wavelengths.  Please submit your resume to: Benjamin.ward@usafa.edu  Salary is negotiable.  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Senior Optics Designer.  Lamina Lighting.  Position Summary;  Incumbent is responsible for the creation of all lamina LED optics for our light engines.  This designer will take ideas from sketches all the way through to the design of internal architecture of light source designs.  Essential Functions:  1.  Product Design :  Produce optical designs without prior art upon which to base new design.  Conduct design reviews.  Design working, viable, manufacturable, and high performance optical solutions in relatively short timeframe.  Work with customers in order to understand their specific needs and translate these into designs with feasible optical specifications.  Lead and educate others regarding the fundamentals of lighting concepts and  light geometry.  2.  Optical Design:  Utilizing all forms of both imaging and non-imaging optics (with emphasis on non-imaging), produce optical designs for high volume and low cost manufacturing.  3.      Photonics:  design distributed bragg reflectors, wavelength scale light guidance and resonant cavity optimization, nana-texturing, light extraction enhancement devices, including finite-difference time domain simulation, beam propagation method, vector diffraction light simulation and design.  4.    Intellectual Property and Technical Writing:  Draft patents, technical reports, write proposals, edit draft publications.  Draft and present publications which incumbent has authored or investigated.  5.    Project Management:  Independently produce designs and solutions.  Drive technical investigations which influence quality control, primary product release, and time to market decisions.  Find, audit/qualify and communicate with vendors.  Other:  Must be willing to accept other assignments, including those involving travel (US and international) as deemed appropriate and necessary by Lamina management.  Experience required:  Has minimum of 5 years demonstrated experience designing non-imaging optics.  Experience designing non-imaging optics with common, low-cost plastic, glass and high volume production of same.  Has experience conducting design reviews.  Experience with optical systems design and the ability to draft specifications when the customer has no understanding of what an optical specification includes.  Luminaire design, raytracing, optical geometry, refractors, reflectors, diffractive optics, micro-optical design.  Should have demonstrated experience producing optical designs which are produced in high volume at low cost.  Understanding of GDT, six-sigma, configuration management, ECR, ECN process.  Understanding of first-order geometric optics, physical wave optics, Fourier optics, and quantum light behavior.  Source light design requires evaluating the performance of light emitting diodes from the quantum well layers to the generation of wavelength conversion within phosphors.  Should have experience designing distributed bragg reflectors, wavelength scale light guidance and resonant cavity optimization, nano-texturing, light extraction enhancement devices, including finite-difference time domain.  Simulation, beam propagation method, vector diffraction light simulation and design.   Must have experience drafting patents, technical reports, proposal writing, and editing draft publications.  Should have a track record of drafting and presenting publications in which the candidate was primary author or principal investigator. Must have experience producing designs and solutions with little to no supervision for weeks, or months at a time. Demonstrated experience designing working, viable, manufacturable, high performance optical solutions in ultra-short timeframes of 1 week or less.  Minimum five years demonstrated experience with specific design software:  SolidWorks, ASAP, Pro-E, Zmax, etc.  Critical knowledge, skills, and abilities:  Candidate should have an expert concept to finished product design process understanding.  Working knowledge of casting and molding practices and design guides for plastic injection molding, metal forging, metal casting, thin film deposition, metal coated plastics, glass grinding, polishing, and casting, metal stamping, spinning, and drawing.  Should have lighting competency and the ability to take vague lighting ideas from sketches all the way through to the design of the internal architecture of light source engines.  Should have sufficient training ability and the empathy and patience to teach about light, lighting concepts, light geometry, human perception of light, and the architecture of lightscapes on a daily basis.  Candidate should have an expert understanding of all forms of both imaging and non-imaging optics with an emphasis in the more general non-imaging optics.  Leadership ability to drive technical investigations which influence quality control, primary product release, and time to market decisions.  The ability to find, audit, and communicate with vendors.  Should have supply-chain management capability, assembly and manufacturing of optical systems and lighting products.  As expected when working in a start-up atmosphere the candidate must be comfortable working in roles which are outside of his/her skillset or technical depth area.  Education:  Degree in Optical Engineering with Masters level preferred.  Contact:  Patricia Harrington at pharrington@laminalighting.com

cathy.alexander@optics.arizona.edu