College News

Congratulations to the Wyant College of Optical Science's latest Staff Recognition Award winners! Amber R. Soergel was nominated for the July 2024 SPOT Award by John Koshel. Ian Arnold was nominated for the August 2024 SPOT Award by Brandon Chalifoux. The Quarter Peer-to-Peer Awards were as follows: 1st Quarter, Amee Hennig, nominated by Gretchen Wirges; 2nd Quarter, Nathan Martinez, nominated by Amee Hennig; and 3rd Quarter, David Munoz, nominated by Greg Smith.

Wyant College of Optical Sciences alumnae were recognized in August at the SPIE Optics + Photonics Conference for SPIE awards they received for their contributions to the optics community. Katie Schwertz (OSC MS 2010) received the 2024 SPIE President’s Award. Mary Turner (OSC MS 1990 and PhD 1993) was honored with the 2024 SPIE María J. Yzuel Educator Award. Kyle Myers (OSC MS 1983 and PhD 1985) received the 2024 SPIE Harrison H. Barrett Award in Medical Imaging. Read more about these inspiring women in optics.

Congratulations to Kyle Seyler, assistant professor of optical sciences, on his selection as a 2024 Early Career Award winner by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), part of the Early Career Research Program (ECRP). Seyler’s proposal, titled "Light-Driven Proximity Control of Designer Moiré Nanomaterials," focuses on exploring light-induced quantum phases in two-dimensional (2D) moiré nanomaterials.

Scholarship recipients and donors came together with Wyant College of Optical Sciences staff and faculty to celebrate the 2024 scholarship awards ceremony, which took place on Sept. 20, 2024.  The program's keynote speaker was Jacobus "Jim" Oschmann (OSC MS 1983) alumnus and donor to the Jacobus M. and Michelle L. Oschmann Optical Sciences and Business Leadership FoTO Scholarship. Congratulations to all student awardees!

The newly re-named Optics for All (OFA) club, previously Women in Optics (WiO), held its first meeting of the school year on Thursday, Sept. 19. Club leadership shared that the new name, "is necessary to reflect our mission statement of supporting diversity and inclusivity in our college."

A publication from the Takashima Lab on all-MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) LIDAR was selected as one of the five best papers published in the journal of Micromachines in 2022. The Micromachines Best Paper Awards Committee, selected "All-MEMS Lidar Using Hybrid Optical Architecture with Digital Micromirror Devices and a 2D-MEMS Mirror" as one of five winners of the Micromachines  Best Paper Awards for 2022 (2,500 CHF) from among 2260 published papers. Congratulations to the authors!

Logan Graves, an alumnus of the Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona (BS 2014 & PhD 2019) works today as an optical and software engineer with Arizona Optical Metrology, but he also shares his passion for optical sciences and the culture surrounding it through his podcast, The Spotlight Report. Don't miss the latest episode featuring Travis Sawyer, assistant professor of optical sciences.

Heejoo Choi, associate research professor of optical sciences, was recently appointed as an associate editor for Optica's journal, Continuum, a peer-reviewed, open access journal that focuses on research spanning the full breadth of optics and photonics. Choi brings his extensive expertise in optical engineering and metrology to his role as an editor. He encourages researchers to submit their work, particularly in areas such as optical system design, optics fabrication, and testing, including studies with negative results, as they can contribute valuable insights to the scientific community. Submissions may be made to Continuum through the Optica system.

Judy Su, associate professor of optical sciences and biomedical engineering, has been awarded the Craig M. Berge Dean Fellowship and recognized as an ASME Rising Star, two prestigious honors that highlight her groundbreaking contributions to science and engineering.

Hong Hua, inventor and professor of optical sciences, has been featured in the Bayh-Dole Coalition's 2024 "Faces of American Innovation" report. The Coalition has recognized her for her development of a revolutionary vision correction device that helps many legally blind people to see.