College News

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month! Over the last few weeks on social media, the Wyant College of Optical Sciences has celebrated a few of the many scientists and engineers who have made significant contributions to our world. Take a moment to learn more about them.

Cody Nelson, a master’s student in optical sciences at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences, has been awarded the 2024 Optica Foundation Harvey M. Pollicove Memorial Scholarship. Cody is also employed as an optical fabrication technician at the Richard F. Caris Mirror Laboratory, where he plays a key role in producing large-scale optics for astronomical applications, such as the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). Cody’s hopes to apply this work to his future thesis-work focusing on interferometric testing for the GMT segment 3, which will finalize its surface.

Researchers working with Jason Jones, John Paul Schaefer endowed chair in optical sciences and professor, have developed a breakthrough approach for optical atomic clocks. The new work significantly reduces the complexity of traditional designs while maintaining high accuracy and stability. By utilizing a single frequency comb laser, this new clock design eliminates the need for multiple complex laser systems, making it more practical for real-world applications.

From September 25-27, 2024, the Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona hosted the XII Conference on Ultrafast Dynamics & Metastability and Ultrafast Bandgap Photonics at the Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club in Tucson. Organized by Rolf Binder, Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, and Michael Rafailov, University of Alberta, Canada, the conference brought together leading scientists and researchers from around the world.

UPDATE: On Sunday, October 6, 2024, Daewook Kim, associate professor of optical sciences, and Roger Angel, professor of astronomy and optical sciences, were featured on KOLD News 13 discussing the potential for the twisting heliostat.
Kim and Angel are working to pioneer a new approach to heliostat design for concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. Their innovation aims to deliver solar thermal energy at exceptionally high concentrations throughout the day. It is believed that their work into this technology could potentially be the forerunner for advanced applications like atmospheric carbon removal—literally providing the energy needed for carbon capture and removal from the air. 

Hong Hua, professor of optical sciences, was named Tech Launch Arizona Inventor of the Year on September 25, at the 2024 I-Squared Awards and Expo. Hua's initial research into virtual and augmented reality, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, led to her creation of a compact, wearable eye-tracking device for late-stage ALS patients. The U of A patented the innovation, and that work attracted the attention of eSight Corporation. Building on her foundational work, Hua partnered with eSight to develop a device that allows people with central vision loss greatly improved eyesight and independence. Since launching the product in 2017, eSight has helped thousands of people with central vision loss to see.

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.