College News

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.

The students are back! And so is all the excitement and activity that comes along with them. To start the year off with a celebration (or two!) undergraduates enjoyed a special meet-and-greet "ice breaker" welcome back event with ice cream! Next, the Student Optics Chapter (SOC) and Women in Optics (WiO) welcomed everyone in the college back with an amazing and fun BBQ. Welcome back students!

Wyant College of Optical Sciences hosted the Christian Home Educators of Tucson - South East (CHET-SE) on August 28th, to tour the Meinel Building and Museum of Optics, as well as participate in a museum scavenger hunt and other exciting demos. Volunteers escorted the 42 adult and child participants throughout the building to see all that the John E. Greivenkamp Museum of Optics offers. A special thank you to the volunteers for hosting this group, and to the CHET-SE students and chaperones for visiting us at the college!

Please join us in welcoming Dave Taft, our new Building Operations Coordinator at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences. More about Dave.

Jaclyn John, PhD Student at Wyant College of Optical Sciences, has been awarded the prestigious Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) award. It will fund three full years of her research and tuition, allowing her to pursue her dissertation with her advisor, Meredith Kupinski, associate professor of optical sciences. Also supporting Jaclyn's work toward her dissertation is co-PI, Sylvia Sullivan, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the U of A, and collaborator Jie Gong, PhD, from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Jaclyn's dissertation goals include making thermal polarimetric measurements of chamber-grown ice crystals in Prof. Sullivan's lab and improving the thermal management of Infrared Channeled Spectro-Polarimeter (IRCSP) in high-altitude deployments, which will increase the measurement sensitivity.