College News

Wyant College of Optical Sciences itself saw 71 invention disclosures (out of 307, campus-wide), five exclusive licenses and options (out of 75), 108 patents filed (out of 367), and 26 patents issued (out of 78). Congratulations to all the innovators and researchers who made these steps forward possible this financial year!

The NSF Engineering Research Center, the Center for Quantum Networks (CQN) is wrapping up its summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the next few days. This year's program includes four students in Arizona and another nine students at CQN partner institutions, visiting from ten different institutions. The summer program ends on Friday, August 9, with student presentations from 10 am to 3 pm at the Grand Challenges Research Building, 1st floor. All faculty, staff, and students, as well as community members are invited to attend and hear more about these exciting projects.

After a harrowing and multi-day delayed launch window the University of Arizona's first student-built satellite, CatSat, successfully communicated with ground stations on July 15th. The CatSat mission is a significant milestone for the University of Arizona, showcasing the capabilities and creativity of student-led space missions.

Florian Willomitzer, Associate Professor of Optical Sciences, and Dongkyun "DK" Kang, Associate Professor of Optical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, have been recognized as 2024 OSA Senior Members of Optica. The Optica designation of OSA Senior Member is a recognition of researchers who have demonstrated significant experience and accomplishments in their professional careers. Read more.

New photos and videos are now available for the Grand Challenges Research Building Construction updates page! Planning, Design & Construction has released two new versions of timelapses of the building's construction including a drone-flyover timelapse and a daily progress timelapse. Kitchell has also released an in-depth video of the construction of the new building.

Ben Cromey, Wyant College of Optical Sciences alumnus (OSC BS 2015, MS 2018, and PhD 2020) and 2014 Astronaut Scholar, has been offering support to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in a variety of ways since graduating. Most recently, he narrated the video announcement for the George and Lisa Schott S.P.A.C.E. Endowment and provided live entertainment at the reception of the Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

The American Chemical Society has selected the cover art for the journal Nano Letters from an image taken in Assoc. Prof. Dalziel Wilson's Quantum Optomechanics laboratory. The image was taken by Andrew Land, undergraduate in the College of Science, Physics Department The article, titled "Sub-ppm Nanomechanical Absorption Spectroscopy of Silicon Nitride" was first-authored by Mr. Land and co-authored by Wyant College of Optical Sciences graduate students Mitul Dey Chowdhury and Aman Agrawal, as well as Prof. Wilson.

Meredith Kupinski has received the NSF CAREER Award for her proposal, "Towards Real-Time Polarimetric Synthesis from Probabilistic Representations." This award is one of the most prestigious honors for pre-tenure faculty, recognizing those who can be academic role models and lead advancements in their field. Prof. Kupinski has since been promoted to Associate Professor of Optical Sciences with tenure. Kupinski said, “all students in this research group: former, current, and future will benefit from this award. Thank you to my colleagues and mentors for bringing out the best in me.”

The month of May is Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) 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.

The Quantum Toolbox project at the University of Arizona's Wyant College of Optical Sciences is an exciting new initiative recently funded through a $25,000 grant from the UArizona Foundation Small Grants Committee. Made possible by the efforts of Dalziel Wilson, Associate Professor of Optical Sciences, and Kaye Rowan, Executive Director of Development, the project creates an independent study course with official enrollment slated for fall 2025. This will be the university's first hands-on quantum course, providing vital experiential learning opportunities for students passionate about quantum science and the growing availability of innovative careers in the quantum field.