Faculty News

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 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. 

It is with great pleasure that the Wyant College of Optical Sciences announces that two Endowed Chairs in Optical Sciences have been awarded. The establishment of these endowed chairs has been made possible through the generous donations made by Optica and the Thomas R. Brown Family Foundation, and the $20+ million matching pledge made by the late founding dean of the college, Emeritus Professor James C. Wyant, and his family.

At the recent 2024 Wavefront Congress, the late Professor Emeritus Jim Schwiegerling, Robert Shannon Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences, was remembered in a special presentation led by two alumni that he advised. The presentation given on March 8, 2024 was called, "Jim Schwiegerling: The Nicest Professor in the College Also Happens to be Brilliant" and was organized and given by Nathan Lewis, PhD (OSC 2011) and Deanna Moschitta, MS (OSC 2022).

The Wyant College of Optical Sciences announces the establishment of the James T. Schwiegerling Graduate Student Scholarship in Optical Sciences in honor of the late Emeritus Professor of Optical Sciences, Dr. James T. Schwiegerling, Robert Shannon Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences. The deadline for submitting an application for this and other scholarships held at the College is March 17, 2024.

SPIE and Optica have announced Ronald G. Driggers (University of Arizona), Melvin H. Friedman (George Mason University), John W. Devitt (RVS Tactical Products), Orges Furxhi (imec), and Anjali Singh as the 2024 recipients of the Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award for their Introduction to Infrared and Electro-Optical Systems, Third Edition. The professional societies have announced the award via press release. Congratulations, to Prof. Ron Driggers and all the authors of the 2024 Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award. 

The National Academy of Inventors has named five University of Arizona faculty members as Class of 2024 Senior Members, one of which was Saikat Guha, Professor of Optical Sciences and holder of the Nasser Peyghambarian Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences, as well as Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Quantum Networks.

Jennifer Kehlet Barton, director of the BIO5 Institute, Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and professor of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, has officially commenced her role as the 2024 President of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. This pivotal appointment solidifies Barton's standing as a trailblazer in her field and marks a significant milestone for the university.

IOPScience has recognized Prof. Judy Su with the 2023 JPhys Photonics Early Career Award. The award recognizes Prof. Su as an emerging leader and author of the best paper from the journal's emerging leader's issue. Prof. Su said of the award, "I am highly honored and it is indeed a privilege to receive such a distinguished award. I believe using microcavity frequency combs for biosensing will open up new dimensions and I hope that our paper contributes to this path. I deeply appreciate the diligence and creativity of students in my lab and the generous funding support from NIH and NSF in making continuing discovery possible."

On February 9, hundreds of people gathered on the University of Arizona campus to celebrate the amazing life of Dr. James C. Wyant, founding dean and professor emeritus. Speakers included Mrs. Tammy Wyant speaking on behalf of the Wyant family. From the University of Arizona, speakers included Dr. Robert Robbins, President, Dr. Tom Koch, dean, Wyant College of Optical Sciences and Dr. Bob Shannon, professor emeritus and former director of OSC. Speakers from Jim’s alma maters were Dr. Eric Kaler, President, Case Western Reserve University and Dr. Tom Brown, Director, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester.