tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15568401141653321462024-03-15T18:09:31.028-07:00Photonics for a Better WorldThe Photonics for a Better World blog shares content from the SPIE community.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05206559124767437263noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-43893892153359189892019-07-08T15:08:00.001-07:002019-07-19T08:29:21.216-07:00Taking a Deep Dive into the World of Biophotonics<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Gavrielle presents her research in Ven</i></span></td></tr>
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SPIE Student Member Gavrielle Untracht is pursuing her PhD at The University of Western Australia. She had the chance to participate in the 9th International Graduate <a href="http://www.biop.dk/">Summer School in Biophotonics</a> this past June on the island of Ven between Sweden and Denmark.<br />
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At the school, sponsored by SPIE, invited experts from around the globe gave extended presentations on topics like tissue optics, strategies for cancer treatment using lasers, and entrepreneurship in photonics. Attendees also had the opportunity to present their current research projects, results, or ideas. Gavrielle shares her experiences of the summer school with this community in the following guest blog post.
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I recently returned from a week of great discussions and beautiful weather at the 9th Biophotonics Summer School on the Isle of Ven, Sweden. This experience, made possible (in part) by SPIE, was an invaluable opportunity for networking and a deep dive into the world of biophotonics that I would highly recommend to any student pursuing a career in biophotonics or optics in general. It was a great vacation from my regular PhD duties to do one of my favorite things – learn about optics! <br />
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SPIE Fellows Stefan Andersson-Engels, currently of the Irish Photonic Integration Center (IPIC), and Peter Andersen with DTU Health Tech, started the school in 2003 to fill a gap in photonics education since no comprehensive course in biophotonics was available. They invited experts in 10 topics to lecture a small group of students with the goal of facilitating education and in-depth discussions on topics relevant to the field. As (arguably) the birthplace of modern science, the Isle of Ven makes a perfect backdrop: Tycho Brahe had his observatory there in the 16th century! He’s notably the first astronomer to use empirical measurements to support his research. <br />
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During my PhD, I have spent time at two universities: The University of Western Australia and the University of Surrey. Still, I always find it challenging to find new technical courses in my field. The in-depth lectures at Summer School allowed me to bolster my technical background on many different topics ranging from the physics of supercontinuum laser sources to gas spectroscopy for nondestructive testing of food. The lecturers always made themselves available for additional details or more in-depth discussion on any of the topics they addressed. Even if some material isn’t new, there’s nothing like going back to the basics to help you work through any challenges in your research. Even discussing things you know, but with new people and in a new place can help you see things from a different perspective.<br />
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Some of the topics were very relevant to my research, such as lectures on OCT by Wolfgang Drexler of the Medical University of Vienna, although some of my favorite lectures focused on new topics that I might not have otherwise investigated. A good example is lectures on combining optics with x-rays by Brian Pogue of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. Thinking about these new topics allowed me to form a better picture of where my work fits in the field and how I could broaden my research horizons.<br />
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However, some of the best experiences I got at the Summer School were during mealtimes. (And not just because of the delicious food!) Given the small group size and geographical isolation, I had the opportunity to interact with everyone there, and mealtimes were some of the best opportunities for networking. Now I have other people to talk to when I go to a big conference like SPIE Photonics West!<br />
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One of the most valuable parts of the Summer School was having the opportunity to interact with lecturers in both an academic and non-academic way. It was great to be able to discuss my wild ideas with Kishan Dholakia from the University of St. Andrews over dinner, and I’ll never forget playing trivia with Wolfgang Drexler and Melissa Skala from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These types of interactions help break down the barrier between students and lecturers and facilitate better discussion. Now, I’ll be less ‘star struck’ when I meet a professor whose papers I’ve been reading for years and will have the confidence to go up and talk to them. And who knows – maybe one of the lecturers will be my future boss! (Note: I will be looking for a post-doc in about two years *wink*) <br />
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Incidentally, Brian Pogue, is also the editor of the SPIE <i><a href="https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/journal-of-biomedical-optics">Journal for Biomedical Optics</a></i>. Every two years JBO puts out a special issue for the Summer School which features tutorials written by some of the lecturers and research papers from summer school attendees. Keep an eye out for this year’s issue to see some of the things we’ve been talking about!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Summer School attendees listen to a lecture by Brian Pogue</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Gavrielle (second from left) with fellow Summer School attendees</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />Alison Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04128862782800078576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-74470291913636181132019-05-29T15:28:00.002-07:002019-05-29T15:28:52.550-07:00An International Inspiration: Attending the International Day of Light 2019 Celebration in Trieste<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>John Dudley and Perla Viera in Trieste</i></span></td></tr>
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Perla Marlene Viera González, an SPIE Early Career Professional Member working at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, represented the SPIE Student and ECP Membership at the International Day of Light 2019 celebration in Trieste, 16 May. She shares with this community her experiences at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the impact of taking part in this annual day of recognizing light.<br />
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<b><i>The International Day of Light brings together culture and science.</i></b><br />
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— SPIE John Dudley, Steering Committee Chair of IDL</div>
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This phrase was part of the message given by John Dudley during the introduction to the International Day of Light 2019 at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. And it reflects the importance of bringing together the science, technology, culture, and art that involves light in this emblematic celebration.<br />
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This year, the IDL celebration was about “Illuminating Education,” and for the event participants, we enjoyed talks about science outreach, development, art, and education that reflect the diversity of projects done to improve the world where we live using optics and photonics.<br />
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The official program began with a keynote presentation that explains light phenomena at four levels: rays, waves, polarization, and quantum, where Sir Michael Berry, University of Bristol and ICTP Distinguished Lecturer, showed us how to engage a wide audience using pictures to explain light.<br />
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From the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Stephen Pompea spoke about outreach and how to communicate about light. He explained that setting engagement as the goal of an event rather than outreach shifts the focus to the audience, because engagement is based on participation from your audience and not on the people organizing the event. Rachel Won, international editor of <i>Nature Photonics</i>, also spoke about science communication, explaining that as a science editor, you become an ambassador of science. Finally, Federica Beduini, outreach and science communicator at ICFO recommended we “act locally and think globally” when conducting outreach projects.<br />
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After lunch, we had the opportunity to hear about the diverse challenges facing science and education. The first presenter was Krisinda Plenkovich, director for education and community services at SPIE, who explained how photonics is used to achieve some of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. During the second talk, Brian Liebe, director of standards and research for the Illuminating Engineering Society, discussed that everything—every career path—is touched by light, and we need to pull together science, engineering, and art.<br />
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Later, John O’Hagan, director of Division 6 “Photobiology and Photochemistry” of the International Commission on Illumination, described the importance of public awareness and education around lighting quality. He challenged us to take common sense into account when we are thinking about how to implement new technology, looking for the better solution. For the final presentation of the session, Prajna Khanna, head of corporate social responsibility and director at Signify Foundation, talked about her organization and remarked on the importance of adapting the technology to the reality of each environment.<br />
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The second keynote talk was about development challenges, specifically, how we can use physics to feed the planet, presented by Cather Simpson. Simpson, who won the third place in the 2018 SPIE Startup Challenge, is a professor of physics and chemical sciences at the University of Auckland where she also started the Photon Factory. She explained different projects that use photonics to feed the people, such as vertical farms, harvesting the sun, and improving milk production. She gave inspirational examples about how to use light science and technology to improve our lives and make the world a better place for everyone.<br />
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For the artistic segment of the event, John Taylor, director of the Executive Office at The Optical Society, presented a documentary about an art installation in Washington DC to celebrate IDL 2019 and award-winning photographer Saurabh Narang explained some of his most amazing photographs.<br />
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For the third segment of the event, we heard Jess Wade, postdoctoral physicist at Imperial College London and gender equity advocate, talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Jess was so inspiring because she demonstrated how something that can look so simple, like a Wikipedia article, could drive change and make a big impact in the world.<br />
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Amna Abdalla Mohammed Khalid discussed the aims and objectives of her organization, the Next Einstein Forum, and the positive impact that it is having in Africa by creating a unified scientific identity that fosters innovation and discovery.<br />
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For the last session, students and early careers representatives from international scientific societies, like myself, described the work each of them is doing as a volunteer with their organization to promote photonics and IDL. Roberta Caruso talked about the Young Mind project of the European Physics Society. Ezabo Baron and Kithinji Muriungi from the IEEE Photonics Society presented on the outreach programs they are doing in Africa. Duarte Graça and Artemis Tsimperi from the International Association of Physics Students described the great work performed by this society, work done by physics students for students. Xiang “Dino” Dai talked about the work of his OSA student chapter and encouraged everybody to try to inspire kids to learn about optics, photonics, and light.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqcakeiCok_6ZaNc2NCNyK2xjVQup0v6RRUU3NVOURLUHgBGpC8IJ1mylubmD2kirMeNDF2IIYTfHRxGDmhYoSk5wpANOToKASua7bQFEZUd1DBuG_rdtGQ1b3eiGbR1tsXtUudxRAs6u/s1600/StudentsAndSocieties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqcakeiCok_6ZaNc2NCNyK2xjVQup0v6RRUU3NVOURLUHgBGpC8IJ1mylubmD2kirMeNDF2IIYTfHRxGDmhYoSk5wpANOToKASua7bQFEZUd1DBuG_rdtGQ1b3eiGbR1tsXtUudxRAs6u/s1600/StudentsAndSocieties.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Student and Societies Session. Roberta Caruso (EPS), Artemis Tsimperi (IAPS), Kithinji Muriungi (IEEE PS),<br />Ezabo Baron (IEEE PS), Xiang Dino Dai (OSA), Duarte Graça (IAPS), and Perla Viera (SPIE)</i></span></td></tr>
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The last presentation was mine, and I presented some of the optics projects and programs that I had participated in—thanks to the support of the SPIE—including Optics for Everyone and its adaptation to Spanish, and the Mexican curricula for the Dumpster Optics workshop. Finally, all the students presented our opinions about our careers and the importance of doing photonics outreach work, including global initiatives like IDL.<br />
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The entire day and celebration was an inspiring event where experts from all over the world explained their work and their projects. I’m very sure that all the people that were present learned something new. And importantly, they were inspired by the amazing work performed by all the presenters to advance light and its impact.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Students during the dinner before the IDL event. From left
to right:<br />Guillermo Sanchez (SPIE), Perla Viera (SPIE), Xiang Dino Dai (OSA), Ezabo Baron (IEEE PS) and Kithinji Muriungi(IEEE PS).</i></span></td></tr>
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<strong>About the author</strong>: Perla is an SPIE Early Career Professional Member working at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) in Monterrey, Mexico. She obtained her PhD in January 2019 in the field of physical engineering, completing her thesis on optical design. Since 2011, she has been an active Member SPIE; she was the treasurer (2011), president (2012) and (2014 – 2015) IYL-representative of the SPIE UANL Student Chapter. Also, she has served as a Student Committee Member of the SPIE since 2015. She is the leader of the science outreach group “Física Pato2 FCFM” which has held several events impacting more than 75,000 people in five years.Alison Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04128862782800078576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-57388720371748107142019-05-28T15:38:00.001-07:002019-05-29T08:48:46.619-07:00Optics Does That? With Dr. Ashleigh Haruda, Zooarchaeologist.Dr. Ashleigh Haruda is a zooarchaeologist.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilekHYHnWEY7o5WERYtDhUxUNT28pK5CsAK6xLYfOrkBKt6nSmYlCsaY703G0sPZPmV-dc8MtpJBOeGZ5yy8C4CXTsU0L-ghD0sxrFfRZ9lOPLButDwVIwZBdK8uDeENPn5tKrYpt1Ghs/s1600/HarudaHeadshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilekHYHnWEY7o5WERYtDhUxUNT28pK5CsAK6xLYfOrkBKt6nSmYlCsaY703G0sPZPmV-dc8MtpJBOeGZ5yy8C4CXTsU0L-ghD0sxrFfRZ9lOPLButDwVIwZBdK8uDeENPn5tKrYpt1Ghs/s320/HarudaHeadshot.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Dr. Ashleigh Haruda</i></span></td></tr>
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She examines animal bones found at archaeological sites to investigate the relationship between animals and ancient human societies. These bones reveal information about ancient societies including diet, trade, migration, and market forces. For her doctoral research, she studied pastoralists living in the Central Asian steppe in the Late and Final Bronze Age (1500-800 B.C.E.). These were people who did not practice agriculture, but lived off of their animals, including sheep. “Primarily these people are experiencing their world and their landscape through their animals,” said Haruda. “So, if they fail to move their animals in the right way, or they fail to understand how the weather is going to be that year, they could all die because there was no safety net for them.”<br />
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By measuring the bones of sheep found in the steppe from the Final Bronze Age, she was able to determine that these pastoralists did not migrate extensively or trade animals with their neighbors. This was because the morphology of the sheep bones she examined was very distinct from microregion to microregion; if regular migration or frequent trade occurred between these regions, the sheep would have interbred, homogenizing away such distinctions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9em0ZqTIRf0VkQM_gO9Rdh8AS-_0tkASkX1rxAkT91S87l42rweXfO595W5PpYYG5LudryJ9eYs0xw-pRerh-8mHYtIn_t_NNKQ_UjklBFDKugt0EKIsD-s_jo_bY70mRv846vRjJjc/s1600/BestZooarchPic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9em0ZqTIRf0VkQM_gO9Rdh8AS-_0tkASkX1rxAkT91S87l42rweXfO595W5PpYYG5LudryJ9eYs0xw-pRerh-8mHYtIn_t_NNKQ_UjklBFDKugt0EKIsD-s_jo_bY70mRv846vRjJjc/s400/BestZooarchPic.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Haruda did her PhD research on sheep astragali, which are traditionally used as<br /> </i><i>game pieces in Kazakhstan. When she saw these huge sculptures depicting </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>the game </i><i>pieces in Almaty, Kazakhstan, she had to snap a pic!</i></span></td></tr>
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Haruda is currently the project leader of “Sus 100” at the Natural Science Collections of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany. The project is focused on the effects of selective breeding on domestic animals, and how quickly human influences become detectable in an animal’s genetics and skeletal structure. “We have historic pig skeletons from 100 years ago that were raised at the University…and then we are pulling pigs out of the food chain right now and comparing the genetics and the morphometrics of those skeletons,” said Haruda.<br />
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The results of that comparison will help to determine a rate of change that can be used to make assessments of time scales on much older bones found at archaeological sites. Check out the video below—in German!—for more detail on the project.<br />
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In her research, Haruda uses a digital measurement technique called Geometric Morphometrics, or GMM. GMM is the analysis of shape using Cartesian geometric coordinates to represent the landmarks, curves, and surfaces of objects. Archaeologists use it to generate 3D digital models of the bones they study. Compared to traditional linear measurements made with calipers, GMM allows for a greater interrogation of shape.<br />
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One of the largest sources of variation in bones is size, which can be affected by things like animal sex and nutrition level. Scaling of digital models allows researchers to control for size to make more direct comparisons between bones. “Which means,” Haruda added, “we can start to measure variation and covariation among those landmarks, so we can ask a lot more from our data set, and we can interrogate it different ways, statistically.”<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHfEMmiWGXufG4h_zfoZdDYmEyj7Sea1t9q3NlK-LnWRZqxeG8B0K78jURynmbexTf1ez2SQaeLlS3s_nZavxYGzsp0UY9hpOkKNexX8tE2dl2HkGv4tBt9W4JZJRRMmwVmOJObuSrAg/s1600/Botai2011.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1091" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHfEMmiWGXufG4h_zfoZdDYmEyj7Sea1t9q3NlK-LnWRZqxeG8B0K78jURynmbexTf1ez2SQaeLlS3s_nZavxYGzsp0UY9hpOkKNexX8tE2dl2HkGv4tBt9W4JZJRRMmwVmOJObuSrAg/s640/Botai2011.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Haruda washes animal bones at the archaeological site of Botai in Kazakhstan.</span></i></td></tr>
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And GMM is enabled by optics! The first scanner that Haruda used to take such measurements was a <a href="http://www.nextengine.com/" target="_blank">NextEngine scanner</a>, a device that uses laser scanning and a turntable to create 3D models of objects. Currently, she uses an <a href="http://www.artec3d.com/" target="_blank">Artec Eva</a>, which is a hand-held scanning device that can be moved around the object for measurement. Instead of a laser, the Eva uses a flashbulb to generate “structured light,” or a pattern such as a grid, that is projected onto the object and measured by two cameras. The distortion of the projected lines and the offset of the cameras allows for triangulation of points on the object to generate a digital 3D model.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Haruda's "lab" set-up in Kazakhstan: a Next Engine Laser Scanner,<br /> </span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;">laptop, and calipers. </span></i></td></tr>
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GMM is not yet common in zooarchaeology, but is used more extensively in osteoarchaeology, the archaeological study of human bones. One issue facing the adoption of this technology is cost; another is complexity. In its current form, GMM requires a researcher to write their own code in a language like R or Python to do analysis, which only adds to the very long list of skills zooarchaeologists already need to possess. “We need a really good background knowledge of biology, anatomy, and physiology but also archaeological skills such as how to lay out a grid with a GPS, how to define soil color and type, and identify basic pottery styles and metals, plus we have to know about our historical contexts,” said Haruda.<br />
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But as the technology matures, it is becoming less expensive and more user friendly, and Haruda notes that in general the adoption of new technology is occurring rapidly in the field of zooarchaeology. GMM and digitization of data are also a great benefit in a field where bones must often be destructively sampled for DNA or other measurements.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Photogrammetry setup with a turntable at Haruda's current job.</span></i></td></tr>
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Haruda also described a technique that she is learning called photogrammetry, which uses photographs (instead of scans) to generate measurements of an object. Photogrammetry has existed almost since the beginning of photography, but with modern processors and software, thousands of photographs can be integrated to generate high-detail 3D models of objects. This technique also moves complexity away from the measurement device and into the realm of postprocessing, giving it the potential to be more cost effective for archaeologists working in the field.<br />
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So now you know. Zooarchaeology: optics does that.<br />
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<b>Guest Blogger: </b><i>Christina C. C. Willis is an SPIE Board Member, laser scientist, and writer living in Washington, DC. Find out more about her on </i><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/christinaccwillis" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.<br />
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Optics Does That is looking for more stories! Do you, or does someone you know, have an interesting or unusual application of optics that you use at work or elsewhere? Then please send us an email and tell us about it! emilyp@spie.org.<br />
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SPIE Guesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584709794801273542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-34064489387398392972019-05-21T15:19:00.001-07:002019-09-17T12:28:22.470-07:00#FacesofPhotonics: Optimax Director of Technology and Strategy, Jessica DeGroote Nelson<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>PITCH PERFECT: Optics expert Jessica DeGroote Nelson </i></span></td></tr>
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SPIE Senior Member <a href="https://spie.org/profile/Jessica.DeGroote-Nelson-31750" target="_blank">Jessica DeGroote Nelson</a> works as the director of technology and strategy at Optimax Systems in Ontario, New York. She also teaches as an adjunct assistant professor at The Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester (UR), and is a Conference Chair for <a href="https://www.spie.org/x125984.xml?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">SPIE Optifab</a> 2019. </div>
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Nelson also teaches <a href="http://spie.org/education/courses/coursedetail/SC1086?f=Online" target="_blank">Optical Materials, Fabrication, and Testing for the Optical Engineer</a> at SPIE conferences. This course is geared toward optical engineers who are hoping to learn the basics about how optics are made, and ways in which to help reduce the cost of the optics they are designing. It is also offered online.</div>
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"Optical tolerancing and the cost to fabricate an optic can be a point of tension or confusion between optical designers and optical fabricators," Nelson says. "I teach this course to help give optical designers who are new to the field a few tools in their toolbelt as they navigate tolerancing and purchasing some of their first designs. One of the things I love most about teaching are the conversations I have with the students. I love learning about their different experiences; I learn something new every time I teach the course!"</div>
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While teaching and her work are two of her primary passions, Nelson adds, "My life would not be complete without my family: I am a wife to a wonderful husband, Phil, and mom to my two-year old daughter, Amelia!"</div>
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Enjoy the photo gallery below and <a href="https://spie.org/x135710.xml?utm_id=zpbwz">read the full SPIE Faces of Photonics interview with Jessica on SPIE News</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">DECK THE HALLS: The Nelson family poses for their </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Christmas picture</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">POLISHED TO PERFECTION: Nelson works in the optical manufacturing lab</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">FAB FOUR: Nelson and Optimax President, CEO, and former CFO sit down for a meeting in the office</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">DECODING SCIENCE: Nelson volunteers at Family Night </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">at the </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">University of Rochester, </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Institute of Optics</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">DRIVING INNOVATION: Nelson in the lab with colleague John Oliver</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">OPTIMAL COLLECTIVE: UR alums turned Optimax employees. L to R: Joseph Spilman, Steve Powers, Todd Blalock, Jessica DeGroote Nelson, Tim Lynch, Rick Plympton, and Jon Watson</span></i></td><td class="tr-caption"></td><td class="tr-caption"></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>HANDS UP FOR OPTICS!: Nelson and Amelia pose for the camera</i></span></td></tr>
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
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Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!
Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-40698846802783069792019-05-13T16:46:00.001-07:002019-05-13T16:46:54.238-07:00A Partnership Forged in Light: SPIE and IDL Illuminate Optics and Photonics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Optical fiber networks, the inner workings of smartphones, light painting, and Laser Pink Floyd: there are myriad ways in which light impacts our lives, and on 16 May, UNESCO’s second <a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light" target="_blank">International Day of Light</a> (IDL) will celebrate them all. This year’s flagship event in Trieste will showcase just some of the areas – science, sustainable development, health, art, and communications – in which light creates and enables critical benefits.<br />
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The overall program, <a href="http://spie.org/Documents/AboutSPIE/IDL2019/IDL2019-Programme-WEB.pdf" target="_blank">Illuminating Education</a>, will include a presentation by University of Auckland’s Cather Simpson (“Using Physics to Feed the Planet”); the National Optical Astronomy Observatory’s Stephen Pompea showcasing the fruits of public engagement within his field; and Imperial College London’s Jess Wade describing her next-generation, OLED research as well as her efforts to address gender imbalance in science.<br />
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“The International Day of Light is an awesome opportunity to celebrate the science of light and scientists who work with optics and photonics,” notes Wade, who is delighted to be participating in the one-day program. “Whether it is in solar panels, materials characterization or medical diagnostics, light has transformed the way we live today. As physicists, it’s easy to assume everyone is as excited as we are about light, but there is much more we could be doing to improve enthusiasm and access to science education and research.”<br />
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As a member of the IDL steering committee, SPIE will play an integral part during the Trieste event: longtime SPIE Member and member of its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee Perla Marlene Viera-Gonzàlez will be sharing her science outreach experiences alongside members of other international scientific societies.<br />
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That same day, SPIE launches its annual IDL <a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-photo-contest" target="_blank">photo competition</a>, and, around the world, communities will be sharing the benefits of light and celebrating light with the support of an <a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-micro-grants" target="_blank">SPIE IDL Micro Grant</a>. From the US to Ukraine, here’s just a sample of the many ways in which light will be heralded, shared, and celebrated across the globe:<br />
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<li>Flowers and Photonics: The SPIE Student Chapter at the University of Rochester will be participating in the town’s historic Lilac Festival. Their “Light & Lilacs” event will engage community members with fun and entertaining optics demonstrations. </li>
<li>Light in our Life: In Uncasville, Connecticut, the St. Bernard School will be running their second annual IDL photo contest, running an educational and invitational campaign throughout Spring on optics and photonics, via posters, light-based applications presentations in classes, and a workshop during the Math Honor Society’s monthly meeting. </li>
<li>Talking Through Light: The Photonics Society of Ghent, Belgium, is holding a city-center, open-to-the-public event that explains how light can be modulated to enable the transfer of information.</li>
<li>Pop-up Museum of Light: In Tucuman, Argentina, the Instituto de Luz Ambiente y Visión is hosting host an array of events from 11-31 May to highlight the fundamental role light plays in daily life. </li>
<li>IDeasforLife: The National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics in Kharkiv, Ukraine, is creating an exciting mix of activities, from scientific lectures and tours of the Institute’s optical laboratory, to optics-focused quests for secondary and high-school students, and optics games for children.</li>
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From the fun and creative, to the educational, informational, and innovative, SPIE is proud to support our constituents’ and community’s efforts to share the wonders of light, and to lead as active role models of outreach in their schools, institutes, and public spheres.<br />
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During its annual observance, UNESCO’s International Day of Light offers the perfect platform from which to celebrate light in all its various glories, but, ultimately, there’s no need to restrict it to May 16. Whether you’re flicking a switch to turn on an electrical light, basking happily under the sun, or wielding optical tweezers during a laser-led biomedical procedure, take a moment to blink, think, and let in the light.<br />
<br />DaneetShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802855057914051617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-81541569032344108612019-05-02T13:55:00.004-07:002019-05-02T13:55:53.963-07:00International Day of Light in Action: University of Southampton and Stellenbosch University As we have heard from countless members of the optics and photonics community, raising awareness of optics among the public and sparking interest in students at a young age are crucial to the future of light-based technology.<br />
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Each year, SPIE provides <a href="http://www.spie.org/IDL?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">International Day of Light</a> (IDL) Micro Grants to SPIE Members who want to celebrate the importance of light and share that knowledge with their community. These activities must take place during the month of May, tying directly to the cross-global festivities held on the 16th of that month. You can learn more about our Micro Grant program <a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-micro-grants?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With less than two weeks until the 2019 IDL, we are revisiting some of the 2018 IDL SPIE Micro Grant winners from around the world, showcasing their celebrations of light and its impact. The University of Southampton in England and Stellenbosch University in South Africa both took the approach of "good things come in threes!" for their Micro Grant activities. Read on to see what they accomplished.</span><br />
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University of Southampton</h3>
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SPIE Members Angeles Camacho-Rosales and Callum Stirling, of the The Optics and Photonics Society (OPSoc) at the University of Southampton -- which combines the student chapters of SPIE, The Optical Society, and IEEE Photonics Society -- led the university's first annual IDL showcase. The group used their Micro Grant to host a series of events not only to educate primary school students and the public, but also to show how art complements science, an approach commonly referred to as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="510" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e2CObxoWUHqs1GGOZaoUjD5J2lGkEGtLl_W066dKUp_iROe6SiUPr2eXRXtERhLCRDo2c5WMh6Vzq3OV6ifqd3JtDQ0R9kfzh4R4N_n86QsvKFrQUcIk3ECZVj3mD1bZITdwqjzkjhY/s400/opsoc-1-artcompetition.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">BRIGHT MINDS: A display showcasing the artwork created by primary <br />school students in the IDL art competition</span></i></td></tr>
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The first event, an art competition, was run by outreach officers of the OPSoc group ahead of IDL's May 16th official date. They began the competition with an interactive class at a local secondary school where light phenomena was explained, and the students were asked to create a piece of art to illustrate the concepts they learned. These pieces were then judged based on scientific understanding and creativity, and then the winners <span style="font-family: inherit;">were featured in a video, <a href="https://www.funkidslive.com/news/1088572/#" target="_blank">seen here</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="1171" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5uOaw5qtEnFTT8T_cnZNX9lAgQ9C8oOvu-uyJrJd01-RYwb7jFpfahORZY2lou5QUQMHaCNK69kkTyhyrz8q0QbMZsT0nAqSmJAcOCht6Jl-XfOcCM75i9JokvOrP6YqQngqjGfBQRQ/s640/winning+photos-opsoc.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">FULL STEAM AHEAD: Top winners of the art competition</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The second event took place on the</span> International Day of Light itself<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span> OPSoc officers went into a local school and taught students how to perform their own outreach in the community. During the day, students learned how to conduct three interactive workshops, "Mobile Ghosts", "Hour in the Life of a Light Scientist", and "Guess the Gas." <span style="font-family: inherit;">The day concluded -- as any exciting photonics-focused outreach should<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"> -- </span></span>with an award-winning laser l</span>ight show!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="520" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz48sQAwmCM3G3XTyn2npRjOoEsbI1y0CpovZL9j9eNMyJFIQHH6h0it3cpoZFyi65pVMVnN7zNlxOAjBuT7hP-HVB2wXxaqm0oV-hUkmT9ru6aBASIevNwVx3mfLQLWUgLNfRUbuyLu8/s400/opsoc.jpg" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">MY LITTLE 3-D PROJECTOR: Demonstration of the Mobile Ghosts activity<br />using a tablet, a sheet of acetate, and a pyramidal 3-D projector</span> </i></td></tr>
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For the last IDL event, OPSoc leaders gathered with the public on May 17th to discuss applications of light-based science and technology in the arts, education, industry, and research, organizing a panel, poster session, and buffet-style networking reception.<br />
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If you want to read more about the incredible series of events that the University of Southampton students pulled off, you can read their <a href="https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/10741/107410B/Student-led-outreach-and-public-engagement-activities-at-the-University/10.1117/12.2320304.full?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">open-access Micro Grant report</a> in the SPIE Digital Library.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="562" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSeOjY6MfmVyRBgbFsUJM2ZsJEAVY2WxXtxsKtxiDauF6cKbMJvdab-DXpcD_yeUAJYRy0UyJ8UeZS6suUL5Mw-P9scBW5fvg52Vd6gQiICQA8rdtiR6tOsT1z_FihZrQ6nFHp3JHsqw/s400/opsoc-mobile+ghosts.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">SPECTATOR'S SPORT: A student using a spectrometer in the <br />Guess the Gas workshop.</span></i></td></tr>
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<br />Stellenbosch University </h3>
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With the help of their SPIE IDL Micro Grant, Stellenbosch University hosted more than 100 people and organized three activities on May 16th. The day included interactive, light-based demonstrations, a high school visit, and lab tours of the university's Laser Research Institute. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="850" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvruv5J1v9R0oDAFdHBZvK7KpVYerL1Nk-tJA-9I8nhsBc07dtssyTCj1nBmV-am8dfLRpxylwzXVKEDtzhyjYjlbF3GDLo3KvSlDetPnWlOW7zcs9zPMTATmnkvXj6ld98w0pXJnxMGs/s640/su-optics+open+day.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">LIGHT IN SPACE: The Optics Open Day venue had light-based demonstrations all around the room!</span></i></td></tr>
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The first activity was Optics Open Day, and attendees were invited to watch a series of light-based demonstrations by postgraduate students from the Stellenbosch University SPIE Student Chapter. One especially popular demo was the plasma ball<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">, which </span></span>holds fluorescent gas that makes voltage breakdown clearly visible. Other demos included a digital microscope, laser engraving station, an optical laser chess game, and prism spectrometers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="362" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyTqSpL3TNLmxcKS_nD94R9jJUBjDrEf71vkEjim52i_OY8m8x1AOaaWdiakWkvENNAmZCJEZvsieIh5SWHf2_XNA8lZBIe4V358z2_1M7knpPvqFoKxvvHssaj2ynXQ_tXXe9E2yS6c/s400/su-plasmaball.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">PLASMA, PLEASE!: The plasma ball demonstration was<br />a real crowd pleaser!</span></i></td></tr>
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Optics Open Day concluded with a public lecture by <a href="https://spie.org/news/champion-of-future-champions-andrew-forbes-?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">Professor Andrew Forbes</a> of Witwatersrand University. Professor Forbes' talk was titled "Quirky Quantum Light." He discussed the counter-intuitiveness of quantum behavior and showcased just a few of the many ways in which scientists have managed to harness photons for various applications over the years. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvh70Hj7zVqHxemlMEBT6aEYy5rfnaTXBspgZnsWplv7Inr_vbVCPyHGk8XYapnFhKonwVHyP9cOgJHJqhlOchM1a6Wr0zDGEDJPMn5u9AHbS0BiBWXqcvTyRAI63cow2YL4_oXKTWx4w/s400/andrew+forbes2.jpg" width="390" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">HARNESSING TALENT: Professor Andrew Forbes discussing quantum light</span></i></td></tr>
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The Stellenbosch University Student Chapter also hosted 25 students from local high schools for a day of engaging and educational hands-on optics activities and lectures. Stellenbosch's Faculty of Science Recruitment and Marketing Office educated the students on how to study science at a tertiary level, and chapter members helped the high-schoolers build their own spectroscopes using paper and a CD. All the students received SPIE diffraction glasses to take home with them at the end of the day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="701" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtu08uq7ibgbg6F5Bxr02TDlJ0B4lXl-wTD2_fEt9W8FLDW7B7411DxDK9LwPGcaMvUkWp2Uv0KUdSo6nY22qiLOIybAyHHC5XGHXoWR3BgCGYKQOA33Zhkc-efHcE5JEDM7iocNuot2U/s640/SU-ood.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">GOOD, HANDS-ON OPTICS: High-school students peruse the multiple stations of optics activities</span></i></td></tr>
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Of course, the Day of Light wouldn't be complete without some fun in the lab. Members of the student chapter walked the high-school students through the Laser Research Institute, showing them what physics research looks like in the lab. Postgraduate students were on hand to answer questions and demonstrated various optic and photonic concepts in action, including ion-trapping, microscopy, and optical tweezers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="714" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCY8uhETL7XVEJfFSqvz-bIZJ0i_2IfGgjW2q1LQsIM3hzqXXF3h0aBO7GVWGgjdM4hw4BgoKSygPBwJwkQ059QVZRR3ZQQkjseNGPVIIL8MSGEyAIbIR6oIgOG7ucypP2a6QtXGv8bE/s640/su-lab+tour.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">PHOTONIC ACTION: George, a PhD student at Stellenbosch, shows students on the lab tour how he uses <br />photonics in microscopy</span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="734" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2UWBICFgH1qS3CULxLm9W6M_x8PPQiS5qi9tfj1079n9mSIEgGddxgohStOGvTKQcmTSKPLkJYDsh_81EY3saGrggvxczxGa3mTNxCK2QsJXaAXHX0pq8RDv1sBdRta4ntvmOptJ3ew/s640/su-lab+tours.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">EYE-SPY: Dr. Charles Rigby, Stellenbosch SPIE Student Chapter alum, shows the students the ion-trapping lab</span></i></td></tr>
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Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-8150125879095563112019-04-22T10:27:00.003-07:002019-04-22T10:27:34.799-07:00#FacesofPhotonics: Applied Optics Master's Student Christiane Ebongue<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="392" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gUE4iQxx5iILGIz98E_6P13DwbJ7Ne9SAjmqGNFihHgTeSptSx07ffI3Em6ttRjz20dkmFIUc7DLtSQ2mGVfNYncPOgJhtVSlK-UFNRwL9Ahq1CYfkrWygZSxIC75bK1E5OXzHbBt2g/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Ebongue smiles as she overcomes </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">her fear of heights </span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">at the top of the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka, Japan</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Bonjour</i>! Meet Christiane Ebongue, graduate student at Delaware State University (DSU). </span>Christiane is working on a master's degree in applied optics with a goal of achieving a PhD in Physics. When she is not spending time in the lab <span style="background-color: white; color: #1c2336; font-family: "palatino" , "palatino linotype" , "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 15px;">—</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span>something she says she loves so much, she would even want to be there on her birthday! <span style="background-color: white; color: #1c2336; font-family: "palatino" , "palatino linotype" , "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 15px;">—</span> she enjoys her role as president of her university's SPIE Student Chapter.<br />
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Ebongue moved to the United States from Cameroon for college, although she only spoke French at the time. Learning to speak a new language while learning a new field of science was intimidating, she says, but this feat just speaks to how tenacious of a person Ebongue is.<br />
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Another example of this steadfast dedication and passion lies in her photonics advocacy work. After defending her thesis in the morning, Ebongue hopped in her car and drove from Delaware to Washington D.C., to participate in Congressional Visits Day, without missing a beat!<br />
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"It was awesome, I don't regret it at all," says Ebongue of her intentional and focused road-trip. "Until that day, I always thought it would be too troublesome and intimidating to try and meet with your representatives. Now, I feel strongly that it is our right to advocate for what we believe in, and it is their duty to listen. That is the most important lesson I learned from this experience, and I intend to participate every year!"<br />
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Enjoy the SPIE Faces of Photonics interview with Christiane!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1159" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnymdjHAJ-Tv4RZ2txaJBHr79pMS1G-TvmwbZSzgwptiwo_42-uWF31le-mB-Tfxr_stz8kASPqT0dWqaHAot1gTmSkdmcigf3f9qErGDmSZI9Da5WedvvJSF52MxX6r28DuKJnkNhBY/s640/CVD.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>SPEAK YOUR MIND: Ebongue and other National Photonics Initiative volunteers met with<br /> </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, representative of Texas' 18th Congressional District in the U.S. House of<br /> </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Representatives, during Congressional Visits Day 2019</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1. How did you become interested in optics and photonics? Was there a particular person who inspired you?</b></span><br />
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During my senior year at the University of Maryland, College Park, I registered for an atomic physics course because I wanted to explore different realms of physics. I did not know at the time that it would be the beginning of a new and exciting adventure in the field of optics and photonics.<br />
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Professor Luis Orozco was the one teaching the course at the time. Throughout the semester, we discussed topics related to light-matter interaction, such as atom trapping and cooling, electro-induced transparency, and more. I was blown away. I never realized so much science existed just by studying the properties of light! Professor Orozco’s style of teaching is to make a student appreciate the physics rather than memorizing enough to be able to pass the exam. That helped me stay engaged in class.<br />
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By the end of the semester, my curio<span style="background-color: white;">sity got the best of me. Even though I was very shy, I gathered up my courage and asked to do an internship in his lab </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c2336; font-family: "palatino" , "palatino linotype" , "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 15px;">— I</span><span style="background-color: white;"> needed to learn more. He gave me the internship, and asked me to build a 2D Magneto Optical Trap (MOT). Accomplishing this task required a lot of knowledge about optics, which I was lacking. So I decided to get my master’s degree in Applied Optics.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1600" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp59dzPi56IWYUOhlPWIVvNpBNGroxZmHoPDvH5HpPDXdpnKy_AEtgghDaZ5m4XOdvc__-nn1-9RWoGvCpy4S46PD5BrSF7vP7mg4YqGDi8gjm4Bsph0jX9_a74YuJIuepWAz2AwjpSK8/s640/friend.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">PARTY-CLE PHYSICS: Ebongue and friend Ike Faddis pose in balloon hats at an family-work event</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2. Describe a memorable moment from an SPIE event or conference.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>At the 2019 SPIE Photonics West Student Chapter Leadership Workshop, I sat with SPIE Student Chapter Lead Meagan All and event speaker Christine Haas, and they seem so relaxed. It made me realize that the people in the audience are not aliens ready to attack -- they are human, just like me. It gave me the courage to raise my hand and give a speech. Today, that experience is allowing me the honor of representing one of the faces of SPIE.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1600" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKVwjaHV-JUqHa-ZPGAKq-YeJvq7a6b6AikwR1VTL4yDwf8_5_jQ-7LtP6zYbYe-qJNXxSy7Y88Qz14A_fUrqcZ7WEvmz6yWODAJdXU-ti0-kYCimGfcHrWSb9Pog_cF0bpS0eiEgCqE/s640/IMG_1519.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">CONFIDENCE IS KEY: Ebongue shares her story with the group at the SPIE Photonics West Student Chapter<br />Leadership Workshop</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6K0Y-Qd8dsVATmhCDy7ICLJWEyM9SrnMaIHKrRdowa9evHJVSZWhZH6gbsAOKYED0aAS1vnDQ7JHgRk8nW-6WG_kL0v6XZQvV_w_Ymcr3tMXKikNLf77RVgJBtJpyTXInPaZTYqlAqI/s640/pw.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">GLOBAL COLLABORATION: Ebongue and other SPIE Students enjoy a round-table discussion during the</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">workshop at Photonics West</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3. Share the story of your favorite outreach or volunteer experience.</b></span><br />
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I truly enjoy working with kids. They are gold. When share with them the knowledge that I have and get to see their faces lighting up, it's priceless! One of the outreach activities I especially had fun organizing was the “4 Nerdy Workshops 4 Kids” at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) after-school program.<br />
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Once a week, over four weeks, we covered four different topics in the STEM field. The first week, we made ice cream with liquid nitrogen. The second week, we put together solar cars and talked about the principles of solar panels. Then we covered DNA and adaptation, and concluded the series with the behavior of light in matter. It’s my favorite outreach activity to date because of a powerful discussion I had with one of the outreach supervisors. She told me that they wish the kids could have more interaction with researchers at OIST! I really put my heart into bringing people together and organizing workshops like that, and the positive feedback made everything worth it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="463" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokvyWgJxKzydopUouwVCNQo_Yd8CjL23Ym0sv8kX2UhZnvNuYuoypzkEtFTJu5tsygFYCYhPq8kcUd2o_4fxM2iRDUIcKUDfxqARx9YYyo7Ae-cfeFB4nXcpPqe3y3KgEc82aUcpOXLA/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">A MATTER OF LIGHT: Ebongue wows the students at William Henry Middle School in Dover, Delaware, by demonstrating a 3D hologram-maker</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>4. Explain your current research/what you do at your job. How does your work impact society?</b></span><br />
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I am currently working under the supervision of Dr. Renu Tripathi at DSU, developing an all-solid-state pulsed laser system emitting light at sodium wavelength (589 nm). The sodium light is obtained via sum frequency generation of two Nd: YAG high-power pump lasers operating at wavelengths 1064 nm and 1319 nm, respectively.<br />
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This type of laser has recently been in demand for the laser guide-star applications. There are multiple techniques that have been used to develop the 589 nm laser, such as Dye laser, frequency doubling, Raman amplification, and so on. However, the all-solid-state YAG laser system is capable of producing large output power with a reasonably compact size. Our goal is to utilize this system to develop a sodium LiDAR instrument that will allow us to perform measurements at mesospheric altitudes.<br />
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The measurements include the determination of the sodium density, temperature, and radial velocity. As of now, a laser of this kind is not commercially available, even though the need for a compact, high-power sodium laser is rapidly growing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="447" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-346oS8p3xF5KbyEJeVUMkJqO5OX0jJpy2ByU5PfQ17MVv93HLGMEvJsDvi6-G5daa5h5WPhhaJt22q4DZwF9fJ7yT2wr2MZYT06DH-tc8DCKK-CnKLGhsNzPkV4SjcxAAtMJftRJWk/s640/Chapter.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">A BANNER EVENT: Members of the SPIE Student Chapter at Delaware State University pose with visiting </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">lecturer Professor Luis Orozco, who spoke on “Correlation Functions in Optics and Quantum Optics”</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>5. Have you ever had to embrace failure? Describe a challenging situation, either personal or professional, and how you overcame it.</b></span><br />
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I came to the United States from Cameroon ten years ago. I came straight from high school with a French-education background and enrolled in college where everything was in English. I did not speak English that well, but my writing and reading were not too bad, which is why I was able to pass the test to enter community college. That transition was difficult, to say the least.<br />
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I first decided to major in Physical Sciences but scored a 'D' in my Calculus II class. It was eye-opening for me how much effort I needed to put into this new learning curve and the barriers that I would need to overcome to succeed. Learning new concepts in a foreign language was very challenging; I thought I was not going to make it. I cried every night. Then, I would wake up every morning at 3 AM to work on what I could not understand.<br />
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I could not understand the American accent, so I started watching and listening to music videos in English. I would also go to my teacher’s office during the day with lots of questions. After all this, my perseverance and determination paid off and my understanding of English slowly improved. I succeeded in my Calculus II class at the end of the semester! That made me realize I could make it through challenges with grit and hard work. I’m also blessed to have friends and family who constantly push me to achieve my potential.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1600" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GwbU8simz7PrkcAGnsy6VNEpn6pmQAlLK888TLwvihHhwvV18ewkem0gpyXGKtUqZysLsRXDNaNupxwx_t3mPp9S4NCaz_4ZCOxDtJh3yTqwUUbArCucpFeG16mLCvOtrcmuUZd1tBQ/s640/Mothers+Day.png" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">ALL IN THE FAMILY: Ebongue and her family get ready to go canoeing on the Potomac River </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">in Washington D.C. to celebrate Mother's Day </span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>6. When you look five years into the future, what do you hope to have accomplished?</b></span><br />
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Achieving a PhD-level education in Physics is my long-term goal. My dream is to revitalize and enhance science education to include more hands-on experiments at all grade levels. I especially want to work on enhancing the educa<span style="font-family: inherit;">tion in Cameroon. I was excited to learn that there is a SPIE presence in Cameroon! I saw that <span style="background-color: white;">Paul Woafo of the University of Yaounde</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>won the 2019 SPIE International Day of Light Micro Grant. I look forward to working with colleagues there some day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>7. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b></span><br />
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If you find something that sparks your passion, don’t turn your back. It will be challenging and sometimes you will feel like giving up, but there are always rewards when you do what you love – wouldn't you want to be in the lab, even on your birthday?!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="485" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZx9NuAt52Msn0XvgIkAVfz8WiLmRIxlxAbfJKB3rvNF65b_1pNSMah1HpXwvulxcF8xDSFYIrnnrz9aBtiTQmGpbYxRe5PJyNC5bn1UBqrAU8oQFEuGmXCdbSUe7VXVwHNX30XFbSEJE/s640/bday.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">INTERN-NATIONAL: Ebongue celebrates her birthday with colleagues and adviser Professor Helmut Ritsch</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">during her 2016 summer internship at the University of Innsbruck in Austria</span></i></td></tr>
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
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Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-74964081556825437302019-04-18T11:49:00.001-07:002019-04-18T11:52:57.053-07:00Why Light? SPIE Fellow David Sampson answersDavid Sampson is a Fellow Member of SPIE, on the Board of Directors, and Vice-Provost of Research and Innovation at the University of Surrey. He is also the next community member to answer our 'Why Light?' series. The series is leading up to the second annual International Day of Light this 16 May, and asks members of the SPIE community to explain why they feel light is so important.<br />
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<a href="http://spie.org/profile/David.Sampson-20079">David</a> has nearly thirty years’ research experience in photonics, optics, and microscopy, and applications in communications and biomedicine. He is an authority in optical coherence tomography, with several main interests including the microscope-in-a-needle. As a Board Member he serves on several committees for SPIE, including the Strategic Planning Committee and the Conference Program Committee, and regularly contributes to SPIE's conferences and journals. He took time out of his very busy schedule to answer for us what light means to him and to the greater global community.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe-cO52GY1YfzNmGACvx7q4BfmDjCJEB8JFCVfeAFE-RPHOmK4ienrnXVvUlnT0iT3izf5NpMmzgZSwE_36r57NFg8B_8rFDKiWX8t29Iov5-T3Ha0qlvWb2JQFoivhA6bBt_9LH0-77Y/s1600/DavidSampsonIDL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="550" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe-cO52GY1YfzNmGACvx7q4BfmDjCJEB8JFCVfeAFE-RPHOmK4ienrnXVvUlnT0iT3izf5NpMmzgZSwE_36r57NFg8B_8rFDKiWX8t29Iov5-T3Ha0qlvWb2JQFoivhA6bBt_9LH0-77Y/s320/DavidSampsonIDL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">David Sampson</span></i></td></tr>
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<h4>
What about light inspires you?</h4>
You can see it – reflected(!) in your daily life – this summer we were in St Andrews and it was raining and sunny – the full bow stretched from horizon to horizon. Full bow, inverted bow, second bow – absolutely brilliant.<br />
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And then you think that, beyond beauty, beyond atmospherics, it is so empowering in our lives. I grew up in the era of time-delayed long-distance calls via geostationary satellite, one that we still occasionally see on television. Fiber optics changed all that, and a lot more besides. Those thin hairs of glass carrying terabits/second – now that <i>is</i> amazing.<br />
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And then – optics is not new – from ancient Arabs such as Al Hazen to the renaissance of Galileo, to the laser of the 1950/60s, to today – it is constantly changing. There is so much that optics and photonics technology still has to give us... we are just not quite sure exactly what.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqzIbcCFUT180UxefuzXPuf4yUKWo4j2Kvqhmt8OKTQrVfVdujfzArYypHejpcTmXYu9XeK2KjTkyP-F8zfIjHQfOWQ0PI6lsKhJn2duPDC-a5S7ApKliS_tm5IgTBqpl9F4T6DImWdsq/s1600/DavidsFullBow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="1000" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqzIbcCFUT180UxefuzXPuf4yUKWo4j2Kvqhmt8OKTQrVfVdujfzArYypHejpcTmXYu9XeK2KjTkyP-F8zfIjHQfOWQ0PI6lsKhJn2duPDC-a5S7ApKliS_tm5IgTBqpl9F4T6DImWdsq/s640/DavidsFullBow.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The double rainbow at St Andrews</span></i></td></tr>
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<h4>
How can light help overcome a current global challenge?</h4>
By measuring more things better. Sensors for our body’s health parameters are an emerging phenomenon still to mature. Sensors that will allow us to predict an old person will fall before they do so, or detect the onset of dementia before traditional symptoms appear, by exploiting the power of optics and AI/computing. But we could be measuring so much more with light – from disease pathogens, to hormone levels, to blood glucose – optical methods to tell me how stressed I am through my cortisol levels, if I have Vitamin D deficiency after a long winter, or how fit I am. These measures are, as yet, still patchy, full of artifacts, and inaccurate – but we are making progress and there is so much still to gain.<br />
<h4>
What do you do to share your passion for light?</h4>
Get inspired to continue to write grants, do research, and introduce the next-gen of postgraduate researchers to this brilliant field. And I try to give back to my community – mostly in conferences and publications. I do a lot of organizing – conferences such as the International Conference on Biophotonics, ICO Optics Within Life Sciences, the GRC Optics and Photonics in Medicine and Biology, ECI Advances in Optics for Biotechnology, Medicine and Surgery, Photonics West (of course!), IEEE Photonics Congress, and OSA’s Biomedical Optics Congress. You might notice I support all the societies and independent event – I believe we need to bring our professional community together and to show more grassroots leadership. And I try to champion excellence at all scales – and inclusion of all the shapes and sizes and colors and flavors of this marvelously rich 3rd Rock. And then there is publishing – but don’t get me started!<br />
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The International Day of Light – IDL – takes place annually on 16 May. IDL is a global initiative that provides a focal point for the continued appreciation of light. This day recognizes light and the vital role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development.<br />
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On 16 May, join SPIE and communities worldwide by participating in activities that illustrate how the science and art of light improves all our lives. For more information and to plan your own event, visit <a href="http://spie.org/IDL">spie.org/IDL</a>.<br />
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<br />Alison Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04128862782800078576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-76162497608374158772019-04-09T13:35:00.001-07:002019-04-09T14:17:58.658-07:00#FacesofPhotonics: Biomedical Engineering PhD Student Christopher Pacia<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="458" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0zpXDjhuT3n_d97HpiOLM4kYusTju_9sXLsKHV6zQ1dtA-V6TEFY5A36bp8hW5kZB1Jq0opZywVogpykS9dtEvpUvvwDjsRT83aAyiQXgOvAx2lwHF6cb48yWeypGbKzezXYyby4ZRs/s400/Chris+headshot.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">WORKING TOWARD A CURE: PhD student Christopher Pacia </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">smiles for the camera</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why haven't we found a cure for cancer yet? This is the question that motivates Christopher Pacia when he's doing research </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">in the </span><a href="https://chenultrasoundlab.wustl.edu/" target="_blank">Chen Ultrasound Lab </a><span style="font-family: inherit;">at </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Washington University in St. Louis </span>(WUSTL)<span style="font-family: inherit;">. Pacia is a </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">PhD student in biomedical engineering, and his research focuses on </span>ultrasound imaging and therapy that can impact cancer patient care. "With a greater understanding of the brain, treatments can be more patient-specific," says Pacia. "In that way, they will also be more effective in improving the lives of those affected by the seemingly boundless complexity of neurological disorders."<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pacia is the current Vice President of the SPIE Student Chapter at his university, under the supervision of <a href="http://spie.org/about-spie/press-room/press-releases/samuel-achilefus-groundbreaking-translational-work-wins-the-2019-spie-britton-chance-award-in-biomedical-optics-?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">2019 SPIE Britton Chance Award </a>winner, </span><a href="https://photonicsforabetterworld.blogspot.com/2019/01/facesofphotonics-spie-britton-chance.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Dr. Samuel Achilefu</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The chapter is involved in a variety of local outreach activities which, according to Pacia, is one of the most rewarding parts of being a researcher.</span><br />
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Enjoy SPIE's Faces of Photonics interview with Chris!<br />
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<b>1. Share the story of your favorite outreach experience.</b><br />
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One of my favorite outreach experiences was my trip to the local St. Louis Science Center during its annual SciFest event. SciFest is free and open to the public, and it's where scientists, engineers, and doctors come together to show all the amazing things happening around St. Louis. Hundreds of attendees have the chance to walk around and learn about motion-capture technology in movies, how memories are formed in the brain, and how optics acts as a window into our bodies.<br />
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Our SPIE Student Chapter went to SciFest to put on an exhibit, showing children and adults the science behind ultrasound imaging. Our booth had hands-on demonstrations to showcase the fundamentals of sound, and the ways in which ultrasound can be used for imaging. We even let the brave, young scientists try to image their own arm! The kids loved playing with sound and trying to see what they look like on the inside. Even adults were amazed when we explained how fetal ultrasound images were formed. The amount of shock and awe that comes from building an understanding in science has been one of the most rewarding parts of being a researcher.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7om9Ds2OUVt7Brqfnaq8tUsYxtnucpgmU5_0HgmG_9oiGMTcWKDAwab5ZGORxcXiuKC_qdVIAwPH06MgsLQW1QCstjQj6G_mZPObLqdmQ4wh4PTWCyXJTmu9A2i_uJXPyYLhwrALuM8/s640/SciFest+demonstration.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">SHOCK AND AWE: Pacia shows how ultrasound imaging works at SciFest</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>2. Explain your current research and what you do at your job. How does your work impact society? </b><br />
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A question people are always asking is: Why haven't we found a cure for cancer yet? But, of course cancer research isn't as straightforward and simple as we would hope, especially in the case of brain cancer. The main challenge when treating brain cancer is the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB has the important task of regulating the diffusion of molecules between the brain and blood vessels. While this is beneficial in protecting neural tissue from foreign pathogens, the BBB also prevents life-saving drugs from being delivered to the brain.<br />
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In the Chen Ultrasound Lab at WUSTL, we are working with focused ultrasound (FUS) to non-invasively disrupt the BBB and enhance drug delivery to the target area. The integration of FUS with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for more precise targeting, so by developing an integrated FUS system, clinicians will be able to use their MRI scanners to non-invasively enhance cancer-drug delivery. This will take us one step closer to developing a cure for cancer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="1440" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFnXfCW8On3BIwPZGWp6YqZwy5XLgNELF5LaI0-F0sJephO2uposTOkvVNYV3QCq5QE4EUZOqBADRQC9gH4rqPjvbBE0Vyjd1fuY6KSYcjVfFiwXslhIY94TMeKAE8Sn_ZkreypQNS4g/s640/Chen+Ultrasound+Lab+members.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">STEM SEPTET: </span></i><i style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The team at Chen Ultrasound Lab</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>3. When you look five years into the future, what do you hope to have accomplished? </b><br />
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In five years, I hope to have completed my PhD research and be involved with further developing diagnostic and therapeutic tools for the clinic. The necessity for this technology is clear, and with my training I plan on making great strides to improve patient care. My goal is to have developed a system that can help answer at least one question about the brain. Whether it has to do with remapping after disease, the effects from aging, or the enhancement of cognitive processes from neuromodulation, I will want to have my hand in a revolutionary tool that will shape the future of science.<br />
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On a more personal level, I'd like to influence the future generations of scientists. The next generation of researchers will have a greater amount of resources, technology, and mentors at their disposal to address any unanswered questions. I will continue to reach out in my community to share what I have learned, and, hopefully, inspire students to pursue a STEM career and push the envelope of science. If I persuade just one student, the five years will have been worth it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZFiDh8-t6hUDaRVGeExlBXA8x-wKopSUpT6d2H1rnYXRT4D4i2005QkB6in_oGybG8TcAuWBhUJ6B8YALkOW_T0TuAs0wDIxj5ulXgoBhVtjdHAjaGbHA9koMUJF-c2J2sF8yeL1y6s/s640/IMG_1489.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Pacia </span>participates<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in a round-table discussion at the 2019 Photonics West </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Student Chapter Leadership Workshop</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<b>4. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b><br />
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Building a diverse community and sharing knowledge with each other will push STEM further into the future. There have been great strides in the scientific community in terms of reaching out and encouraging underrepresented minorities to pursue STEM careers. There has been a lot of progress, but it cannot stop there.<br />
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There are a number of ways to help. To name a few: going out into local schools and showing students that science is fun is the catalyst to helping students recognize their potential; providing students with the resources to run hands-on experiments will prepare them for a future career in STEM; putting on demonstrations at the science center will help students appreciate how science is used in our everyday lives.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfXCfV5xrIr5nizTDHnXU52hj6TPuneGlYjvqzyBa3mdaaH13YsPtTc5W2_hk65qlFJSJS9i-kdw9VQt9mQF0rdzfp2E7chQxhg5huR-_k8yQW-XvkK9FMrU8RM1H12H7XmWyl6d7xNg/s640/Traveling+in+Rome.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">WHEN IN ROME...: When he's not working toward a cure for cancer, Pacia loves to travel!</span></i></td></tr>
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
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Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-59367876699003513192019-04-05T14:31:00.000-07:002019-04-09T13:25:52.604-07:00#FacesofPhotonics: CEO of Datalytica Dr. Misty Blowers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5xDIA-I7SdQ2zXqD4NKi1I1j0cgUSW-zEJe7JhdoQtE0GUFRgsRrNhldlh8MQE0gFSVTiFawK7kEylR0EccnJKrEIAYjH43livOtKtG4UUeWVUeN9KseJHDCHwxhie0H7542SiTcits/s400/25print.jpg" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>CEO POWER: Dr. Misty Blowers</i></span></td></tr>
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From the US Air Force Research Lab to Vice President of Cybersecurity at ICF to CEO of her own defense consulting company, SPIE Member Dr. Misty Blowers continues to make waves in the defense security world. She has always been unwavering in her dedication to this community, citing her drive toward positive change: "I hope to make a technical contribution that can make the world a better place."<br /><br />
Many would say she's already accomplished this. In 2018, <a href="https://www.spie.org/x128913.xml?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">Dr. Blowers was awarded the SPIE Early Career Achievement Award</a> for her dedication to advancing applied machine-learning solutions to help solve real-world problems. Her commitment to the field also shines through in her multiple years serving on SPIE conference committees at SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing (DCS), and her 2016 publication of <i>Evolution of Cyber Operations and Technologies to 2035 </i>(Springer) which she discusses in the interview below.<br />
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Enjoy the interview!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="552" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZXYRiMG-8yH9AL724pNMBXcvmkHK5GDsnpCqWx48APx9jGEJ75zSz9Xz7mHQxc9Npbd7a-Y-4nt2fyfwauNBQL0L3VaH28nf6A8btZUEBPJR-SyGahHF9ze8akkcCacVDfvpYXB0CTQ/s640/MistyBlowers003.JPG" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>SHINE BRIGHT: Blowers poses </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>with her SPIE </i><i>Early Career </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Achievement Award</i></span></td></tr>
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<b>1. Describe a memorable moment from an SPIE conference.</b><br />
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SPIE supported an idea I had for a conference to bring in student speakers to talk about what they believed the next disruptive technology will be that will change the world. The students did a fantastic job and provoked discussions across a global community of experts. This is happening again this year at SPIE DCS in Baltimore!<br />
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<b>2. Explain your current research/what you do at your job. How does your work impact society?</b><br />
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I started my own business in 2018, called Datalytica LLC. My motivation was to provide more breadth of technical consulting services to help advance the state-of-the-art emerging technologies across the US Department of Defense (DoD).<br />
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Along with numerous speaking engagements, I currently serve as a technical advisor to the Chief Scientist at the AF Rapid Capability Office. This is a dream job as it allows me the opportunity to align short-term warfighter needs with technologies coming out of the laboratories across the industry.<br />
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My prior role as the Conference Chair of the Machine Intelligence and Bio-inspired Computation: Theory and Applications Conference and my current role as the Chair of the <a href="https://spie.org/SI/conferencedetails/disruptive-technologies-sensors-sensor-systems?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">Disruptive Technologies in Information Sciences Conference</a> at <a href="https://www.spie.org/x124284.xml?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing</a> plays a big role in helping me build my professional network and stay current on the latest emerging trends across the information sciences domains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="205" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rfiZUe35oHoA_-DPX5uzLvD2KEY62rJfHiTRW1TO4upJUlqGJoGBkodGA32ptnO5nzh4A7JjfuG5KyW87Ehp9P-p4uZkFdvk_5t59o5Pnp_TB_lFWDtiGYnfV6d38U531qxW9n5BmqY/s400/2018Photo.JPG" width="253" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>SUN TIMES: It's important to step out of the<br /> lab!</i></span></td></tr>
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Last but not least, I teach a class at George Mason University on Blockchain Technologies. This is an evolving field with a global community of developers. The incentive to create a new architecture that advances across many different computer science topics is unlike anything I have ever seen. These new applications are driving global trade, communications, and domestic policy and regulations. Not only have advancements been made on computer hardware architectures, but we also see profound advancements on how to implement peer-to-peer networking, layered cryptography, smart contracts, and even artificial intelligence. It's incredible.<br />
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<b>3. You teach a course on blockchain at George Mason University, and will be teaching one at SPIE DCS next month. What excites you about this course and what motivates you to continue teaching it?</b><br />
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I love to teach this course because it allows me to stay current in my field while simultaneously dispelling any misconceptions people have about where this technology is headed. I find these architectures are often misunderstood because there are so many different blockchain architectures that exist today. There are also many new applications of blockchain technologies--specifically in the crypto-currency domain--that the world needs to take notice of because this technology is being used by nefarious actors just as frequently as it is being used for good.<br />
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Blockchain technologies have the potential to solve global privacy and security concerns, but also the ability to enable underground crime syndicates in a way never before thought possible.<br />
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<b>4. Share the story of your favorite outreach or volunteer experience.</b><br />
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My favorite outreach experiences have been my speaking engagements with students at both the high school and college level. I love to interact with bright young minds that have so many fresh new insights in this rapidly changing world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheT5U5TzWSx95VNMvhjyJW6VmHcc-vRXOYT4dAhl3SEwGnZlRftzGFMH953tvtvLVmTWhlm_GzYxk_eqhAQMXyowJyXi5p6svYd1xz7D-QsWU8SVRC1KELjavo5m5bUTXzbaiUdAjF9vQ/s640/MistyBlowers004.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">WINNER, WINNER: Blowers receives the 2018 SPIE Early Career Achievement Award at </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">SPIE DCS from Arthur Morrish and Jim McNally.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>5. Have you ever had to embrace failure? Describe a challenging situation, either personal or professional, and how you overcame it.</b><br />
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The first 14 years of my career as a computer scientist were challenging, and I did not always feel like I was advancing as quickly as I hoped. I felt these challenges were attributed to the fact that I was a female computer scientist in a male-dominated workplace. At the time, the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), where I worked, showed a clear pay gap between the female PhDs and the male PhDs. This prompted me to work a lot harder than my male counterparts, and I often took on additional roles and responsibilities to try to get ahead.<br />
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One of these roles paid off. I was participating in a NATO workshop focused on the "Measures of Effectiveness of Cyber Operations" when my contributions were noticed by a senior-level defense contractor who was also in attendance. As a result, his company recruited me from my position at the US AFRL to take a position as the Vice President of Cybersecurity Research at ICF. This was a big career leap. I had oversight over the technical direction of a division of over 320 scientist and engineers. In the first year alone, I secured over $175 million in new work for the division.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsUDODMZnNjOp1zmySzz1r3ppipzOr2mqoAfK7HH9zj13u_gV3QgGtK8NhZUMrH0jBOoM5MndX_I9tVdvHabI97dwpYUm3FGAXQKth4XDofvuEIccC-bi4w-7OhJpH8BX2qOM6Yi4iFM/s640/DSC_1244.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">WORK HARD, PLAY HARD: Enjoying the SPIE DCS 2017 Welcome Reception with colleagues.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><br />6. What book has impacted your professional life the most? Your personal life? Why?</b><br />
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My book, <i>Evolution of Cyber Operations and Technologies to 2035</i>. An entire community of leading researchers came together to contribute to this book with a passion to educate the world about where they felt cyber operations and technologies are heading.<br />
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As a cyber subject matter expert at various US DoD wargames, I noticed that they were often focusing their strategic planning about a 2035 fight with 2015 technology. In response I initiated a federal government, academia, and industry-wide effort to educate a global community on future technology gaps in information sciences by writing and editing this book.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="546" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTjakJHLJMcumt7kRubequiO2vESsFpYf47ZLpP9j6z3rzLnooLG81OQ2Ym0JieT-7moipjajF107-11r5gEePC_rD_df2OlBwuuoO_glA81I9QDTcSCuMVAEGAhc-6tONdLGK2_ehgE/s400/MistywSatellite.JPG" width="340" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>SATELLITE SELFIE: Blowers spends time at the </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>National </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC</i></span><i style="font-size: small;">.</i></td></tr>
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I assembled and coordinated the technical content, leading a team of 17 contributing authors from federal agencies such as The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The National Security Agency (</span>NSA), Naval Postgraduate School, and The Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). This foundational scientific publication serves as a resource for wargame <span style="font-family: inherit;">planning and provides a strategic vision for the future direction o</span>f cyber operations. By creating and publishing this material, I strengthened collaboration across government agencies to promote a culture of cooperation to drive future investment into key technologies, giving the US DoD a strategic advantage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You will see that my book was published in 2016, which means it was written in 2015. Since this time, a lot has changed. I would welcome any interest in contributing to the next book!</span><br />
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<b>7. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b><br />
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Value your family, peers, friends, and other researchers from across the global community. Even when we disagree, we can find common ground and learn from each other.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="593" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmypfvfos_K598LaLvFgMeemliQre_5397YStJYk4nx34wPuWt-7t_pBTHR14PrZCO6CYm7YWYFTPt6a0hzhWneMs6HiQ6i05hNHK9PCZY7tmfxT7lsnwUgCA-4O6lvMm-FQ7tlXO7_H0/s400/MKB_SPIE_2018.JPG" width="357" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">OH, SNAP!: Blowers poses with a crocodile at SPIE DCS 2017.</span></i></td></tr>
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
<br />
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Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-62870337998687248712019-03-29T08:47:00.000-07:002019-03-29T08:47:38.931-07:00International Day of Light in Action: Sumner Middle School and HoloCenterWe are less than two months away from the 2019 <a href="https://www.spie.org/IDL" target="_blank">International Day of Light </a>(IDL). In preparation for this annual event, we will be revisiting our 2018 IDL SPIE Micro Grant winners from around the world, showcasing celebrations of IDL in their communities. <br />
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Each year, SPIE provides IDL Micro Grants to SPIE Members who want to celebrate the importance of light and share that knowledge with their community. These activities must take place during the month of May and tie directly to the cross-global festivities held on the 16th of that month. You can learn more <a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-micro-grants?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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This week we travel the United States coast-to-coast, visiting
HoloCenter in New York City and Sumner Middle School in Sumner,
Washington. <br />
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HoloCenter: Center for the Holographic Arts</h3>
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Despite cold, rainy weather in May and June of 2018, over 2000 people made the ferry boat ride from Manhattan and Brooklyn out to Governor's Island in New York City to attend "Artist Photonics," a five week exhibition held at <a href="http://holocenter.org/" target="_blank">HoloCenter: Center for the Holographic Arts</a> in recognition of the first annual IDL. </div>
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A team of 30 HoloCenter artists displayed their work at the exhibition. The artists were encouraged to discuss how they work with light, and explain their processes to the school groups and general public who toured the exhibition. One of the artists, Martina Mrongovius, shared, "We named the exhibition and the video, 'Artist Photonics' to encourage people to ask what photonics is." They further educated the public by tweeting about their exhibit, and promoting IDL with fun pictures as shown below.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/HolocenterNYC" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="529" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziyBxT1hyphenhyphenooXGcQXedf7jOjA73PIfMfvUza_FMueGdicUZKyvl1Etaydwxe912JGgaSVnwhxFh6xbXUj7VJt_3W6VFnMSaZBYJqRgq4FcKm0L8TvsNFZg0v9jzsxTWgwu5ssFzs3gINk/s640/HoloCENTER+Tweet.png" width="529" /></a></div>
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In addition to the artwork displayed, there were interactive elements to the exhibition such as diffractive glasses and 'glow-drawing' with UV flashlights. The HoloCenter team went a step further and included a laser display, along with a library stocked full of photonics resources. Learning is always more fun when it's hands on!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="1600" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPI-cZEfdup29twsZb74TJCcdnLbRUYDvb1Ci2d9WUns0jfC5mM7x8mpFDu8aw0gNFkbQDJvSRnNGB6iPgi7WWbhDH6hQWN8xzfPRlSbYEPk81tIkdFrLCf0GpFaN05NjjqiYeUaeqZQ/s640/HoloCenter_GI_Stripe.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>LIGHT-IN-ACTION: Just a few examples of the displays around the HoloCenter Artist Photonics exhibition</i></span></td></tr>
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Sumner Middle School</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3ZO4hhUuFWHf_WgPngKD2YdZJZ7DMb_aRclZqFrEskHvSpfR3tpQWGlY-5Mx10lg3BNJfb4kRuukAJQsSf7LC-c_R8DvA48aWkrdYLs-Z81n4ky52e8TBZq1jn0yjQ3rjO131cE0_eY/s1600/SMS-Magnani8.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">GALILEO, GALILEO: 5th grade students at </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Sumner Middle </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">School </span></i><i style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">act out a play </span></i><br />
<i style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">about astronomer Galileo Galilei</span></i></td></tr>
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About two hours south of the SPIE Headquarters in Bellingham, Washington, is the small city of Sumner. SPIE Member and educator, Nancy Magnani, organized multiple activities at Sumner Middle School during the month of May with help of an IDL Micro Grant. Three school clubs -- Science, Photography, and Creative Writing -- were involved in setting up activities for the students, which included a photo contest called "Light in Our Daily Lives," a student-produced and written play, telescope-building events, and a series of lessons about lasers in the Science Club.<br />
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Festive t-shirts incorporating the SPIE, IDL, and Sumner School logos were also made to help the students and faculty volunteers get in the spirit of IDL. The students not only wore the shirts to celebrate on 16 May, but Magnani reports that they continue to wear them throughout the year. "Never underestimate the value of a t-shirt," she says.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcaViovtEEWB-Jt_713fgZAM4pcjpvQ5RYrl_O_lqL4SCoRx_4wXB66eRVSL61emPq-YoYkpLvraz4sae-kKGr1eLS8guph1b_lDMDtWECOJ8NQCPtACsisJITqvhkrjgnQKcccm7Dfg/s1600/SMS-Magnani6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcaViovtEEWB-Jt_713fgZAM4pcjpvQ5RYrl_O_lqL4SCoRx_4wXB66eRVSL61emPq-YoYkpLvraz4sae-kKGr1eLS8guph1b_lDMDtWECOJ8NQCPtACsisJITqvhkrjgnQKcccm7Dfg/s1600/SMS-Magnani6.jpg" /></i></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>WEAR IT LOUD, WEAR IT PROUD: Students wore the </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>t-shirts </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>around school to share their excitement about IDL</i></span></td></tr>
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Overall, there was positive feedback from both students and faculty around the IDL events. Magnani shares, "From a personal view, this was a great way to involve more students in club activities. The students were so excited to write the play, present the play, and share their knowledge of telescopes. From an advisor standpoint, the funds are much appreciated as we were able to learn a lot about optics and photonics and explore content not in the curriculum. I will definitely have students coming back to Science Club next year!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifV006oIcAT9z6_Ou68JDQXZpcHZb7US6xfx3970XaGJJyTK-CPSQWe8HH53LTNtATFbGsS5eSgC9mgTXuWJq4dAZaQY_cnKgM_AAIIp69mJjQbfboiWYAh8yyBCKk9HnZF-rfZiKY6Nc/s1600/SMS-Magnani4.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>POSITIVELY GLOWING: A student lights </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>up </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>from </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>the </i></span><i style="font-size: small;">laser demo</i><i style="font-size: small;"> in Science Club</i></td></tr>
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Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-74784991356278785612019-03-27T11:25:00.001-07:002019-03-27T11:25:03.678-07:00Why Light? SPIE Student Member Gilles Freddy Feutmba answersGilles Freddy Feutmba is a Student Member of SPIE and the next community member to answer our 'Why Light?' series. The series is leading up to the second annual International Day of Light this 16 May, and asks members of the SPIE community to explain why they feel light is so important.<br />
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<a href="http://spie.org/profile/Gilles.Feutmba-3713112">Gilles</a> is PhD Candidate at Ghent University working on the dense integration of ferro-electric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) based silicon phase modulators for diverse applications ranging from LiDAR to displays. He is also Vice President of the university's SPIE Student Chapter. He is an active Member of SPIE, serving on the Membership and Communities Committee, as well as the Student Chapter Subcommittee and the Student and Early Career Professionals ad hoc Committee. He answers for us what light means to him and to the greater global community.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupO5qPuVxqdrnMjXjOWDXwkVaneegaBieD4MVqtV28bwZjWg9p1KZIXHWnMZmweNSsw1cji4Uc7gHxSmFF1dTGglWepOnOZ9ThM89MbU4p9CAIFyM7pyGXjjUbEEw3PGOW6OLQuwnRD6D/s1600/Gilles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupO5qPuVxqdrnMjXjOWDXwkVaneegaBieD4MVqtV28bwZjWg9p1KZIXHWnMZmweNSsw1cji4Uc7gHxSmFF1dTGglWepOnOZ9ThM89MbU4p9CAIFyM7pyGXjjUbEEw3PGOW6OLQuwnRD6D/s320/Gilles.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Gilles Freddy Feutmba</span></i></td></tr>
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<h4>
What about light inspires you?</h4>
Everything about light fascinates me, from the fundamental physics to the beauty of rainbows and colors. To me, light is life and rhythms with gladness. I grew up in Douala, Cameroon where power cuts were frequent and places were dark and I remember the excitement we had as kids every time light came to be. Today, the diversity of applications of light is unlimited. I am amazed by how light find use not only in vital areas such as medicine, communications, food safety but also in socio-cultural areas such as entertainment, dancing, arts… and I believe we are yet to see the limits of light.<br />
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How can light help overcome a current global challenge?</h4>
Energy and health are sectors in which light-based technologies have helped push frontiers and solve existing problems. Light is now a viable and alternative source of energy for different places in the world and research is still ongoing to improve on this. Light-based technologies have given new tools to medical doctors that allows the early detection of several diseases for effective treatment. Light is also nowadays used for food safety and sorting.<br />
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What do you do to share your passion for light?</h4>
Outreach in various ways. I have been involved with student chapters and outreach activities of all kind promoting optics and photonics to the general public. Demos, tours, motivational speeches, posts on social media, jokes, love quotes… I use every means possible. I can only sustain evanescent modes.<br />
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The International Day of Light – IDL – takes place annually on 16 May. IDL is a global initiative that provides a focal point for the continued appreciation of light. This day recognizes light and the vital role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development.<br />
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On 16 May, join SPIE and communities worldwide by participating in activities that illustrate how the science and art of light improves all our lives. For more information and to plan your own event, visit <a href="http://spie.org/IDL">spie.org/IDL</a>.<br />
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<br />Alison Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04128862782800078576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-44661555474563037442019-03-19T15:37:00.001-07:002019-03-20T08:46:34.999-07:00International Day of Light in Action: Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny and Quaid-i-Azam UniversityAs we get closer to the 2019 International Day of Light, we will be re-visiting our 2018 IDL Micro Grant winners from around the world, and showcasing their celebration of this annual event in their communities. This week we visit Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, and Islamabad, Pakistan to meet the innovative organizations who celebrated IDL 2018 with the help of an SPIE Micro Grant.<br />
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Each year, SPIE provides <a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-micro-grants?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">International Day of Light (IDL) Micro Grants</a> to SPIE Members who want to celebrate the importance of light and share that knowledge with their community. These activities must take place during the month of May and tie directly to the cross-global festivities held on the 16th of that month.<br />
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Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvv5IQfqoMHyDkkRE27Gf88tFhOZnjZx9WXJy2ItBGNmjtQnRlQhiCsgevNr-j5QH2dJ2KOARXhSVuLzxal4hHUX4teQjhpLBflaKNSUE-1FcFtBsAu9y888KKRadUGu150d4v0hsv8jq/s1600/IDL+Mirco-Grant_Irvory+Coast_Students.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvv5IQfqoMHyDkkRE27Gf88tFhOZnjZx9WXJy2ItBGNmjtQnRlQhiCsgevNr-j5QH2dJ2KOARXhSVuLzxal4hHUX4teQjhpLBflaKNSUE-1FcFtBsAu9y888KKRadUGu150d4v0hsv8jq/s640/IDL+Mirco-Grant_Irvory+Coast_Students.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Students gather outside the INP-HB before talks and demonstrations</span></i></td></tr>
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On the 31st of May last year, over 320 high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as their teachers, joined the general public for a celebration of light on the campus of the Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouet-Boigny (INP-HB) in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire. Thirty-five volunteers from INP-HB and the African Spectral Imaging Network (AFSIN) organized an International Day of Light program that included demonstrations, conferences, and an address from Madame le Ministre de L’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique (Madam Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research).</div>
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Thouakesseh Jeremie Zoueu of INP-HB noted that the Micro Grant from SPIE was the key element in making the decision to organize the IDL event and said that the event was very successful in raising both awareness of and interest in optics and photonics. The event was shown on national news television and Zoueu went on to say that this extended the awareness of optics and photonics even further in the country.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-bB7npIFhdeartYbd8A8gMXhTg6zb37qxa2UBkHCTMjPtaQOhrJMwHhRAuyy-10TsUsDlNP4B9ayiLFQgbGasLdihiTCoSYapRu5H5d32w5F9LuNVsRHCtrvmUSiLuKstGZzRkT2jYF5/s1600/IDL+Mirco-Grant_Irvory+Coast_Demos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-bB7npIFhdeartYbd8A8gMXhTg6zb37qxa2UBkHCTMjPtaQOhrJMwHhRAuyy-10TsUsDlNP4B9ayiLFQgbGasLdihiTCoSYapRu5H5d32w5F9LuNVsRHCtrvmUSiLuKstGZzRkT2jYF5/s640/IDL+Mirco-Grant_Irvory+Coast_Demos.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Students and community members enjoyed photonics demonstrations after a series of discussions on light.</span></i></td></tr>
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Quaid-i-Azam University</h3>
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Dr. Imrana Ashraf, Dr. Raheel Ali, and Dr. Shamoona Fawad Qazi of Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan, along with the assistance of a fourteen-member Student Committee, organized a two-day Optics Fair at the Physics Department on the campus of the university. The fair was designed to promote optics, photonics, and its applications to Pakistani school and undergraduate students. The students gained an understanding of the natural phenomena of light and developed new perspectives for optics-related natural processes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5xHW0h53T_kVKhdwOr7S4djV8YoEFuze7s4uBbzIewTrZvuY-FXw6tSq2p_6i0nIB2iX9armioouxToavaJ7DL-bljVqdaBVuHeeoCiOO5vWWFHVVSvdR9W_8splWMb2OQSvhaUDXbTD/s1600/Quaid-i-AzamUniversity_Welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5xHW0h53T_kVKhdwOr7S4djV8YoEFuze7s4uBbzIewTrZvuY-FXw6tSq2p_6i0nIB2iX9armioouxToavaJ7DL-bljVqdaBVuHeeoCiOO5vWWFHVVSvdR9W_8splWMb2OQSvhaUDXbTD/s640/Quaid-i-AzamUniversity_Welcome.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Dr. Imrana Ashraf welcomes students to the Optics Fair at Quaid-i-Azam University.</span></i></td></tr>
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Almost 300 students participated on day one of the fair, and approximately 100 students attended day two, all from different schools in Pakistan, including 50-60 faculty members. The invited schools included three colleges for women in the area. Each day, an opening lecture was delivered to students about the importance of light and optics in daily life. Then the organizers and student committee members demonstrated experiments related to light and optical processes. All the students were given goodie bags with refreshments at the end of the day. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ryxWQpzmllDSAMECFdUFTgwRDqfg5l43NeewjNwkZud4BnitxsKqsWZXh0TbDalWHdRiqnlaWXqniYE2xrfsuC48m7xDjjZK5JMOqwdXFqm2eXiMZ7ysE_AYq295UbV-_v_i41RbjORK/s1600/Quaid-i-AzamUniversity-Students.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="807" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ryxWQpzmllDSAMECFdUFTgwRDqfg5l43NeewjNwkZud4BnitxsKqsWZXh0TbDalWHdRiqnlaWXqniYE2xrfsuC48m7xDjjZK5JMOqwdXFqm2eXiMZ7ysE_AYq295UbV-_v_i41RbjORK/s640/Quaid-i-AzamUniversity-Students.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Hundreds of students participated in the two-day fair, including school students from Lahore Grammar School.</span></i></td></tr>
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Alison Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04128862782800078576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-34793035062426063082019-03-08T08:54:00.000-08:002019-03-08T08:54:45.765-08:00Why Light? SPIE Fellow and Woman in Optics Kyle Myers AnswersIn preparation of the second annual International Day of Light this 16 May, we asked members of the SPIE community to explain why they feel light is so important. Today, 8 March is also International Women's Day. So to kick off this year's 'Why Light?' series and to celebrate IWD2019, we spoke with SPIE Fellow Dr. <a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/advocacy/women-in-optics/women-in-optics-planner/2014-wio-planner/myers-kyle-j">Kyle Myers</a>, director of the Division of Imaging, Diagnostics, and Software Reliability in the Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the US Food and Drug Administration.<br />
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She is an active Member of SPIE, advocating for women in optics within her various roles with the organization and in the greater optics and photonics community. She answers for us what light means to her and to the greater global community.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUzFs9D-ZsiRgML1VJsXD7fvhlNZlY2Mjes22HxCBvCaESB1KqSlTUIQzCnXtUK-wKViQvZqiEEQTWprve3Gh4mF_XMyuXp_am2TGpl53a1cFRE59YEDea7DmfWIQ21W77ueS5fGqbJAI/s1600/KyleMyers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUzFs9D-ZsiRgML1VJsXD7fvhlNZlY2Mjes22HxCBvCaESB1KqSlTUIQzCnXtUK-wKViQvZqiEEQTWprve3Gh4mF_XMyuXp_am2TGpl53a1cFRE59YEDea7DmfWIQ21W77ueS5fGqbJAI/s320/KyleMyers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Dr. Kyle Myers</span></i></td></tr>
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Dr. Myers answered these three questions in our 'Why Light?' series:<br />
<h4>
What about light inspires you?</h4>
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How can light help overcome a current global challenge?</h4>
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What do you do to share your passion for light?</h4>
As someone who has spent a career in medical imaging, light inspires me because of the many ways it can be harnessed to detect, diagnose and treat disease. We use just about every part of the electromagnetic spectrum to probe properties of the human body: radio waves are central to making magnetic resonance images, gamma rays are fundamental to nuclear medicine, and we use visible light to monitor blood oxygenation and evaluate microscope slides of tissue post-biopsy. Radiation therapy has advanced to where it is able to be targeted at extremely precise locations, irradiating tumors while sparing surrounding normal tissue.<br />
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I love talking about medical imaging to students, from elementary school ages on up. They “light up” at the understanding of pixels as picture elements that carry information about a patient, and usually know someone who has had a medical image taken or had a series done themselves for a sports injury or playground accident, if not something more serious. They are quick to appreciate the wonder and power of light to tell us about what goes on inside of us.<br />
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I have been blessed to be a part of this field over the past few decades as we witnessed the transformation of film-based imaging to digital devices along with the advancement of computing power that enabled computer-aided diagnosis to augment human reading of images. Light-based medical devices continue to be developed, advanced and shown to make new and significant impacts on the lives of patients.<br />
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The International Day of Light – IDL – takes place annually on 16 May. IDL is a global initiative that provides a focal point for the continued appreciation of light. This day recognizes light and the vital role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development.<br />
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On 16 May, join SPIE and communities worldwide by participating in activities that illustrate how the science and art of light improves all our lives. For more information and to plan your own event, visit <a href="http://spie.org/IDL">spie.org/IDL</a>.<br />
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<br />Alison Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04128862782800078576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-64099929131709884332019-02-28T09:30:00.001-08:002019-02-28T09:30:07.873-08:00International Day of Light in Action: University of Auckland and Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo LeónEach year, SPIE provides <a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-micro-grants?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">International Day of Light (IDL) Micro Grants</a> to SPIE Members who want to celebrate the importance of light and share that knowledge with their community.<br />
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These activities must take place during the month of May and tie directly to the cross-global festivities held on the 16th of that month. As we get closer to the 2019 International Day of Light, we will be re-visiting our 2018 IDL Micro Grant winners from around the world, and showcasing the innovative ways they celebrated this annual event in their communities.<br />
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This week we visit Auckland, New Zealand, and San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico, to meet the bright minds who celebrated IDL 2018 with the help of an SPIE Micro Grant.<br />
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The University of Auckland SPIE Student Chapter</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1148" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DjvQBTqpGeGZ9FAYjb87B5xFK2UVs1zHXc267A3jug4UY4Wp6UhSjyXc1POIJJSjlleMNMK2YFCJzToZQte6KEHi4gmHdnP4ztrMeNcOwums0Be7FPDLVc5Qf6EM4MFd3Z8AB9kilkc/s640/32385555_1943835689263115_5297174940741533696_o.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">RAINBOW EFFECT: Observing life through SPIE IDL diffraction glasses </span></i></td></tr>
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Laser experiments, diffraction glasses, and famous scientists -- oh my! The University of Auckland SPIE Student Chapter and The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies used their grant to host the International Day of Light Historic Science Fair on 13 May. Primary-school students and their families were invited to participate in the event, which was staffed with 27 volunteers from the two institutions. Various science demos and activities lined the halls, including a booth where attendees could measure the radioactivity of different items, a station to test the strength of magnets, and an IDL diffraction-glasses station.</div>
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Of course, the science fair wouldn't be considered historic without an appearance from some of history's most famous scientists! Three of the Auckland student volunteers dressed up as Rosalind Franklin, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, and Michael Faraday, bringing to vivid life the impact of science, past and present.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gF0mir3MVkefolkGZ9WTUsc79zubR-1mge1ub1XPebBDl3r1YU7Zr4P8aulqR9s4nJx5g-Hx2pFjT-4QsW2dfN7uSikJyTbqxNfxVPIgc-paoE6FO5P2kCkxcTZtRvOaln9tZfuOSKg/s640/32387163_1943797039266980_6939215361195638784_o.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>HISTORIC TRIUMVIRATE: Auckland students Nadine as Rosalind Franklin, Nina as Marie Curie, and </i><i>Ben as Michael Faraday, mug for the camera</i></span></td></tr>
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As the event was held on New Zealand's Mother's Day, a presentation was also included on famous women in science, followed by an all-female panel discussion moderated by CEO of Orbis Diagnostics Cather Simpson, a runner-up in the 2018 SPIE Startup Challenge. The women discussed a variety of topics, including who inspired them to start a career in science, and their experience as women in the field.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">RAISE THE ROOF: Cather Simpson moderates a panel discussion on women in science</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIm8UDQu2R14x3V5lMAJP2ohZzpxUd43MXu72r7Kw9VBjzxR_AEcbhO2Ey4n0dXGpmd309jTeuf5c92gQvVtqzSGu0FM0XFoTfg0JjbNHGJP3Ju2m-sqTRw6vrDcV7mlBZfc8_YLPN2_E/s640/32475569_1943794982600519_8700719652742889472_o.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">CURIE-OUS: Nina, dressed as Marie Curie, and Liam explain the radioactivity demo</span></i></td></tr>
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Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León</h3>
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The hardworking and passionate group of students at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) in Mexico held a series of events to get their community ready for IDL. With help from multiple student groups at the university, the Ministry of Education in Nuevo León, and the National Network of Science Outreach Professionals, this group pulled off four events in just two days. </div>
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They kicked off their IDL celebration with an optics outreach workshop led Dr. Miguel Torres-Cisneros of Universidad de Guanajuato. He spent an afternoon teaching 50 undergraduate students about diffraction and scattering through different optics experiments. Later that day, Dr. Torres-Cisneros was the distinguished guest at the second IDL event: Coffee with a Scientist. Students were invited to an informal, caffeinated meetup, where they could ask questions ranging from professional development to how to get involved in more outreach activities. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXKoDSLeWO8se7bNz1w9koT7JpQSWnqMNFFvgXVKDkTbJ9-I5ld92OxINTFxXrE6Dx4i31SMVBNogdOR4mYffJOen9151-jLm2g_R8Bg_S1kPb1r5T7MMeqcAgTNXW2SIZL48SGJEeiU/s640/20180519_044.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">SLINKY SCIENCE: A student volunteer demonstrates hands-on science using everyday objects</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Three days later, the Micro-Grant group organized a Dumpster Optics workshop for 40 elementary and primary school teachers. The workshop taught fun, inexpensive ways to teach optics using household objects. A variety of the lessons, both in English and Spanish, are </span><a href="https://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-resources?utm_id=zpbwz" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">available online</a><span style="text-align: center;">.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Later on that same day at the Colegio Civil Cultural Center in Monterrey, Mexico, Suma Ciencia began. This was a public event to celebrate IDL, with a full day of hands-on science activities ranging from light painting, polarization art, a pinhole viewer workshop, solar observations using a mobile planetarium, astronomy demos, and more. Perla Marlene Viera-González and Guillermo E. Sánchez-Guerrero, UANL students and Micro-Grant applicants, </span><a href="https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/10741/107410Q/IDL-in-Monterrey-science-art-and-culture-of-light/10.1117/12.2320308.full?utm_id=zpbwz" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">presented the team's entire IDL grant activities at SPIE Optics + Photonics last August</a><span style="text-align: center;">. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBilWoqaPHqzRgd-LDPvQGzAP6OziIFowW5lmtz555XAGe7r-NtOJ6KDhXoaPgjN0V_luJ0vS2tK5dacqEhyphenhyphenIdilqxkAN7yXS9LdoYcETR7djA_MWz3iM7o1dwHEPsIR_iEjkA9jKz-Fk/s640/20180519_257.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">ENERGIZE!: The light painting activity at Suma Ciencia was extremely popular</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">THROUGH A GLASS, NICELY: A young attendee looks through a microscope at one of the Suma Ciencia booths</span></i></td></tr>
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Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-26450049784082494622019-02-21T16:32:00.001-08:002019-02-22T08:51:15.056-08:00#FacesofPhotonics: Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher, Angeliki Zafeiropoulou<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoV59t294RQNY-GACNV_uHup-yZ-yE00lY087oNaCMkBqx_CeR-bZm9juqWIzoVVCybpPEBvusXeud7m-sCtQsROEvHPyflCTIYipMxpG5IjVQSwyL7T2aJ5XXf30sXnt2lBQ4NAUEXw/s400/2.jpg" width="225" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>ONE IN FIFTEEN: Angeliki </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Zafeiropoulou </i><i>in the lab at the </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Optoelectronics </i><i>Research Center</i></span></td></tr>
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Angeliki Zafeiropoulou, known to friends as Angie, was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She is a PhD student at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, and is one of 15 students who won a <a href="http://itn-finesse.eu/" target="_blank">FINESSE</a> Early Stage Research (ESR) fellowship.<br />
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As part of her fellowship, she works at Fibercore Limited in Southampton and gets many opportunities to interact with other institutions, conducting research as a visiting PhD student.<span style="background-color: white;"> She recently finished a three-month secondment at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in the Photonics Innovation Center, where she enjoyed the collaborative aspect of her work: </span>it's clear that Zafeiropoulou will feel complete, as she notes below, "to know that I have accomplished my personal goal of doing research that has an impact on the society."</div>
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Enjoy SPIE's Faces of Photonics interview with Angie!</div>
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<b>1. Explain your current research and what you do at your job. How does your work impact society?</b><br />
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I am working in the field of distributed optical fibre sensing, trying to perform shape sensing, which means that my goal is to reconstruct the shape of structures using multicore optical fibres and their inherent scattering properties. The potential applications of shape sensing include minimally invasive surgery, but I am focused on the civil-engineering field, as the spatial resolution of my method (~2m) is ideal for large-scale structures, such as tunnels and bridges.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Here is how it works: we will embed an optical fibre sensor inside a structure, like a bridge, to achieve distributed monitoring of the strain exerted on the structure, typically due to bending caused by loads such as cars. By measuring the strain, we can reconstruct the shape of the deformed bridge. This is why we call it shape sensing! By knowing the shape of the deformed structure in real time and the strain exerted, we can actually get information about the health of the structure and can intervene early to avoid catastrophic effects, such as collapses. This will contribute to a safer society.</span><br />
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My goal is to make a portable box with the setup I have built. This would allow me to take it into the field and perform shape-sensing tests on bridges, tunnels, or railways.<br />
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This project is just a small piece of a larger European network called FINESSE, which is a collaborative research and training group comprised of 26 European universities, research centres, and industrial partners, with the aim of establishing widespread implementation of distributed optical fibre sensor systems for a safer society.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1279" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8LGvLzscoq2vvbQEblVQofnvZ_OEiHWDDMj2nBihdDiiNXOB2segCq8uqjJ32YUm7OWtr6Kduug3ZL1ajcNgNx-yskPibgT0ABxiFULM3SJzkOjNhhDXl453GDYLt5mUwc_1fJBfq44/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">FIBRE FRIENDS: Group photo at The Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology in Jena </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">during a FINESSE training event on speciality optical fibres.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>2. What is it like to be part of an organization like FINESSE? </b><br />
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Being a member of such a big network has a lot of benefits. I am a <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/" target="_blank">Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher</a> (ESR) at Fibercore Ltd which is a specialty optical fibre manufacturer and part of the FINESSE consortium. In parallel, I am a full-time PhD student in the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton, one of the world’s leading institutes for photonic research. The experience of working in both an industrial and an academic environment is invaluable. You get to develop different perspectives for the same task, which adds another dimension to your research skills!<br />
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Being an ESR means that I also benefit from training events organised by various FINESSE partners, where the 14 other ESRs and I have the opportunity to attend high-quality lectures, improve our presentation skills, and network. This reinforces the importance of collaboration within our field.<br />
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To enhance such collaboration, FINESSE requires ESRs to perform secondments at the various partner institutions. During those secondments we have the opportunity to experience different working environments and benefit from the expertise of the host institutions. In addition, it’s a nice opportunity to live in a different country, experience the culture, and live as a local for a few months!<br />
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Our first training event was in June 2017 in Brussels. During this event, two ESR representatives including myself were elected to ensure that the thoughts and opinions of all ESRs are taken into consideration during supervisory board meetings where high-level decisions are made. Now, I participate in all the board meetings which gives me more insight to the organisational aspect of the network, and allows me to communicate to the supervisors any concerns on behalf of our ESR colleagues.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1026" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRR7KmaUf-1SEpr2vBkfsYrpEvtmGSeu_sYWAhV6JRKHc_uodSqsl3kWLRj-JlnTDRSvdb_hhHPX-d3_t3wDQdIDImT_QzKq8I0gCVL2_69FF3fMtAzYKrCbuHidKsm-6tmwAiEHS9AA4/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">COLLABORATION WITHOUT BORDERS: Zafeiropoulou became friends with fellow photonics researchers </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">T</span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">atevik and Astghik Chalyan during </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">her secondment in </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brussels.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: white;">3. Tell us more about your recent secondment in Brussels. What were you working on?</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="523" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJNBQKlufeWbi52kc45UKg5E0HTVLww-jAD5NDqXbTxkexEgD_fDrdKuQSFnlKZ6j0mhZbVvwH5WG8q3iY1uHkY1BajPMvP8_3ls676bSUDxnehn-_GAWR2S3McBG71SurdY6nXBtP30/s400/Brussels.jpg" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>NEW FREQUENCY: Zafeiropoulou made the </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>most of her time at VUB.</i></span></td></tr>
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My placement at VUB was to get training in the simulation tools required to theoretically predict the Brillouin frequency shift of a 7-core optical fibre. Brillouin scattering is an inherent scattering mechanism in optical fibres that can be used for making distributed optical fibre sensors with shape sensing capabilities. The Brillouin frequency shift is a quantity that can be used to extract the strain exerted to a core, when the fibre is under strain. This study is complementary to the experimental work I am performing at the ORC, where I measure the Brillouin frequency shift of Fibercore’s 7-core fibre under strain.<br />
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My time in Brussels was invaluable. I got the chance to work in a different environment, interact with many new people, and make great friends! I also had the opportunity to practise my French, which proved to be a useful second foreign language to have. And I got to travel around Belgium during the weekends and see many of its beauties. Getting out of your comfort zone can seem pretty intimidating in the beginning, but for me it turned out to be a sweet experience I will never forget!<br />
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<b>4. When you look five years into the future, what do you hope to have accomplished?</b><br />
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In five years, I would really like to see my research being widely implemented in the real world, such as in civil engineering projects. I will feel more complete as a person to know that I have accomplished my personal goal of doing research that has an impact on the society.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1036" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5f3IMFX1UIkHnaiE7E0nyI4dyhOLNP0we0ifBYcS6UE1BzAaNziJYIkP-axgnRNfvfyGdPVTo5JvOREF9Je3soCYGjO35CCqJ1joIUQv9eUJwoeOqRJ3upz1qbnxZqw66v_sALDCIOY/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">EXCEPTIONAL FINESSE: Zafeiropoulou takes measurements in Fibercore's cleanroom.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>5. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b><br />
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Chase your dreams. If you ever feel like giving up because of the demanding nature of your job, remember that even the smallest research contribution can have an impact in our society!<br />
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
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Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/PFBW-Twitter" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmY-QZXDccrrz0_VorsGD7u8yODxAx0JF6O8eLUbq_oBSrMQCqov9dWqq15XjlWKoE_N_qEXIWY0A-OYKDDkFSB1S2C6wCbchMtSCZ2J_GG0m4Jb0jUkvCub6uSg4Yxq_UyQaKY8qAKw/s1600/twitter-icon-handle-50.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/PFBW-Facebook" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Vd22QAyPWXdlupsYpd63oF9HcPulIE5gmXmkp9vMJZ7gD144ushYC4OuQ3quFMp27eSsqJYHE4k3EJqnCm4LmyQ9SjS7pLcRKjr73q4T-JKav7r0iC1cCkjASQ6794ZrO5kS2aI99zg/s1600/facebook-icon-handle-50.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/PFBW-Instagram" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ys5K8gpQIAPvnW41ifsIzS0WkoUDJbH-Rx_HoJZoM5qylSy7Nmf1zFxv9HESZLoMHEOUHVxqfkJyWmyM9VwfT7NMSVhkD60esPICj2WdXWTeIMmpVGOVKJ9yg0iQwkA6fQPpfsFiBiM/s1600/instagram-icon-handle-50.png" /></a></div>
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!</div>
Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-570786608508955202019-02-20T15:53:00.000-08:002019-02-22T09:13:33.687-08:00New resources, new grant winners to celebrate the International Day of Light 2019<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVjTbj2yQtm_YWp8xCd_IpUpYLGCWx_S4dPVsokbiXarO04rjqKSesolwcymzLklSxc2Tv-NcfWRg73fA66v6lqFCQPizp2rnB3FLrupjABpz6um5J5qWwiulUwB3f25DttJBZY9irkjO/s1600/IDL-Logo.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The International Day of Light Logo</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Created by SPIE.</span></i></td></tr>
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The second International Day of Light (IDL) is only a few months away. Held on 16 May each year and organized by UNESCO, IDL is a global initiative for the continued appreciation of light and the role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development. </div>
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The broad theme of light allows many different sectors of society worldwide to participate in activities that demonstrate how the science, technology, and artistic expression of light can help achieve the goals of UNESCO — education, equality and peace.<br />
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SPIE enthusiastically supports the initiative and has created resources and funding opportunities to encourage local communities in creating their own celebration.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPx2fnDmOacC8mlRo8uTokBOoLIQGls1JlO2o9aZ-y773iMEKzPRrvuiCKhgKk-5jjD-Yzyliyeeobgh6mr24vI63vcY5WDZcS4zRJAhvgglxLmgs4Z-GcALM1G-SKk88zYPorkwcYblS/s1600/Lesson+plan+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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New Resources from SPIE</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="French Lesson Plan" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPx2fnDmOacC8mlRo8uTokBOoLIQGls1JlO2o9aZ-y773iMEKzPRrvuiCKhgKk-5jjD-Yzyliyeeobgh6mr24vI63vcY5WDZcS4zRJAhvgglxLmgs4Z-GcALM1G-SKk88zYPorkwcYblS/s320/Lesson+plan+thumbnail.jpg" title="Example of a French Lesson Plan Worksheet" width="256" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>An example of a French Lesson Plan</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Worksheet: Diffraction Glasses.</i></span><br />
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<ul>
<li>Demonstrate the science of light with SPIE IDL Outreach Activities. In partnership with SPIE Student Chapters, and various optics educators, we have created a variety of lesson plans to engage young would-be scientists in the study of light. Lesson plans are available in multiple languages including English, French, Spanish, Chinese and more. More lessons have been added for 2019.</li>
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<li>Decorate your social media feeds and webpages about your event with banners and graphics showcasing photography from the 2018 SPIE IDL Photo Contest. Formatted for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, these images are perfect for setting the tone of your event, find them here: <a href="http://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-resources/spie-idl-social-media-">SPIE IDL Social Media Graphics</a></li>
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<li>Hand out SPIE IDL Bookmarks featuring images from the latest SPIE IDL Photo Contest. There are eight images on eight different bookmarks capturing the beauty of light and the talent of our contest participants.</li>
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<li>Decorate your event space with our three SPIE IDL Banners that feature the winning images from the 2018 SPIE IDL Photo Contest. Hang up our informational SPIE IDL Poster as well or give out copies for your attendees to take home.</li>
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<li>Download the IDL logo (above), created by SPIE, to embellish your own materials for your event.</li>
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Find all these resources and more at our website: <a href="http://spie.org/about-spie/international-day-of-light/spie-idl-resources">SPIE IDL Resources</a></div>
<h4>
2019 SPIE IDL Micro Grant Winners</h4>
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Available to SPIE Members, these grants provide for planned activities that will highlight the critical role that light plays in our daily lives and must occur during the month of May 2019 and tie directly to celebrations on the 16th.</div>
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Our 2019 SPIE IDL Micro Grant recipients included:<br />
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<li>Nicholas Kochan and the University of Rochester (United States)</li>
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<li>Jesús Carlos Alberto Obando Aguirre and Instituto de Luz Ambiente y Visión (Argentina)</li>
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<li>Jean-Christophe Gauthier and Université Laval (Canada)</li>
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<li><a href="https://twitter.com/choiceIrregular" target="_blank">Laura Tobin</a> and Ealaín Solas (Ireland)</li>
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<li>Paul Woafo and the University of Yaounde (Cameroon)</li>
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<li>Arymurti Santosa and Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) (Indonesia)</li>
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<li><a href="https://twitter.com/BenHoganSci" target="_blank">Ben Hogan</a> and the University of Exeter (United Kingdom)</li>
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<li>Riley Logan and Montana State University (United States)</li>
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<li><a href="https://twitter.com/marlene_viera" target="_blank">Perla Marlene Viera-Gonzalez </a>and the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (Mexico)</li>
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<li>Natalia Mysko-Krutik and the Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics (Ukraine)</li>
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<li>Frederik Van Acker and the Photonics Society of Ghent (Belgium)</li>
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<li>Emma Pearce and the Imperial College (United Kingdom)</li>
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<li>Audrey C. Brand and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (United States)</li>
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<li><a href="https://twitter.com/lazrmom" target="_blank">Judith Donnelly</a> and the St. Bernard School (United States)</li>
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We look forward to seeing what they will share with their communities.</div>
Alison Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04128862782800078576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-76372426186495457622019-02-14T14:03:00.001-08:002019-02-14T14:03:10.312-08:00#FacesofPhotonics: Opto-mechanical Designer Deven Patel<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1145" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKbrL13b9LohhpUJ09ycsZzRh0PwGAYWntqvpff4qNY2YnAkgIfJ6V_t9Gp9YTVEj4IWJ_MnunEkswVL558Ax9FHKjGJOBgItzWmlKNEVK7kccGLGQuO0veOnPaoMhFJ7a6hjsDwxe0Q/s400/3.png" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">DYNAMIC FORCE: Patel enjoys a rainy day at the Gufufoss </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">waterfall in Iceland</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<i>Salut!</i> Meet Deven Patel, a graduate student at Université Laval's Center for Optics, Photonics, and Lasers (COPL) in Quebec City who is also working as an opto-mechanical designer at Esterline Technologies Corporation.<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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Over the past two years, Patel was instrumental in Laval’s exoplanet-imaging project <a href="http://hicibas.copl.ulaval.ca/" target="_blank">HiCIBaS</a>, or High-Contrast Imaging Balloon System. He had two main jobs: designing a dynamic structure for the star-pointing system and front-end optics (telescope, etc.), and developing a passive-cooling thermal system for the back-end optics system. "Basically, I developed the mechanical solutions that were necessary for the other systems to function correctly and to perform the science of the mission," he explains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHqhobHUKIK9VYNNyy8C96-GADwSSCq8sbLAizOiEXXaNjKSLA9fzJHXMAfkAxSiCTMwXS1aRj7pTyq4nhPHqvVEpERTZ7u8VU32PpOORnyAC4LZiU_Kzo_FfY66J3a4LQgrnr_AcA1I/s640/HiCIBaS_+telescope_gondola.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW: HiCIBaS' telescope. Credit: Cédric Vallée</span></i></td></tr>
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The <a href="https://www.seti.org/it-possible-see-other-worlds-stratosphere-hicibas-first-proof-concept-fly-soon" target="_blank">HiCIBaS project</a> received <a href="https://www.spie.org/x129626.xml?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">quite a bit of media attention</a>, and for good reason: "The project is beneficial for Canadian astronomy and instrumentation,” says Patel. “It’s a platform that can be used to conduct exoplanet-imaging missions in space-like conditions, and has numerous benefits – being able to retrieve the payload, perform maintenance on it, and fly it again. It can also be used as a platform for testing instruments that are being developed for space missions, increasing the confidence level in their performance and functionality. Projects like this are necessary to improve Canada’s potential in the space and astronomy sectors."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoypzR4PhYqzWUHlLdhv_hivgm-WCeHXvqM5LA43m1UjGpYC9v8PIHQ_1Ub2OUG9aWpsg2K75MFrDFzbUbwyVxxUU7P0tM-M-8ejVSJQ4BsCnyhABC95hxT6AUKmQ7Z6BObeGKKkoJsc/s640/HiCBIaS_team.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>DREAM TEAM: Part of the HiCIBaS team in front of the scientific gondola. L to R: Patel, Simon Carrier, Cédric Vallée, </i><i>Olivier Côté, Mireille Ouellet, and Chris De Jonge. Credit: Cédric Vallée</i></span></td></tr>
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HiCIBaS was not the only challenge Patel faced at Laval. Growing up in an English-speaking environment in Montreal, he had to quickly learn to communicate with his French-speaking colleagues and classmates: when he started his Master’s at Laval in 2016, it had been four years since he’d taken a French class. "For the better part of 2017,” he says, “I was Google-translating phrases. Eventually, in 2018, I began to think in French naturally instead of translating the thoughts in my head, and that's when I really became able to communicate effectively. It was a long process, only possible thanks to the patience of my friends and colleagues."<br />
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Enjoy SPIE's Faces of Photonics interview with Deven!<br />
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<b>1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a particular person who inspired </b><b>you?</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1471" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFO52j49FxcArxPFo9Cn1cNolyBk2B6-JPxZAOCyzMQZHFBvl40pWTZ2Oi8Q3lYATJKWAGba6_W-4Y2juXEzT7vrF5dBp6VyH349IQUVp-RUjMemQ6QLEvrD8PI26aMerVZEDXLh-DVU/s400/4.jpg" width="367" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">SPACE MAN: Visiting the David Dunlap Observatory </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">in Ontario</span></i></td></tr>
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I grew fascinated with optics and photonics in college, while watching a documentary on NASA's Juno spacecraft and its optical instruments (I love all things space, by the way!). Until that documentary, I didn't know how deeply rooted optics and photonics were in space missions and how imperative they are to perform the science behind those missions. And it's only since arriving at the COPL that I've gotten to learn how much impact this field has had on just about every other STEM field, as well as multiple technologies in our everyday lives.<br />
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<b>2. Share the story of your favorite outreach or volunteer experience.</b></div>
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A few years ago, I was a member of Space Concordia, a student-run association at Concordia University that worked on space-related projects. A lot of our projects were on display, and we had dedicated workbenches, computer setups lining the walls, and great people working in the lab space. I got to talk to college students and see them get excited about our lab space and about the projects that my colleagues and I were working on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcCTyvf7Psvjq97yrvsl9ICFTr3mNC-BDh06GEXM360Ei4OipWtFsmumQkeoTC8ZqVW8DCMBM9AmGkElz1hsAY5jfs0WV4VKJ2MmSI_-joIsx_LtTgPAe1IzrvmOV6l1Nvvn1julNFDg/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">ONE STEP BEYOND: Patel hikes to the Delicate Arch at </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Arches National Park in Utah</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But my favorite "outreach" experience is an ongoing one with my niece. She has two important traits that every young scientist should have: she's curious and she's relentless. Every now and then, she will ask me a question that's been puzzling her, and I love answering. And, when I can't <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span>because she asks some tough questions <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span> I love going through the process of researching the answers and learning with her.<br />
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Just a few months ago, she asked me a question I was very happy to hear: “Why do stars twinkle?”<br />
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This hit home for me because that question, along with many others, is the reason I developed a love for learning and understanding how science plays a role in our lives every day. I was several years older than she is now when I thought to ask myself that question; I'm anxious to hear what other questions may come my way next. I hope her curiosity stays with her, and that I have made just a bit of impact on her desire to find her place in the STEM world.</div>
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<b>3. Describe a memorable moment you had while working on the HiCIBaS project. </b></div>
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I developed a thermal solution to manage the heat coming from our instruments. Part of my role in the project was to maintain a number of electronics and cameras under certain temperature limits, mostly to ensure that they continue functioning, but also for performance. I was looking at a number of ways to do this reliably: commercial thermal straps, two-phase heat pipe loops, and fluid circulation pipes. In the end, every solution was too costly, too risky, or required a lot of time, which is something we didn't have at that stage of the project.<br />
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Instead, I developed a custom solution that was a mock version of the commercial thermal straps. A standard commercial thermal strap is usually composed of copper braids that have terminal blocks made of copper on each end. So, with the limited resources I had, I developed a similar design out of copper shim stock, which was readily available. Fortunately, the development process went fairly smoothly and the solution ended up working very well. It was far from an ideal design, and I thought of many ways improve the design after-the-fact, but it did what I needed it to do <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span> at a fraction of the cost that we might have spent, and that's what's important.<br />
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I find it really satisfying when I'm in a pinch and I can throw something together like that and make it work!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGGF1VIdTuQDCkYJcWpvOlzdkqmV4W56WY-I3F2EY11rjMVh2HweKbWYDUoMxQXOP84QC9UEFpix18CsFBb1yEULojPuAs8Tyk0gD9aXngcguo173JeMhniNOmsRzl6Cpc95LP5mlRfw/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">UP, UP, AND AWAY!: Presenting the HiCIBaS Project at the Montreal Space Symposium in 2018</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>4. Have you ever had to embrace failure? Describe a challenging situation, either personal or professional, and how you overcame it. </b></div>
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Always! Failure has been a huge part of my professional and personal life. I've been messing up for longer than I can remember. Some of the most challenging times I've failed, though, are from my early teenage years when I was training in mixed martial arts (MMA).<br />
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Being a one-on-one sport, there's no excuses for losing aside from the fact that you just weren't good enough. In every scenario, the blame comes back to you, and there is no running from that <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span> you are forced to hold yourself accountable for your mistakes. What you can do, though, is work on the holes in your game and get better so that next time you are a lot faster at reacting to those punches or submission attempts, and you can defend yourself more effectively.<br />
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In the MMA world, these are lessons you learn the hard way - by messing up many, many times until you get it right. In that regard, I consider MMA amazing for developing fundamental life skills: recognizing your weaknesses, developing the discipline and drive to be better, and, of course, dealing with failure.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-tQZLExlAFKfXAcl64yD0-5ipwx5cheCi27zG5h2URmpZptZDR3WoqTecMgAUa8CHWFxYTdJmKaC_8eWiX2XoEsrUQw0Tdn1L4TBvYrmSzNIKhBX8DmDVqqAnhsgwdpoGLSw1PtXYSk/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1251" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-tQZLExlAFKfXAcl64yD0-5ipwx5cheCi27zG5h2URmpZptZDR3WoqTecMgAUa8CHWFxYTdJmKaC_8eWiX2XoEsrUQw0Tdn1L4TBvYrmSzNIKhBX8DmDVqqAnhsgwdpoGLSw1PtXYSk/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>OUTER SPACE: At Mt. Búlandstindur in East Iceland</i></span></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>5. When you look five years into the future, what do you hope to have accomplished?</b><br />
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In five years, I hope to have become a much more well-rounded engineer and be leading a Mechanical Systems Design team for a space- and optics-related project. I also hope to have traveled more of the world, learned how to speak Japanese on a conversational level, obtained my private piloting license, finally gotten the hang of playing guitar or piano, and to have eaten a lot of good sushi.<br />
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<b>6. What book has impacted your professional life the most? Your personal life? Why?</b><br />
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Chris Hadfield's <i>An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth</i>. This book isn't just for space-lovers with the dream of becoming an astronaut, it's for anyone who is chasing their goals in life, big or small. Chris outlines his life philosophies and experiences and how they've helped him in his professional and personal life; the book is an invaluable insight into the mind of an astronaut and, more importantly, an incredible person.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="1185" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41otmOWwwquhRSxcmIjueJJ5C5oIlX9WzF8Kl2ru2LxnzW9c3bh7T0SX4O1TPH8e4v7h8KxLdBSUGZea4I9Ek5hPniQm-1wXwsTESND0A4E9givIeItalxa9IbeKCUzOYtPtj0DK4WPo/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">ROCKING HIS WORLD: Patel smiles from the natural basalt rock columns at </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach in South Iceland</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>7. What are you most excited to see in the future development of photonics?</b><br />
<br />
Optical biosensors! Once they are more developed, they have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry and be not just a life-changing technology, but a <i>world</i>-changing technology. That technology will change the way modern medicine is practiced as well as dramatically increasing worldwide accessibility to medicine. That's one thing I love about photonics, in general <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span> the ability for the field to completely revolutionize another industry over and over again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="960" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtEkwvyUyx1Or0xhQDd5cygF98O5daXf7kMlyuI4E3DiU-1tPLLLiw3TesqcmfoGWHrG1e7ezNBw9darSTgKy9mAsrVCTR44q0UCBtgHBXPVFyxoPUInhanFzuS_OsLPeDbzcaDVVkfo/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT: Patel participates in his sister's wedding ceremony in Montreal</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b></b><b>8. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b><br />
<b></b><br />
Stay curious and love the process of learning. STEM is all about learning and applying what you learn, but every field is constantly evolving and you must evolve with it. Love the process and don’t stop learning!<br />
<br />
Get out of your comfort zone. It is easy to continue doing what you know and what you are good at, but you may find new passions and new ways to apply your work in other fields. Don't restrict yourself! There is a lot to be learned in all facets of the STEM community and you'd be surprised how your work and interests can impact another discipline, and maybe spark a new interest in the process.<br />
<br />
Don’t sideline your personal life for your professional life. We all have other interests and hobbies <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span> pursue them! We all have people important to us, friends and family <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span> hang out and laugh with them! Finding the balance will keep you refreshed and give you the stamina to live both aspects of your life to their fullest potential.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="644" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-EwvY6edDZP7he40iWdl7V7_qjy4DJ29krEIWucHFmN2Y-id8jlGM74Tu6LE1ub9fHzxBEfHPtKrUHOu4zT3E6_XDc5_QxJcrofY7g0WWY1wHtqxtEfTWjkRGV09JdjZquEIRW_it0U/s640/7.png" width="476" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>CLIMBING OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE: Patel explores the magma </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>chamber </i></span><i style="font-size: small;">of Thrihnukagigur </i><i style="font-size: small;">volcano near Reykjavik, Iceland</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
<br />
Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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<br />
<br />
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!</div>
Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-80446692646152704712019-01-30T14:37:00.000-08:002019-09-17T12:24:55.127-07:00#FacesofPhotonics: Optics Expert and SPIE Course Instructor, Dr. Alexis Vogt<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="1011" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgFrthQFejxl4zLm7OHku1TnCoL0eZdEeXP6lYsDzurF0E6af_qfRDL7CH_WZKeStj3WtppWBA_htGvIt39SyD8tKIjY0znpFSb-VliaGoEcIxMsPAD0JMwHi7M-4891As2Xn2-qMMmE/s400/Vogt+Pic.JPG" width="290" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">SCALING OPTICS' HEIGHTS: Dr. Alexis Vogt</span></i></td></tr>
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"Mama, can you teach us about optics?"<br />
<br />
Dr. Alexis Vogt, Endowed Chair and Associate Professor of the Optical Systems Technology Program at Monroe Community College, is no stranger to hearing phrases like this in her home.<br />
<br />
"Perhaps because of some brainwashing, my children love optics and have even mastered bedtime delay tactics with phrases like, 'How do you make glass, Mama?' My children are my motivation to work hard and create diverse opportunities for them to experience. What an amazing process to see the inquisitive mind of a child develop."<br />
<br />
Vogt, too, was introduced to optics at a young age —building a five-foot periscope for a 6th-grade science project—and promptly fell for the field. She received both her B.S. and Ph.D. in optics from the University of Rochester, and, upon graduating in 2007, went on to design contact lenses for Bausch + Lomb.<br />
<br />
As part of her busy schedule, Vogt teaches courses for SPIE. She often teaches the <a href="https://www.spie.org/education/courses/coursedetail/SC1224?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">"Fundamentals of Optical Engineering</a>" course: "Using hands-on demos, we will explore the fundamental principles of optics and how the principles impact our lives every day—how optical fibers work, how rainbows are formed, and how our polarized sunglasses function."<br />
<br />
Enjoy the photo gallery below and <a href="https://spie.org/x135709.xml?utm_id=zpbwz">read the full interview with SPIE's Faces of Photonics in SPIE News.</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcmgFsSPYOuhV7jAcDaloNyjeO5tQYg2MefBVBEJ8QnGgv_ncQgEietqQt6Oh5k-WsKfNCpQLGAh92mp8Ot2S3SNWSLSf56hxpEFXpdg0XB1CAqX2y9LD2z87dKOSwhNWMsS0tXjl_LA/s640/Benjamin+Laser+Harp.JPG" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">HARMONIOUS LASERS: Vogt's son waves his hands to make music with the Laser Harp<br /> </span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;">at the Rochester Museum & Science Center </span></i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4DJMmdLvelraSD3aXwgK24Oo6oksP5RYdPc0C-ScwyTFia48UWUAC4xAgzoDf4xleiAj23ZpzNJEt08YHGDXiskrfUVdElJvG-ZNX0gtTp-_9F0nFTSCsqsBT7qf2CRFy8r86D-qSxA/s640/180129_171930-7D1_0188.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"WE WILL BE STRONGER TOGETHER!": <a href="http://spie.org/newsroom/pw18_vogt-?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">Vogt was the keynote speaker at the SPIE Photonics West </a></i><i><a href="http://spie.org/newsroom/pw18_vogt-?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">Women in Optics Reception in 2018</a></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8StBukkr0PTpAqeuUjYrJhPO_qzhcJFH3qzzQj2y0qxKwdYnWrE6oIQssDLPUW0j8_BKAkU8PJ5rpEMxWLNftfiNf44hSG-0KDy8bwXSYg2cxRalHrcUmG2SktELLFoTJATqbLvT72M/s640/OpticsFabricationLab_TUZ9500.jpg" width="425" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">FAB OPTICS: Vogt works in the Optics Fabrication Lab at<br /> Monroe Community College</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHv86dQOCFamZ2IEX6krToatQ5e-qd_mJeDi9Z6BXHQVc2hd2ZMmNBjf7GLhYKKye3sVLOg6yZ_4lb6uJrlWfrldhmQtSJDQM0rwoGxKCsy-4duUsWOb2GWGuKxHLDj3tBSTKMvQ61kg/s640/Elle+RMSC.JPG" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">THE DOCTOR IS IN: Vogt's daughter focuses on her optics experiment at the<br /> </span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;">Rochester Museum & Science Center</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDxLUzO5AsbCwfNDe2F2nGxJdde3_kGkMEPYdjmAND4uPe2VTH7WQQAyXuklsu-ExX_RsklrMlfk3ZAmmjHyDJo0EIOChsGGH6_hQRMryipC_KuQ_iu_cNU-YsP524ytBVZCvlMX3tGM/s640/AlexisVogt_OpticsClassroomWithStudents.jpg" width="425" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>WORKING IN TANDEM: "We need to find passionate students and encourage them </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>to take up </i><i>careers in STEM, particularly in optics and photonics."</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<hr />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
<br />
Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!
Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-16354141477884714592019-01-28T13:58:00.000-08:002019-11-25T14:45:42.997-08:00#FacesofPhotonics: Jet Propulsion Lab Photonic Part Specialist Cheryl Asbury<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruWgLKeb8woWpIUHXOeqXOXxbpuVxa-yMuPK7fIJx0gsfgvyDZsGLpNBS1OqEV4Veo5Q4TMmkFN_NgG_F3zh0ZWttTPXGa1k8eWOcWZSA385Gr4foKKS-Cv1i-OPxewLGUuI-78pitQI/s400/3WTsunami.JPG" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>PHO-NATIC: The ever-curious </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Cheryl Asbury</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When you think of ballet, photonics isn't usually the first word that comes to mind -- unless you know Cheryl Asbury, Photonic Part Specialist for Mission Assurance at JPL/Caltech, and an avid dancer since childhood.<br />
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<a href="https://spie.org/x135973.xml?utm_id=zpbwz">Read the rest of Cheryl's Faces of Photonics story on the SPIE website. </a><br />
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<hr />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
<br />
Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!</div>
Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-82892703559417557682019-01-25T13:28:00.000-08:002019-01-25T16:10:36.307-08:00#FacesofPhotonics: Professor of Medical Physics and Photonics West Hot Topics Speaker, Clare Elwell<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="709" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqzxrI_yBeVCwwKAd_Oc6A0UPtwdRk1DeQ58lDqp3b_fXEllC8ieAjIJX1eOSX4VTS0HgKPRYrtCboXCpS3vZi6wT1hbbyvDtxnwkAm21yVg1pJdYBxz9W99q8TY1721HB8SQdZy-v7w/s400/ClareElwell_01.jpg" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">A BRIGHT MIND: Professor Clare Elwell </span></i></td></tr>
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Meet Clare Elwell, Professor of Medical Physics at University College London (UCL), Director of the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/research/borl/nirs" target="_blank">Near Infrared Spectroscopy Group</a> in the Biomedical Optics Research Lab, and global health advocate. Among her students, Elwell is highly regarded as an inspiration to others in her department and an excellent supervisor.<br />
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"When I mention that Clare is my supervisor," says UCL PhD Candidate Laura Katus, "people reliably respond along the lines of: ‘Really? She’s so cool!’ quite often followed by an ‘I want to be like her.’ What makes Clare such a fantastic supervisor, speaker, and group leader, is her ability to pitch whatever topic to precisely the right level, giving everyone in the room the feeling of being on eye level and an integral part of the academic mission."<br />
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Elwell has dedicated herself to thinking outside the box when it comes to applications of her technology, specifically how it they can address global health challenges. For the Gates Foundation-funded <a href="http://www.globalfnirs.org/" target="_blank">BRIGHT (BRain Imaging for Global HealTh) project</a>, for example, she and her team use Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the impact of malnutrition on infant brain development in The Gambia, as well as conducting the first brain imaging of infants in Africa. "We had been using NIRS for decades in high-resource settings, unaware of the unmet need for it in a global health project," says Elwell. "It is inspiring to see how the community has responded to our efforts. Now, Global fNIRS is an entire new research field."<br />
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Leading BRIGHT isn't the only globally focused project Elwell is involved in. She founded <a href="http://www.yosa.org.uk/" target="_blank">YoSA (Young Scientists for Africa)</a> in order to provide African students with an opportunity to take part in international science event. "I attended the <a href="http://www.liysf.org.uk/" target="_blank">London International Youth Science Forum</a> (LIYSF) when I was 17, and it genuinely changed my life," she says. In fact, Elwell is currently president of the LIYSF. "Africa is chronically under-represented at international science events, yet Africa's young scientists are critical to changing the future of the continent. YoSA scholarships provide them with a life-changing opportunity to connect with and learn from international science leaders, and to collaborate with other talented young scientists from all over the world. Ideally, meeting at such events also builds a network of young African scientists who then connect at initiatives such as the Next Einstein Forum."<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsIj6-n3bA_-YeLZNb0o3uHFHrX47orAxo644xZ0zqaGWn4eF5UB6ofBi5tHXumFFO3tCdjKAVw4NrSwwH0d7cXr1EclAjMEUBe2siBe0QmdnhCcQhxbPRFVUWZQe7coiTkrYC8Zmqf8/s640/SP382765.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">TALKIN' 'BOUT THE NEXT GENERATION: Elwell works with families in The Gambia to deliver the first-ever brain-imaging scans of children in Africa</span></i><br />
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It is clear that both BRIGHT and YoSA are projects near and dear to Elwell's heart. We look forward to having her deliver a <a href="https://www.spie.org/PW/special-events/Plenary-Event?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">Hot Topics invited talk</a> at the 2019 SPIE Photonics West BiOS Conference on the work she has done which has tremendously impacted the imaging community. Her talk, titled "New Frontiers in Near-infrared Spectroscopy", will be on 2 February at 7:00 PM.<br />
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In the meantime, please enjoy her interview with SPIE's Faces of Photonics.<br />
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<b>1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a particular person who inspired you?</b><br />
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During my master's degree, I used pulse oximetry as part of a sleep-study system I was setting up to get continuous measures of changes in oxygenation during sleep apnea. I was introduced to the work of bioengineer and professor of medical photonics Dave Delpy and others at UCL who were developing near infrared spectroscopy systems for monitoring acute brain injury in preterm infants. When I joined their team, I became inspired to understand how we can optimize optical systems for applications in the clinical and life sciences.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9D88cikLgwAg2Or43egKysaPtgkrPFu9VeaMAnySOMU8grGaW3Mefx5mkmtfzodwFikh2lGf_jYolaaMok3nWpk6q9NeqJRbZYPkr2oJNDRAIshSDdTXYzglmXuPIF2eAwhbFFd33RZg/s640/MK387420.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
<i><span style="font-size: small;">PAVING THE WAY: Elwell joined the University College </span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;">London team to further develop NIRS</span></i></div>
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</tbody></table>
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<b>2. Explain your current research/what you do at your job. How does your work impact society?</b><br />
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I develop near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) systems to monitor and image the human body. My research projects include studies of autism, sports performance, migraine, malaria, and acute brain injury in adults, children and infants. My work impacts society by providing non-invasive methods for investigating the human body, in health and disease.<br />
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<b>3. What are you most excited to see in the future development of photonics?</b><br />
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I am really excited to see how we can harness photonics for applications in resource-poor settings, particularly for low-cost and easy-to-implement diagnostics and monitoring.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yTqE6GNjKtyAgZdzwhXu_SqX_LR8kl7Drbe7qDEW9Bo7nNjihLDRI5mrh8p_bxIklZ9JDInREbKwgI2FDCBxenUe23mxWW6nQzlkLcRozn90pF5EPALCDparIlNOji8p6tPB_MKnauE/s640/MK387494.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL: The BRIGHT project studies infants from birth to 24 months</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>4. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b><br />
<br />
As physicists and engineers we get focused on making high-tech higher tech. I'd like to encourage others to think about how their innovations could be used to solve problems in low-tech environments, particularly in the field of global health where STEM can play a vital role in addressing a range of challenges.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">MAKING (BRAIN) WAVES: Elwell sits with one of the young participants of the BRIGHT project study in The Gambia</span></i></td></tr>
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
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Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-42954426224812352532019-01-17T16:28:00.001-08:002019-01-18T08:25:19.228-08:00#FacesofPhotonics: Hyungwoo Choi and Andre Kovach of USC's Armani Research Lab<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="844" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYdIxIBGCNM-jRvC94Ut7pfNBqlyx26AuVcNTnEM3a_6NBkIUuwg7sI4RVLQwqzhIQyh7bchyq6FmNhFk-CmbfE5V3eG4Qx07oDzIEOvRNViVLkx27gTXlXN7WpeBY-qYj_XBp6ihmWM/s400/Hyungwoo-06.tif" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">PHOTONICS-FOCUSED PAIR: Choi and </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> Kovach work side-by-side in the </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Armani Research Lab</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Technical conferences such as </span><a href="https://www.spie.org/x121017.xml?utm_id=zpfbwz" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">SPIE Photonics West</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> are known for giving students the opportunity to present their research, perfect their presentation and networking skills, and actively engage with other researchers in a setting outside of their university lab.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">SPIE Fellow and </span>University of Southern California Professor Andrea Armani, a<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">strong advocate of student professional </span>development<span style="font-family: inherit;">,<b> </b>brings a group from her lab to SPIE Photonics West each year to present their latest work. You can follow along with the Armani Research Lab and their journey to the conference via </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ArmaniLab" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Armani's Twitter feed</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; letter-spacing: 0.27px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hyungwoo Choi, Rene Zeto, Dongyu Chen, and Andre Kovach will accompany Professor Armani to Photonics West for a series of six presentations. The list of talks can be found <a href="http://spie.org/app/search/browse?Ntt=armani&N=6663&Dy=1&Nty=1&Nrpp=20&sCode=PW19&sTitle=SPIE+Photonics+West&sYear=2019" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; letter-spacing: 0.27px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Choi attended SPIE Photonics West last year as an author and was pleasantly surprised by the size of the audience that attended his talk, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"My presentation was early in the morning on the last day of the conference. Also, I'm not a big name in optics and photonics -- I'm just a PhD student. So, I was expecting that not many people would show up to my presentation. However, more than 30 people attended, and at the end of the presentation I had many good questions from different researchers."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="920" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdf9fqwEhxzVyfr8SnQhW5pfWJWk-mQoVW7Xq29m0uPUmI17JIG6uNXrhyyCwrZKMI8QwV-aa2sTIgBn5A40JbzJwkHFPM6_ZTfk9kDM7J1zpbn8HYcFioDINuNsGHPJdIWOBNotd2Tg/s640/2019-01-16_15-21-09.png" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">EYES ON THE PRIZE: Armani and Choi analyze part of their experiment </span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1302" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECzqdyWDIwsvn35aZ5YAtCFXbxjuZD1A33Q2sVveiTq-t6Iq4jVOgKFNT0dkf9QupRf5zrhJYix860xfx67xKhaJrsOqoAB6DAZrtbK45Xae2mJS_AMeujMSn6vpDO6qzmCBOHTrbmRg/s640/2019-01-16_15-20-27.png" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">THANK YOU, NEXT!: Kovach changes settings on a lab experiment</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />This week, SPIE's Faces of Photonics interviewed Choi and Kovach to learn more about their work in the Armani Research Lab, their most memorable outreach experiences, and what gets them excited about the future of photonics. Enjoy the interview!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1. Share your favorite outreach or volunteer experience. </b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlL0uOp2jYhjAu7RjY_9c2IbvkTEfhDK9fTrWjc7tzH77l6X24BnqsAmeqof_Y7ZjEWFOIPKpF7uMAJQlFyNOdW3w3GyZ-Lig3OflS694_DYm2bqOizGyTkBS6g64XHRmv_pb8TZWD5M/s400/IMG_1016.JPG" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>WORKING INSIDE THE BOX: At EngX, Kovach and colleague </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Vinh Diep </i></span><i style="font-size: small;">demonstrate how </i><i style="font-size: small;">lenses work with laser </i><br />
<i style="font-size: small;">pointers, using a </i><i style="font-size: small;">fog machine to </i><i style="font-size: small;">visualize </i><br />
<i style="font-size: small;">the beams</i></td></tr>
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<b>Kovach:</b> <span style="color: #231f20;">My
favorite outreach event was the SPIE booth that our USC SPIE Student Chapter had set up during
EngX. EngX is a daylong engineering outreach event comprised of different activity stations. Hundreds of K-12 students stop by the stations and learn about
different topics within science and engineering. Our booth was designed to
demonstrate how lasers and optical cloaking work. Watching the students' faces
light up after interacting with our demos was truly an amazing experience, and
one that our chapter looks forward to every year.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="color: #231f20;"><b>Choi:</b> My favorite </span>program was about introducing optics and photonics to students within South Central Los Angeles. I attended the event as a volunteer worker, and I was in charge of the virtual reality (VR) station. While I was explaining the science to the students, these parents with a baby
came to our booth. The baby was only one- or two-years-old and couldn't speak a word. The parents checked out the VR demo first, and then showed it to the baby. As soon as he saw the
VR image, he said, "Oooh!" very loudly and held the system tightly with his tiny
hands. He spent several more minutes on the VR demo, saying "Oooh!" every once in a while. I will never forget that experience.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #231f20;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgsL5YclHYwi-UREaB4JbT7h6mHfA1A8dPl6Wkz4c6SBisynKfFFAKlLQTfR556BDOLYfaLaF3HG2h2gBNW26yhywWb0V4Eb73QIzA_T5qg0c_29VW8H8VFL_Tojnvec4AbJDwVZAn58/s640/FullSizeRender+2.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">TEAM EFFORT: Recently graduated Vinh Diep and Alexa Hudnet pose alongside Kovach at EngX </span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2. Explain your current research and how it impacts society. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<b>Choi: </b>My research is focused on making lasers. I fabricate
resonators, which can confine light for a long period of time. The buildup
light is able to generate the amplified light by stimulated emission, which is
a laser. I apply some new synthesized chemical material to the existing lasers, and find novel properties out of the materials, such as a new emission
wavelength or enhanced efficiency. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The laser can be applied to various fields. For example, the scientists who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018 developed new laser technologies,
such as optical tweezers and high-power lasers for medical applications.
This shows that the basic research I've done with lasers will pave the way to more
applications in our daily lives. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblQG0HxQGJxAXJW9P4uke-QbAerCjzzZfSqSUiuRiwqa9IUnCE7YOI_UFepiJ_RG1ypNZUatoyhyuqZ1SFZ34vRy1F7_ZMvT5UUCYtUlfrPIaXju0WokWz1mm8Temo4seQzYq0pFrS7k/s400/Hyungwoo-02.tif" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">SAFETY FIRST!: Choi sports goggles while prepping his </span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><i>lab work</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b>Kovach:</b> <span style="color: #231f20;">Right
now my research focus is on developing smart materials for integrated photonics
platforms. I am working on light and magnetically-responsive materials for
applications in optical switching and information storage. My hope is that
someday my research can be used as components in future optical logic circuits
for all photonic computing.</span><br />
<span style="color: #231f20;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #231f20;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwu3P01sjfacPBg0-BlacGEfylg9ivcm4ETQ0g028-Ew2o7MfTLV-ah5Pina6BV7eH2tgS15zGiJePs4Y8NuEFCBnxiiThnZqftsRGksFgL3Zjb5uboyYnh8H3UU0SxJK5H_Z_toFDUYQ/s400/m+andre+goldie+2.JPG" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">A LITTLE DOWNTIME: Kovach and undergraduate </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">mentee </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Goldie Roth take a break</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3. What are you excited to see in the future development of photonics?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b>Kovach</b>: <span style="color: #231f20;">I
am most excited to see the development of sophisticated optical circuitry and
its eventual replacement of electrical counterparts. More generally, I'm
excited to see how photonics as a field will grow in the next few years given
the current pace.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #231f20;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Choi: </b></span>LIDAR! If you follow technology news, you see there has been a lot of news related to autonomous
vehicles, not only from the automobile industry, but also from many software companies such as Google, Apple, and Uber. They are investing huge amounts of
money to develop fully autonomous vehicles. Most companies are carrying
out research on increasing the sensitivity of LIDAR, while trying to decrease the
cost. I'm really looking forward to seeing the development of the
autonomous vehicle industry in the near future.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. What is your advice for others in the STEM community?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Choi:</b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">When you first hear about optics and photonics, it sounds like the
one of the most difficult subjects to study -- </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">at least that's what I thought. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had a conversation with Professor Armani about this, and she taught me what a resonator is and how it can confine light in a small device. After that explanation, I became interested!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once you start studying optics and photonics, you will realize that they are everywhere in our daily lives! So, don't be afraid of it. Try it,
and I'm sure you will enjoy it.</span></div>
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-53134196751154061712019-01-09T12:57:00.001-08:002019-01-09T12:57:24.421-08:00#FacesofPhotonics: SPIE Britton Chance Award Winner and Professor of Radiology, Samuel Achilefu <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidRwsBE2VV64h7FRYzmhlH287vBGQhhLpbtNIbXWPxohFUZ-YF2NLfinhLpwE7822_lB1wp427a_Ylm-e3R9mqi0To9I7XySHXqqP_Av38IgAL0i686wUPx4WxHxue2wnLK7jDT1_2UA/s400/Achilefu+Formal+Photo.jpg" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">LIGHTING THE WAY: Samuel Achilefu</span></i></td></tr>
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Recipient of the 2019 SPIE Britton Chance Award in Biomedical Optics; Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis; 2019 SPIE BiOS Hot Topics keynote speaker: these are just a few of the titles currently held by Dr. Samuel Achilefu.<br />
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Achilefu's research is changing the way we think about cancer therapy. Some cancer cells do not respond to traditional treatment, but Achilefu's team has found that if you stimulate those inactive cancer cells with light, they become responsive, providing surgeons with a more accurate path to removing the cancer. "I really believe we will be reaching a solution very soon," Achilefu commented.<br />
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To read more about the SPIE Britton Chance Award and Achilefu's research, see the January <a href="https://www.spie.org/x130072.xml?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">SPIE Professional article</a>. In the meantime, please enjoy his interview with SPIE's Faces of Photonics!<br />
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<b>1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a person who inspired you?</b><br />
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I am driven by curiosity and by the vast potential that optics holds for advances in biomedical research. Originally, I was inspired by Britton Chance to work in optics. I’ve always worked in biomedical research, but when the area of biophotonics started taking root in the early 90s, Britton reached out and asked if we would be able to integrate molecular imaging into the whole idea of near-infrared optical imaging. That was a new concept because I wasn’t working in that area before that time. Working with Britton was a life-changing experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="625" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DCqOXeciWyhEtQd7ob79nR8qIYy1KP0AxzOzEUTl00bf1rkuykn34k7fDty8-YpB0gAdIdgsg9StWedBvUdrOI3gVce3HZErGrnDqhgQlbnPzG43FQ_fae3IHa40FzlczaIbTSr6Szs/s640/bc.jpg" width="456" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">TAKE A CHANCE: </span><span style="font-size: small;">Achilefu keeps this picture of colleague and mentor </span></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Britton Chance </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>on his desk. </i></span><i>It is fond </i><i>memories such as this one </i><i>that </i><i>Achilefu spoke of </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>when asked about his</i><i> relationship with Chance.</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><br />2. Share the story of your favorite outreach or volunteer experience.</b><br />
<br />
Introducing high-school students to their first exposure to research in the lab is priceless. I enjoy watching them learn and grow, and become "experts" in their project areas. Also, outreach to high-school students in the community has allowed me to contemplate basic questions in a way that would not have been possible without their input and their queries. For example, "If lasers can find a speeding car, why can't they find cancer without help?"<br />
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<b>3. Explain your current research. How does your work impact society?</b><br />
<br />
My research focuses on developing new drugs that can target cancer with high selectivity. We then use this information to deliver drugs to cancer cells so that they can be killed without harming normal tissue. We also develop devices that allow surgeons to visualize cancer in real-time for accurate removal. Our work spans the basics of science and engineering, as well as human applications.<br />
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<b>4. Have you ever had to embrace failure? Describe a challenging situation, either personal or professional, and how you overcame it.</b><br />
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Yes, often. However, I do not call them failures; instead, they are teaching lessons. I always remind my students that if you always get the results you set out for, you are not asking the hard questions. If your experiment can’t fail, you are just examining the facts and not getting to the heart of the scientific question.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="715" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSx8j4GaRYz6-Gbuh2ugAa3e7LFve2AVNppxzLhNKRmkwBtlRYULiR_hOrZw2FYRYylQh2NjoewYa8plp069ZbKi3_pBxecGdGsSs0PnbSSFmiGiDFk0CrxUjO0w5t1aTOLc45gAKVv2U/s640/R-RL-ORL-Achilefu+teaching+students+in+lab-715x275.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>POSITIVITY IN ACTION: Achilefu works with students in his lab at the Washington University School of Medicine in<br /> </i><i>St. Louis</i></span></td></tr>
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A good example is an experiment I did many years ago. I remember setting up the experiment: it was supposed to target cancer cells. The positive control did exactly what we dreamt of, and we were excited about that. Then we tried the negative control. To our surprise, it worked even better than the positive. Although it delayed our efforts to publish the work for several years, it opened up a new avenue for us to explore how to target cancer cells with our light molecules. That’s where we are today!<br />
<br />
This happens on a routine basis – things we set out to work one way do not work like we want them to. The question then becomes, what do you do next? You don’t want to dwell on negative results for too long. Do you make changes, or do you allow the findings to lead you to your next test. Unfortunately, when you write grant proposals you are expected to detail what you are going to do and, most of the time, you need to deliver what you promised to do. So I think the funding mechanisms we have here sort of kill those creativities in a sense. You want to get to the bottom of what you promised to do, but at times, the results lead you to something else that you didn’t even anticipate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1207" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6V9e9gGYV14IGT842wN4j1h51Nmr8_Non5klySozHWU6XQCJxjSE2JASEfvPHi2pBuc8vNW7fYpTsjUWuC6O2X4HFmsdvDcd-kdDrN2JcW5d3JzS83Xq6dcy0map9-VX78uZa3IC7Io/s640/bcsam.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">FELLOW FELLOWS: Achilefu and Chance, both SPIE Fellows, collaborated on projects that </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">paved the way for Achilefu's cancer research today.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b></b><br />
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<b>5. When you look five years into the future, what do you hope to have accomplished?</b><br />
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The full realization of the power of light to visualize and eradicate cancer as we know it today. We have to keep our dreams going until we die. We must realize that everything we do, in terms of cancer therapy and light-based therapy, may be the key to the eradication.<br />
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<b>6. What motivates you to keep pursuing the goal of eradicating cancer?</b><br />
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One life at a time. If we can save one life through our technology -- like our cancer-visualizing goggles for surgeons which can be used anywhere -- I would be really happy about that. My hope is that we come to the point where every corner in the world can have image-guided surgery capabilities. To make sure that the medical outcome is not going to be dependent on how rich or poor you are, that keeps me going. We have the ability to level the ground, allowing a person to get very good treatment independent of where they are, of who they are.<br />
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I hope to extend [my efforts] to Africa as soon as we have our prototypes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="805" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVx0akwB_xYFtc_Bc1ic-OOPTJnXhrBF6IB7KXx3mb-5BTMpW3EQQHY0mkmRW9z0zKbm3W4skx0w6GxC7ic3NNXZAES35rMD73JH5nIPrNmFfIxPjgT6RzeSPo0FpeaE33X7sT1V5ieQ/s640/Speaker+Photo.PNG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">WORLD VIEW: Achilefu speaks at the <a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/story-collider-when-science-complicates-home-and-family#stream/0" target="_blank">National Public Radio (NPR) Story Collider show </a>last June.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>7. What are you most excited to see in the future development of photonics?</b><br />
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I am thrilled by the notion that photons can form bond states, opening a window of opportunity to create "molecular photonic" states. This would revolutionize how we can deliver and store light.<br />
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<b>8. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b><br />
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Technological advances provide opportunities to uncover new areas of light-based sciences in engineering, physical, biological, and medical sciences. This field of research is only limited by our imagination. Think big, and watch your efforts transform the world into a better place than you found it.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://bit.ly/PW19Plenarys" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="908" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfbqNMutI9eTgVhoqmHbUjvziNLH8adXZMxlEeYycyL2C6iEVv6zli8uq5GznSaZMTzadyrWvR7-rg-i9lAZt3eev5pGSC00U6nRuNzRLiLzB0kq7C6BzKClHbMxp3RFRUSA6dUxpHjA/s640/PW19-bios-hot-topic-Achilefu.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<a href="https://bit.ly/PW19Plenarys" target="_blank">Don't miss Achilefu's SPIE BiOS Hot Topics presentation at Photonics West. His talk is titled, "Power of Light to See and Treat Cancer".</a></h3>
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-66676988727780239942019-01-02T08:56:00.001-08:002019-01-02T08:56:33.277-08:00#FacesofPhotonics: NASA Intern Elaine Stewart<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXSnwrp1eXUoJmJTxkycjyGH2IBLJAM3v3aV0JSi2IoNe0XCfhGT7Tdc-OL6HNypMOtD-TLmjmAmcqMZlilhyphenhyphenp_WdQ4Hpwc1KQnxBc3Tvw0PoiPS4dgivIlA4DxPTvIurbfIFGIS0GVg/s400/Elaine+Stewart+_+NASA+Goddard+_+JWST.JPG" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">MIRROR, MIRROR: Elaine with the JWST at Goddard Space </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland</span></i></td></tr>
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Meet Elaine Stewart: chemical engineering student, world-traveler, intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and this week's SPIE Face of Photonics. Elaine is fascinated by space exploration and how optics impacts our ability to "study distant stars that have never been seen before."<br />
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Her research has taken her around the world -- from Bochum, Germany, where she studied material science and engineering at Ruhr-Universität, to Houston, Texas, to work on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) while it was under cryogenic vacuum chamber testing, to Melbourne, Australia, where she studied biochemical and product engineering at the University of Melbourne in 2017. And, when she's not busy traversing the globe, she is focusing on graduating from the University of Delaware in 2019 with a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering.<br />
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Elaine makes a point of remaining an active member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Student Chapter at her university, despite her busy schedule. She fulfills her duties as Social Chair by engaging the community in various outreach activities such as school visits, something she talks about in our interview.<br />
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<b>1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a particular person who inspired you?</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMo8dGcPUcTSe27b-CQfUPptXYkgqoAScnAOx_UPhyphenhyphentETKlL4JY65stwgEG-v-03mo1oco-S5GiJZq4qINQqJSf_oKuhnxJBT2SOGE_W4TFOkLXBmKD87fAYN5iigdGQSxbD3IfDzyBc/s400/IMG-1272.jpg" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>G'DAY, SKIPPY!: Stewart makes time to interact </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>with </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>the locals </i></span><i>while studying at the </i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">University of Melbourne</span></i></td></tr>
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There are many engineers in my family, so I learned to appreciate science and see the amazing ways that engineering is integrated into our lives. I was encouraged by my early success in science and inspired by the excellent ideas of others. After my first internship with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center, I knew that I had found my dream job. I was selected to be a Pathways intern at Goddard Space Flight Center and was assigned to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mission.<br />
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My NASA mentor, Dr. John C. Mather, Nobel Prize-winner and senior astrophysicist and project scientist, inspired me with his impressive career and his encouragement of young scientists through the John Mather Nobel Scholars Program. I have many positive influences in my life to encourage my interest in the field of optics and photonics-related research, especially my NASA colleagues. My goal is to inspire and promote this field to others.<br />
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<b>2. Describe a memorable moment from an SPIE event or conference.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbqVrDzHnxPlU3_2wSoEGXd8eiZZqBnsb4YW7JqKIwPgbnOKMPHATEyEQ_qJJHKOKCiTz-MlYTJhO6crUgO0px6bShzm1xQpMj0zCaqLpkMnyxg1wPFUwRXx7ZmtGPpwQ3qCaAC88MTk/s400/Dr.+Maryellen+Giger+and+Elaine+Stewart+_+Education+Scholarship+_+SPIE+Optics%252BPhotonics+2018.jpeg" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>EDUCATION FTW: 2018 SPIE President,<br /> </i><i>Maryellen Giger, poses alongside Stewart at the </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>2018 </i><i>SPIE Optics + Photonics in San Diego</i></span></td></tr>
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I have been fortunate to attend the SPIE Optics + Photonics Conference in 2016 and 2018 in San Diego, CA. SPIE has been very generous in funding my optics and photonics research by awarding me the SPIE Education Scholarship and the Newport Research Excellence Grant.<br />
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In 2016, Nancy Carosso, Goddard associate branch head and chief engineer, and Eve Wooldridge, JWST contamination engineering lead, co-chaired the Systems Contamination conference at SPIE Optics + Photonics. They invited me to present my <a href="https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2239346?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">NASA research from the Kennedy Space Center on the Resource Prospector Mission</a> which focused on in-situ resource utilization. I was involved in the integration and testing of the Regolith and Environment Sciences & Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) payload.<br />
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In 2018 at SPIE OP, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2319687?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">I presented on my work on JWST</a>, specifically the cryogenic vacuum chamber testing conducted at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. At both conferences, I was able to connect with many scientists in the optics and photonics fields to share ideas and experiences. These conferences were invaluable to my personal and career development.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGz10UUkL3Frfu7uARCqZdOkfAWrDNAWvLROE7Wobe9M8j_NQUjfbzgDgBWi_cY_fToO1wbLNX9q9Jiv14BD9MLdhIPv1HAFX-VjSkR8qkwS-N7yO_iVWpvQzLADAHP2o6nRu583qFqJ0/s640/Elaine+Stewart+_+SPIE+Education+Scholarship.jpeg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">SPIE PRIDE: Showing off her Education Scholarship certificate at the </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">2018 SPIE Optics + Photonics conference</span></i></td></tr>
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<b>3. Share the story of your favorite outreach or volunteer experience.</b><br />
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In Spring 2017, I participated in an outreach event with Dr. Mather at the Newark Charter School in Delaware. We spoke to the students about the exciting science behind the JWST, as well as about STEM opportunities and internships at NASA. The students were very engaged and inspired at the possibility of a future career in science. I was honored to share my path from a young child fascinated by space to where I am today, working at NASA.<br />
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<b>4. Explain your current research/what you do at your job. How does your work impact society?</b><br />
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Although I am early in my career, I am already contributing to the overall pursuit of aerospace and defense technologies. I am part of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center engineering team working on the premier space science observatory, the JWST. It is an incredible experience to contribute to the mission success of JWST which will one day orbit the sun, 1.5 million kilometers from earth, seeking light that has traveled for 13.5 billion years from the first stars and galaxies formed after the Big Bang. I have worked as a NASA Engineering Pathways Intern in the Contamination and Thermal Coatings group since February 2016. I received a NASA Agency Honor Award that recognizes exceptional achievement and outstanding dedication to mission success.<br />
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For my chemical engineering senior project at the University of Delaware, I am investigating and optimizing shear thickening fluids for spacesuit-fabric applications. This project is under the direction of Dr. Norman Wagner. Lower earth orbit provides challenges for astronauts to conduct extra-vehicular activities due to risks such as micrometeoroid and orbital debris damage. Shear thickening fluids (STF) are non-Newtonian fluids, exhibiting an increase in viscosity as applied shear rate increases. This nonlinear rheological behavior enhances fabric protection and performance by resisting penetration. My specific role is to examine the material properties of formulations through torsional and puncture testing, rheology, and dynamic light scattering, in order to identify an optimal STF formulation for future use in space suit garments.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAftQMgfQXIVa3QkBi_HWqLA7tyuXlQV6H0uq3ZmHS_C7_sAc1FFxHFchsPtQVOGz97OKYITgym35AmXr2dbC8r7ZNS9T8GR6CtnQBMYfCHa_oEY97yjWeUTOCmyUl7Gr51O5KgzRg-X0/s640/Elaine_award.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">LIVING IN A MATERIAL WORLD: Stewart poses with her 1st prize from the Material Science division of the 2018 AIChE poster competition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.</span></i></td></tr>
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I also conduct research on ultracool brown dwarfs under the direction of Dr. John Gizis, a renowned astronomer, who discovered the star that hosts TRAPPIST-1 planets. My specific role is to investigate mid-infrared spectroscopy and photometry of ultracool brown dwarfs through the JWST Early Release Science Program to inform the interpretation of exoplanet spectra and knowledge of galaxy evolution.<br />
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<b>5. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b><br />
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Technology connects people globally, so there are limitless opportunities to apply your interests and fulfill your goals. Becoming knowledgeable in business and entrepreneurship is important to be a vital member of multi-functional teams. You should always think broadly and take advantage of new opportunities that are out of your comfort zone. When I first chose to study chemical engineering, I did not imagine that I would work on space exploration and optics projects like the NASA James Webb Space Telescope!<br />
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I am truly honored and grateful to be an SPIE “Face of Photonics” to encourage others to pursue their talents in STEM disciplines. Thank you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbe1Pfvng8hw-OO_0YPy_BjCLvZnmp6e95hyphenhyphenVaa_zGNPTbEeDn-5bgVA2_vUajDBfT2QbOfglxzNAo6esrh9KqomXngg79GcuoaDX2krGXCez84P2zDMQ3tg1rEUxxD8ipCkhbeqbsYE/s640/IMG-6813.JPG" width="636" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">HAPPIEST SPACE-PLACE ON EARTH: Stewart visits the Johnson Space Center and the JWST in Houston, Texas.</span></i></td></tr>
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
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Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556840114165332146.post-30830249285324197492018-12-19T10:17:00.001-08:002019-02-14T14:04:02.561-08:00#FacesofPhotonics: Ultrafast Spectroscopy Research Assistant Hemang Jani<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKid2a-J7qZATPycRyIrypUNSax_ttU5Yry6v6Ac-FHYQswfRxNX9E8EA-AAXj4JtSJpuMqsf_LyzSXfRrSHYaflvSF3FeQAMnj82aQ3UWWK7adVT5ZcX86Bbv5HEcYCyxxmTyn-DQUww/s400/me+in+my+lab.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Jani in his lab</span></i></td></tr>
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Meet this week's SPIE Faces of Photonics feature, Hemang Jani. Hemang is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Physics at the University of Alabama, Huntsville (UAH). He was born in India and is now working towards a Ph.D. in Optical Science and Engineering.<br />
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Most of his time is spent in the Precision Ultrafast Light Sciences (PULS) group, but he is also a dedicated member of the SPIE Student Chapter at his university. In fact, he's the the vice president!<br />
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Hemang attended SPIE Photonics West 2018 to present in the <a href="https://spie.org/PWO/conferencedetails/ultrafast-phenomena-and-nanophotonics?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">Ultrafast Phenomena and Nanophotonics conference</a>. You can read his paper, "Femtosecond pump-probe study of negative electron affinity GaAs/AlGaAs photocathodes", on the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2291653?utm_id=zpbwz" target="_blank">SPIE Digital Library</a>.<br />
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Enjoy the interview!<br />
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<b>1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a particular person who inspired you?</b><br />
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My interest in optics and photonics has its roots in curiosities conceived during my undergraduate studies in physics. Fundamental studies, like light matter interaction and charge dynamics in solids, were limited to textbooks and complex equations. Of course, this encouraged me to use the power of imagination when it came to the subatomic world. However, in order to gain a deeper understanding of these subjects, I started my journey to the USA, and decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Optical Science and Engineering. Now, I am working with femtosecond lasers to resolve some of the processes happening at the atomic scale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5Z1hNqeg1uGB18xMMo4mF4bzAgeHI2SihHsltOulznql45L98gzH_HKNR-bs-14ZrfLtZAUcuzE_5jQn_J2gjyqOwWgJVXb8dFmPlCkKuHQYuWiLH62oha1YD0suMIzBY7oyq8yGJNo/s640/me+with+my+adviser+Dr.+Lingze+Duan.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">EMPOWERING THE PUPIL: Jani and Dr. Lingze Duan </span></i></td></tr>
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Rather than inspiring, I would say my adviser, Dr. Lingze Duan, empowered me. He gave me complete freedom, from day one, to handle state-of-the-art lab equipment and to design and build complex optics experiments. The hands-on experience I have gained thus far has given me a lot of confidence in the field of ultrafast optics, and has given me the tools to satisfy my fundamental curiosities.<br />
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<b>2. Describe a memorable moment from your involvement with SPIE.</b><br />
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I was very fortunate to attend <a href="https://www.lightourfuture.org/home/get-involved/congressional-visits/" target="_blank">Congressional Visits Day</a> last April, jointly organized by the National Photonics Initiative, SPIE, and OSA. This event had a huge impact on my understanding of the future of science. Optics and photonics are enabling technologies that have the potential to shape the lives of future generations, but the right science policy at the right time is crucial for advancement. </div>
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During Congressional Visits Day, presentations were given by science policy experts and lobbyists to help visitors like myself gain a broader understanding of the federal budget and appropriations, and how they affect various funding agencies.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">CHANGE-MAKER: </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jani </span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;">poses in front of the U.S. Capitol Building</span></i></td></tr>
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When I arrived, I joined a team of experts who had previous experience participating in events like this, and who knew how to communicate the importance of optics and photonics research to the lawmakers. We visited the offices of Senators and Representatives from Alabama, New Mexico, and Illinois. Throughout the day, I learned how to effectively conduct a balanced congressional visit. Not only did my team oppose the proposed FY 2018 funding cuts, but we also asked for support and more federal funding, by highlighting the critical role that optics and photonics technologies play in issues of national priorities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gsxhbF6BWbGDc6O1vReB8-DlsBT1TxbRbfQ0TecFmxfPs1Qs2lpzExM0ayXltZ5DP0wqfWgZ1XT0oxh9z968WU1VuPWQlx72cYNvTVFO2kAPsdVwHc-7Y5iS9_fiQgBrBoGU6HFZpkU/s640/Senator+Martin+Heinrich%2527s+office+-+New+Mexico.JPG" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>ADVOCACY IN ACTION: University of New Mexico Professor Steven Brueck, </i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jani</span></i><i>, and<br /> </i><i>Argonne National Laboratory researcher Lahsen Assoufid, pose outside of New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich's office</i></span></td></tr>
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By attending events like Congressional Visit Day, I am convinced that the best way to sustain fundamental research is to directly work with lawmakers and help them shape policies to secure more federal funding for research. This is vital for future innovation. In just one day of congressional visits, we were able to convince many lawmakers of the impact that optics and photonics has on society. Working with the government, we will make a permanent place for optics on the Hill!<br />
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<b>3. Share the story of your favorite outreach or volunteer experience. </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The inherent drive to engage with science entails seeking answers to the fundamental questions surrounding us, and effectively communicating that work with others. </span>As Einstein famously said, “If Science, like Art, is to perform its mission totally and fully, its achievements must enter not only superficially, but with their inner meaning, into the consciousness of people.”<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">THROUGH THE LOOKING LENS: </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jani </span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;">interacts with the kids at a local STEM fair</span></i></td></tr>
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In that spirit, my main effort has always been to get involved in outreach and to showcase the fun of optics in my community. The Society of Optics Students, the OSA/SPIE UAH Student Chapter, and the Huntsville Electro-Optical Society offered various optics demonstrations as a part of a STEM fair organized by local schools.<br />
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We demonstrated how to make a telescope by using simple magnifiers and objective lenses, and we demonstrated positive and negative lenses, and the concept of polarized light in a hands-on, interactive manner, primarily targeting the younger crowd. I really enjoyed interacting with the kids: they asked questions with the utmost curiosity, and I enjoyed coming up with the simplest possible explanations for answers. That kind of outreach and teaching feels wonderful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1600" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfFyayYdxBCCDjJ3krSJntCINFjaKEE4WMKrPiCIgIb4ZEDyWc1GH8yGZQ6PQuX1ApSihMh8k0bl11CaALEBOedT4uRomzWEk7AyZyBfmIqpHVrMGUy4g-fq_qEdpnfZWagG0sufYeDI/s400/outreach+event+2.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>SEE YOUR FUTURE: </i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jani </span></i><i>demonstrates an optical telescope<br /> </i><i>at a local science fair</i></span></td></tr>
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<b>4. Explain your current research or what you do at your job. How does your work impact society?</b><br />
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My research is on the experimental side. I am working on pump probe spectroscopy experiments, which is the simplest experimental technique used to study ultrafast carrier dynamics. Basically, in these experiments, a pump pulse excites a sample and induces changes in it, which are then measured using a time-delayed probe pulse. It is like the probe pulse is taking snapshots of these fast processes at different times. The time scale is generally in the picosecond or femtosecond range.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBytqYg2QX00t5QS24S0r53RZmy2X9PlaRwxsmELLKmlnr1pz3BXxl2qS0TA4ZtnnzTdTRAQXd5QZMT1-ZBWTzM5WdmNoJ5-Q1VGJZnuxzt5EyaTx6NgwKRq38ct95rxOoZEPgv7YlJM/s400/IMG_1104.JPG" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">DOPE SCIENCE: </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jani </span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;">and Duan analyzing </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">their latest experiment</span></i></td></tr>
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More specifically, in my current research we use femtosecond lasers to study ultrafast carrier dynamics in gradient-doped negative electron affinity photocathodes. <span style="background-color: white;">These uniquely doped photocathodes have applications in next-generation electron accelerators, ocean explorations, image intensifier tubes, and so on. Fundamental study of carrier dynamics--how electrons walk!--in these devices not only lends insight into the underlying physics, but also helps device designers optimize various parameters.</span><br />
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<b>5. What book has impacted your professional life the most? Your personal life? Why?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>I would say <i>The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge</i> by Abraham Flexner has impacted me the most, both professionally and personally. This book consists of two essays, an original essay by Abraham Flexner from 1939, who was the founding director of Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton, and a companion essay by Robbert Dijkgraaf, the current director of the same institute. Although both essays are almost a century apart, the key message that both authors convey is the power of curiosity-driven research, and the need for more freedom to pursue fundamental research.<br />
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For example, in 2018, I attended <a href="http://www.spie.org/x121017.xml?utm_id=rpwsmw" target="_blank">SPIE Photonics West</a> and saw firsthand how Einstein's 1917 fundamental research on quantum theory of radiation, laying foundations for the laser, has launched a present day, multi-billion-dollar industry.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">FACE OF PHOTONICS: Hemang attends SPIE Photonics West</span></i></td></tr>
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The power of free thinking helps you to persevere in your life with little worry of immediate outcome. I would say this approach has helped me a lot to enjoy every stage of my personal and professional life.<br />
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<b>6. What is your advice to others in the STEM community?</b><br />
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Attending Congressional Visits Day and various technical conferences, I have determined that we as scientists must play multiple roles: experts, advisers, and advocates. Our work is not only to make long-term contributions to the advancement of optics and photonics technologies, but also to act as a bridge between the scientific community and society in order to prepare them for the next technological revolution orchestrated by LIGHT!!<br />
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SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.<br />
<br />
Follow along with past and present stories on SPIE social media channels:</div>
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Or search <b>#FacesofPhotonics</b> on your favorite social network!Emily Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081681450154262519noreply@blogger.com0