Photonics for a Better World

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Jani in his lab 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. 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! Hemang attended SPIE Photonics West 2018 to present in the Ultrafast Phenomena and Nanophotonics conference . You can read his paper, "Femtosecond pump-probe study of negative electron affinity GaAs/AlGaAs photocathodes", on the SPIE Digital Library . Enjoy the interview! 1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a particular person who inspired you? My interest in optics and photonics has its roots in curiosities conc

WOMEN-IN-STEM ADVOCATE: Madison Rilling shares her knowledge Meet Canada-native and this week's SPIE Faces of Photonics feature, Madison Rilling. Madison is pursuing a PhD in Physics at Université Laval, in the Center for Optics, Photonics, and Lasers. She is also a part of the Université Laval’s Cancer Research Center. Both are located in Québec City, Canada. Madison is enthusiastic about science policy: "I am making my first steps in the world of science policy. I am -- or I try to be -- a strong advocate for next-generation scientists and women and girls in STEM." When she isn't in the lab, you’ll probably find Madison running, hiking, playing volleyball, or "...enjoying a good book in one hand and a tea in the other." STEP IT UP:  Rilling's  favorite hike, Garibaldi Lake in BC, Canada Enjoy the interview! 1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? I did more of a theoretical undergraduate in math & phy

Meet this week's SPIE Faces of Photonics feature, Arfa Karani. Arfa is a physics PhD student at the University of Cambridge, studying the  physics of solar cells . She is originally from India, but has lived outside her home country for many years while pursuing her education.  Arfa was also President of the SPIE Student Chapter at the University of Cambridge in 2017-18, and continues to remain involved with the chapter when she's not hard at work in the university's Cavendish Lab. Enjoy her interview! (SOLAR) POWER UP: Arfa holds an organic LED with a small, yellow, brightly it pixel. Part of her work involves understanding the reverse mechanism of converting electricity to light. 1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a person who  inspired you? My physics teacher at school inspired me. I got interested in studying optics because my curiosity was satisfied by this teacher, who was extremely enthusiastic about what the