Photonics for a Better World

Nathan Rasmussen 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. This week on #FacesofPhotonics we are sharing the story of Nathan Rasmussen from Arcata, California. Nathan was part of the SPIE Student Chapter at Washington State University (WSU) and is now a physics and 3D math consultant, programmer, and game designer for Martian Games, a small company that focuses on multiplayer games and virtual reality (VR). He is also working on interactions and optimization for VR. Looking forward, he says, one day he hopes “to develop games and experiences for STEM classes in order to teach abstract concepts.” We hope you enjoy his interview. 1. Tell us about when you first became interested in optics and photonics. Nathan at the Seattle Indies Expo, demoing an Android game As a c...

The photograph "Studying" by Handi Laksono captured in a home in Wae Rebo, Flores NTT, Indonesia, on  1 September 2014, is the People's Choice Award winner in the SPIE International Year of Light Photo Contest. A photo of a 5-year-old boy studying in a dark hut, with only natural morning light streaming through a small window, has been selected for the People's Choice Award in the SPIE International Year of Light Photo Contest. The contest was sponsored by SPIE Professional , the quarterly magazine of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, as part of the International Year of Light observance. SPIE is a Founding Partner. Captured by Javanese travel and landscape photographer Handi Laksono , the winning photo was taken after Laksono hiked three hours to the remote village of Wae Rebo on Flores Island in Indonesia. Wae Rebo's only lighting source is solar, either direct sunlight or a few small solar panels, Laksono said. He n...