Watts Up! Newsletter

Get ready for a vibrant transformation on the 4th floor hallway, led by Hillary Mathis, lab manager! Collaborating with talented students from the College of Fine Arts and Kelly Leslie, associate professor of art, optical sciences students have worked closely with the fine arts students to design, propose and get approval for a spectacular mural that captures the innovation and passion of optical sciences. Five proposals were submitted with the selected art provided by Nina Garcia. Keep a close eye out! The image above is blurred out so the final artwork will be a surprise! The mural's production phase has just begun! By the end of this semester, a beautiful new centerpiece of art will come to life in our hallway. So, keep your eyes peeled to watch this amazing transformation unfold!

Optics for All (OFA) invited Caleb W. Baker, alumnus and optical engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for a talk and discussion on mental health in STEM. Caleb provided prevalence studies, as well as specific effects and constructs surrounding the psychological challenges specific to STEM graduate school and working at a place like NASA. The talk is now available on the Wyant College of Optical Sciences Youtube!

Thomas L. Koch’s term as dean of the Wyant College of Optical Sciences has been defined by 13 years of tremendous growth amidst the continuing explosion of applications and demand for new optics and photonics technologies. Provost Ron Marx said, “Dean Koch has led the Wyant College of Optical Sciences with outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication. He has been a champion of one of our unique strengths in science and engineering here at the University of Arizona. We are deeply grateful for his service.”