College News

Under the direction of Hillary Mathis, lab manager, the Wyant College of Optical Sciences teaching lab spaces have undergone a significant refresh and expansion, a great opportunity for enhancing hands-on learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Previously, some graduate lab classes had to share space, but now they each have their own dedicated rooms, ensuring greater accessibility and flexibility for students and instructors. In total, our teaching labs now include three undergraduate labs, one senior design lab, one instrumentation lab, and four graduate labs. We look forward to seeing students, teaching staff and faculty make full use of these upgraded spaces! Read more about the updates!

In celebration of Black History Month (Feb. 1 - Mar. 1), we highlight a few of the great Black Optical Scientists and Engineers who have helped shape history. Each of these inspiring innovators were shared over the course of the month on the college's social media pages.

Wyant College's 2025-2026 academic year departmental scholarships are now available for application.  The application deadline for all departmental scholarships is March 30, 2025, at 11:59pm.  If you will be an active student in a OSC undergraduate or graduate program next academic year (25-26), you are encouraged to apply! Questions? Email: grad-funding@optics.arizona.edu

New administrative associate, Jackie Johnson, joins the Wyant College of Optical Sciences from the medical field, where she previously worked as a medical scribe. Excited to start this new chapter, Jackie is looking forward to supporting faculty and becoming part of the college’s team.

The future of the super camera is here—and it’s only getting sharper. At The Camera Lab, led by David Brady, J.W. and H.M. Goodman Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences and professor of optical sciences, researchers are developing super cameras that push beyond conventional imaging limits. This revolution is moving toward terapixel per second capture rates. In 2012, Brady led the team that developed the world’s first gigapixel camera as principal investigator on the DARPA AWARE program. Today, he's taking the work to the next level, building a display that can keep up.

Inventing is core to the university's commitment to pursuing solutions to grand challenges. The National Academy of Inventors has named Professor Jennifer Barton, Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the BIO5 Institute; and Associate Professor Euan McLeod as Senior Members of its newest cohort of 162 honorees from across the nation.

Inventor Mohamed ElKabbash has developed an advanced radiative cooling system for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) chips with minimal change to the chip design. The technology is available for license.

The Wyant College Industrial Affiliates Showcase and Meeting took place Feb. 17 - 19 in Tucson, AZ. The event kicked off with a busy poster session and corporate showcase in the Bear Down Gym. The second day was filled with student and faculty presentations that outlined current Wyant College research. On the final day student interviews took place as well as lab tours and a pizza party.

Startup Wildcats is thrilled to launch the Student Milestone Funding initiative, made possible through the generous support of Ray Zinn, founder of Micrel and a visionary entrepreneur. This funding provides University of Arizona students with critical financial support to advance their ventures, bridging the gap between ideation and execution. Join the Startup Wildcats Platform and submit your application today. Learn more about Startup Wildcats.

We are excited to welcome Ember Deitz Goldstein as the new Director of Development at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences! Ember brings a wealth of experience in university fundraising, having held leadership roles at Oberlin College, Boston University, and Harvard, as well as Columbia University, where she also earned her MBA. Read more about her background and experience. Please join us in welcoming Ember to the Wyant College of Optical Sciences! Feel free to reach out and introduce yourself—Ember looks forward to connecting with the college community!  Find Ember in Meinel 721 or reach her at embergoldstein@arizona.edu or 520-626-8754.