September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month! Over the last few weeks on social media, the Wyant College of Optical Sciences has celebrated a few of the many scientists and engineers who have made significant contributions to our world. Take a moment to learn more about them.

Cody Nelson, a master’s student in optical sciences at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences, has been awarded the 2024 Optica Foundation Harvey M. Pollicove Memorial Scholarship. Cody is also employed as an optical fabrication technician at the Richard F. Caris Mirror Laboratory, where he plays a key role in producing large-scale optics for astronomical applications, such as the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). Cody’s hopes to apply this work to his future thesis-work focusing on interferometric testing for the GMT segment 3, which will finalize its surface.

Researchers working with Jason Jones, John Paul Schaefer endowed chair in optical sciences and professor, have developed a breakthrough approach for optical atomic clocks. The new work significantly reduces the complexity of traditional designs while maintaining high accuracy and stability. By utilizing a single frequency comb laser, this new clock design eliminates the need for multiple complex laser systems, making it more practical for real-world applications.