From September 25-27, 2024, the Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona hosted the XII Conference on Ultrafast Dynamics & Metastability and Ultrafast Bandgap Photonics at the Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club in Tucson. Organized by Rolf Binder, Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, and Michael Rafailov, University of Alberta, Canada, the conference brought together leading scientists and researchers from around the world.

UPDATE: On Sunday, October 6, 2024, Daewook Kim, associate professor of optical sciences, and Roger Angel, professor of astronomy and optical sciences, were featured on KOLD News 13 discussing the potential for the twisting heliostat.
Kim and Angel are working to pioneer a new approach to heliostat design for concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. Their innovation aims to deliver solar thermal energy at exceptionally high concentrations throughout the day. It is believed that their work into this technology could potentially be the forerunner for advanced applications like atmospheric carbon removal—literally providing the energy needed for carbon capture and removal from the air.