On February 9, hundreds of people gathered on the University of Arizona campus to celebrate the amazing life of Dr. James C. Wyant, founding dean and professor emeritus. Speakers included Mrs. Tammy Wyant speaking on behalf of the Wyant family. From the University of Arizona, speakers included Dr. Robert Robbins, President, Dr. Tom Koch, dean, Wyant College of Optical Sciences and Dr. Bob Shannon, professor emeritus and former director of OSC. Speakers from Jim’s alma maters were Dr. Eric Kaler, President, Case Western Reserve University and Dr. Tom Brown, Director, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester.

Olga Kalashnikova
Research Scientist in the Aerosol and Cloud Group
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

We will discuss remote sensing observations of fire energetics and smoke properties from NASA satellite and the ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft, and links between in-situ smoke characterization and large-scale satellite observations. In addition, we will introduce the newly established NASA Fire Sense program that is focused on delivering unique Earth science and technological capabilities to operational agencies, striving towards measurable improvement in US wildland fire management.

Jinyang Liang
Associate Professor
Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Université du Québec

Visualizing transient events in the durations of their occurrences (i.e., real time) is indispensable to understanding many physical, chemical, and biological processes. Among existing methods, real-time ultrafast imaging based on coded optical streaking has received increasing attention because of its high image quality, high adaptability, and broad applicability. In this talk, I will review the working principles and limitations in representative ultrafast imaging modalities. Then, I will focus the discussion on three research directions in my Laboratory of Applied Computational Imaging in the past three years.

SOCk and WiO are BACK. Activities are in full swing. Events and activities are being planned. And Fall 2023 Semester success is being celebrated while the student clubs are forward-looking to the excitement planned for this Spring 2024 semester. With WiO's Prism Week (March 11-15), SOCk's Laser Fun Day (Apr 20), and SOCk's Annual Camping Trip on Mt. Graham (April 26-27) on the calendar there's a whole lot to be looking forward to! Make sure that you are part of the excitement! Club officers and contact information is available here. SOCk has also been updating their website with exciting news from student events and initiatives. Check out the most recent post on a recap of SOCk's 2023 accomplishments!

Robert Edmund, CEO (retired) of Edmund Optics, recently established the John P. Schaefer Graduate Student Scholarship in Optical Sciences. This scholarship is to recognize UA President Emeritus John Schaefer’s commitment to support optics education and to empower the next generation of optical scientists. A passion that Robert also adamantly holds.