Another Wavelength: Stephanie Guzmán
Welcome to Another Wavelength, a new monthly column in which you are invited to get to know an OSC student outside the classroom – and a little off the beaten path. Our first subject is undergraduate Stephanie Guzmán, a Tucson native student in her third year of the B.S. in OSE program.
What brought you to optics?
I began my undergraduate work at the U of A as an elementary education major. However, I was never passionate about teaching. I was honestly drawn to the sciences, but nothing sounded right for me. I took OPTI 200: Light, Color and Vision as one of my natural science general education courses and I fell in love. I was excited about every topic we covered, and through that experience I realized optics was what I wanted to pursue. I am so grateful to Dr. Mike for introducing me to optics because I couldn't be happier with my switch.
Who would you call your science hero?
My hero in science is Nikola Tesla. In addition to finding his work inspiring, I am drawn to his creative nature and tenacious spirit. He had such bold dreams and followed them as best he could. Tesla put his whole heart into achieving what he believed to be possible despite contention from people like Thomas Edison. Also, Tesla coils are really, really cool!
Describe your research in 20 words or fewer.
This summer I studied the behavior of light as it passed through a crystal called alexandrite.
Describe your research in 200 words or fewer.
I participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates program this summer at the University of Rochester. I worked in Dr. Robert Boyd’s lab investigating the "slow" and "fast" light properties of a crystal known as alexandrite. Depending on the frequency of the light pulses incident on the crystal, as well as the frequency of the light itself, alexandrite can cause the group velocity of a wave packet to be decreased by several orders of magnitude, it can increase the group velocity above the speed of light or it can result in a seemingly negative group velocity. My job was to use an elliptical laser as an object and try to observe image rotation when shown through an alexandrite rod rotating about its axis. This would demonstrate a phenomenon known as "photon drag." The direction of rotation would indicate whether the alexandrite was demonstrating fast or slow light properties.
This semester I am volunteering in Dr. Hong Hua’s lab here at the University of Arizona. Dr. Hua's research centers around mixed and augmented realities. Augmented reality differs from virtual reality in that it contributes to one’s existing perception of the world instead of replacing it.
Name three neat facts about you.
- I love singing so much that I started both a YouTube channel and a fake a cappella group comprised of optics students called "Optipella."
- I still have my original clear-purple Game Boy Color.
- I have touched a black panther, a rhino and Ryan Gosling (not at the same time, of course!).