Assistant Professor Judy Su was awarded the NSF CAREER Award, NSF's "most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization." Her proposal, "Bioinspired optical sniffer based on microtoroid resonators and science and technology convergence" is tied closely to her research on FLOWER (Frequency Locked Optical Whispering Evanescent Resonator) which can detect and distinguish ultra-low levels of a wide variety of particles.

Optica seeks to recognize 20 outstanding women in 2023. The $10,000 scholarship is available to undergraduate and current Masters-level women.