OSC Colloquium: Meredith Kupinski, "Polarization Observations..."

Title: Polarization Observations: From Cloud Emission to Fresnel Dominated Scattering 

Abstract: 

Polarization offers an exciting future in Imaging Science and Optical Engineering because system performance can often be substantially improved when polarization effects are exploited and polarization-sensitive measurements are utilized. Formulating tractable system-performance optimizations to design polarization imaging systems, perform detection/classification tasks, and configure data-acquisition protocols are the foundation of my research. In this talk, I will begin with the engineering design, calibration and validation, and high-altitude deployment of a spectrally-resolved thermal IR polarimeter for atmospheric science. This instrument is developed for the retrieval of ice crystal structures which are an important factor in the Earth’s radiation balance. Next, in the realm of computer vision and graphics, an empirically-validated polarized light-scattering model is used to create full, realistic Mueller polarimetric renderings. Predicting the polarized light scattering in common indoor spaces yields an opportunity for extrapolation from simplified polarimetric measurements. I will end with a discussion of future directions and research opportunities in applications that combine Imaging Science, Optical Engineering, and Polarization Physics. 

Speaker Bio: 

Meredith Kupinski joined the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona (UA) in 2008 where she is now a Research Professor developing polarimetric instrumentation, polarized light scattering models, and polarization-aware computer vision and graphics capabilities. She earned a BS with Highest Honors in Imaging Technologies from the Rochester Institute of Technology and an MS and PhD in Optical Sciences from UA. Being both an optical engineer and an image scientist, her research considers every aspect of the imaging chain: engineering requirements and optical design, uncertainty and statistics of calibration and data acquisition, and optical physics modeling. Dr. Kupinski's scientific contributions span various applications: the detection and characterization of abnormalities in medical imaging, estimating parameters to model the Earth's atmosphere in remote sensing, and computer vision classification. Dr. Kupinski was the recipient of a Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) postdoctoral NSF fellowship to study polarimetry for aerosol science. In 2016, she was awarded a Jean d'Alembert visiting scholar position at École Polytechnic in France to work on Mueller polarimetry for cervical cancer detection. Her career goals include leveraging academic resources to build new opportunities for underrepresented students. Dr. Kupinski values multi-disciplinary experiences and exposure to diverse perspectives. She has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications, 45 publications, and two patent applications.