October 29, 2018

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Congratulations to three Hajim faculty members who have been awarded grants from the University’s Center of Excellence (CoE) in Data Science. The grants enable faculty to collaborate with local companies on translating cutting-edge science into devices and products that better our lives — in these cases with improved health care — while also benefiting the region’s economy and creating jobs.

James McGrath, professor of biomedical engineering, is working with SiMPore, a manufacturer of ultrathin silicon-based membranes first developed in his lab, to model a new filtration technique to improve the process of developing virus-based medical products.
Jannick Rolland, the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering, is working with LighTopTech, a company she cofounded, on developing a spectrometer to increase the imaging speed of a new technology the company uses to noninvasively biopsy tissue as it is removed during an operation. This reduces the need for patients to return for another operation.
Geunyoung Yoon, professor of ophthalmology with joint appointments in biomedical engineering and optics, is developing a Brillouin scattering microscope for Clerio Vision Inc. The startup is using a new femtosecond laser technology to noninvasively write vision correction into contact lenses, intraocular lenses, and even directly into the cornea. The microscope will enable three-dimensional modeling of the individual characteristics of a patient’s cornea or soft contact lenses.

These are the first CoE grants that require evidence of economic impact, and I am especially pleased to see the close cooperation that has developed between CoE and the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences, which has a similar mission. Read more here. Submissions for the current round of funding are being accepted until December 31, 2018, or until all funds are dispersed. The deadline for completion of the research remains June 30, 2019, however. Submission forms can be found here. Contact Walt Johnson or Cathy Adams if you have questions.

Congratulations as well to Qiang Lin, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, who has been elected a fellow of the Optical Society (OSA). Fellows are elected based on their achievements in business leadership, education, research, engineering, and service. Qiang is being honored specifically for outstanding and sustained contributions to the research and development of nonlinear fiber optics, silicon photonics, nano-optomechanics, and integrated quantum photonics. Well done, Qiang!

New Institute of Optics staff members were introduced at the recent Industrial Associates fall meeting. Please join me in welcoming Kai Davies as graduate program coordinator; Tal Haring, formerly with the Departments of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, as strategic analyst; Tyler Jean-Mary as project assistant; and Cecilia Chapa as project representative. We are all sorry to see Per Adamson leave after nearly two decades as director of the Institute’s undergraduate labs. We wish him all the best as he joins a local startup. Thanks to Trevor Oloughlin, a 5th-year PhD student in Gary Wicks’s group, who is stepping in as interim lab coordinator.

I was especially impressed with a presentation by four women undergraduates — Cherine Ghazouani, Jeanne Lyse Mugeni, Elana Antoine, and Huiyan Li — who had just attended Women of Light, hosted by WiSTEE (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Entrepreneurship) Connect in conjunction with an OSA Frontiers in Optics conference in Washington, D.C. The students returned with some sobering statistics about the under representation of women in STEM-related industries and academic fields, but armed with great ideas about how to turn this around. Women need role models they can look up to for inspiration and advice, they noted. These four students are certainly providing that. Thanks to the Industrial Associates, whose membership dues funded a travel grant that enabled the students to attend this event.

“The most challenging part of teaching is to make sure nobody gets left behind,” says John Lambropoulos, professor and chair of mechanical engineering, and a recent recipient of the Goergen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Click here and scroll down to read more about John’s teaching style and interesting background in a University Communications story by Jim Mandelaro on this year’s recipients of the award.

Engineering students interested in researching historic structures and their preservation — including participation in the University-sponsored summer field schools in Ghana, Bermuda, Italy, and Peru — can attend an open house from 6 to 7:30 tonight in Rettner Hall, Room 307. It is hosted by the Archaeology, Technology, and Historical Structures (ATHS) Program. Director Renato Perucchio, professor of mechanical engineering, notes that ATHS is an attractive minor for engineering students, and that the Ghana and Peru field schools, in particular, offer opportunities for extensive engineering research. Pizza and cookies will be served.

I also invite Hajim School students to hear a state of the school address I will be presenting specifically for undergraduates from 5 to 6 p.m. on Thursday in the Gowen Room of Wilson Commons. This is an opportunity for students to hear about exciting programs and opportunities across all our majors. And I definitely welcome questions and feedback. Due to the limited seating and the fact that we will be ordering food, please RSVP here.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman