Podcasts about optical society

Dr. Mark Saffman is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received is B.Sc. with honors in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology. Mark's research focuses on quantum computing. He and his colleagues are trying to build a new kind of computer called a quantum computer that can solve some types of problems that are unreachable for current supercomputers. A quantum computer uses individual atoms and has power that exceeds what you can do with known classical computing approaches. For Mark, physics is a hobby as well as his job. When he's not thinking about physics, Mark likes spending time with his family, including his young kids. Getting outside and enjoying nature is a great way for Mark to relax and unwind. Mark worked as a Technical Staff Member at TRW Defense and Space systems and subsequently an Optical Engineer at Dantec Electronics Inc. in Denmark before going back to graduate school to earn his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Next, Mark worked as a Senior Scientist at Riso National Laboratory in Denmark before joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Mark has received many honors and awards during his career including the Vilas Associate Award from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, as well as the Research and Creative Work and the William Walter Jr. Awards from the University of Colorado. In addition, he has been named a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Mark joined us in this interview to talk about his experiences in life and science.

The world of quantum technology is not some science fiction flight of fantasy, it is an exciting field of science which is turning into a rapidly growing engineering sector. You might not know it but you can already buy quantum-dot TVs and mobile phones with quantum-enhanced encryption. Quantum technologies are poised to expand the realm of engineering in ways that were unthinkable until just a decade ago.         Dr Elizabeth Eso aligning an optical system to experimentally demonstrate a time-bin quantum key distribution system. Credit: Chris Watt Photography   Quantum engineering is the development of technology that exploits the laws of quantum mechanics (the behaviour of nature at and below the scale of atoms), using it as a toolbox for the development of quantum technologies, such as quantum sensors or quantum computers. There are many devices available which rely on quantum mechanical effects such as medicine, optical communication, high-speed internet, and high-performance computing, just to mention a few examples.       An IBM engineer adjusting on one of the company's quantum computers. Credit: Connie Zhou for IBM   After the technological advances that brought us lasers, MRI imagers and transistors, a second wave of quantum technologies is expected to impact society in a similar way. These new technologies will make use of quantum coherence (the regular and predictable behaviour of atoms), building on the progress achieved in the last century, to enable us to have greater control of these atomic-scale systems.   The burgeoning quantum industry requires a quantum-literate workforce; something that is in short supply at the moment. Those working in the field mainly come from either a physics or engineering background and have acquired their ”quantum engineering skills” by experience. Many of the companies that could benefit from quantum technologies already have a strong presence here in the UK, including those involved in new materials, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, aerospace, defence and financial services, but what other application will we as engineers be able to use quantum technologies for?       An IBM engineer working on the refrigerator casing inside of which the company plans to install a 1 million-qubit quantum computer by 2030. Credit: Connie Zhou for IBM.   Helen's Guests are Tobias Lindstrom, Head of Science for the department of Quantum Technology at the National Physical Laboratory and Sir Peter Knight, Professor of Quantum Optics and Senior Research Investigator at Imperial College London, and principal of the Kavli Royal Society International Centre.   Tobias received his PhD in Physics from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, before joining NPL as a Senior Scientist , then Principal Scientist and now head of department. During his time at NPL, Tobias has primarily worked on superconducting quantum technology.  In addition to conducting research relevant for the emerging superconducting quantum computing sector, he has also pioneered the use of precision frequency metrology methods for the study of noise in superconducting resonators and qubits. Tobias is also part of a global effort to develop international standards for quantum technologies.   Sir Peter is a leading academic in the field of quantum optics and has been described as "one of the UK's most influential scientists and leaders of scientific policy" by his peers. He has been the recipient of several major awards including the Royal Medal from the Royal Society and the Thomas Young Medal from the Institute of Physics. Sir Peter was President of the Institute of Physics from 2011 to 2013 and of Optica; The Optical Society of America and is also a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was also Chief Scientific Advisor until his retirement to the National Physical Laboratory and is Chair of NPL's Quantum Metrology Institute. He continues to act as an advisor to the British government.   Useful Links: NPL Quantum Technologies Quantum Computing & Simulation Hub  Bristol University - What is Quantum Engineering?     We would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this episode. If you would like to get in touch, email us at podcast@imeche.org You can find more information about the work of the IMechE at www.imeche.org 

Dr. Thomas Karr, PhD ( https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/1808202/dr-thomas-j-karr/ ) is the Former Assistant Director, Directed Energy in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Research and Engineering), U.S. DoD. His responsibilities covered all Directed Energy research and development in the Department of Defense. Dr. Karr has four decades of experience in the application of science to national security. Prior to joining OUSD(R&E) he was a DARPA program manager for six years, where he created new programs for kinetic and non-kinetic effects, communication, information processing and exploitation, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Dr. Karr was the Director of Innovative System Solutions at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, Director of Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) Technology at Northrop Grumman, and was a Group Leader, Program Leader and senior scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for twelve years. He also co-founded a commercial space company, and consulted for many companies in the national security industry. Dr. Karr earned his A.B. cum laude in Physics from Princeton, his Ph.D. in Elementary Particle Physics from the University of Maryland, and was a Joliot-Curie Fellow of the Atomic Energy Commission of France. He has published over 50 scientific papers, serves on the Organizing Committees of three scientific conferences, holds three patents, and he is a Fellow of the Military Sensing Symposia (MSS), the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), and the Optical Society of America (OSA). Support the show

Edwin Land unveiled the world's first instant camera to the Optical Society of America on 21st February, 1947. Snapping a quick black-and-white selfie, Land astonished onlookers as the image emerged within 60 seconds. Despite its initial high price and complex development process, Polaroid cameras became a sensation, selling out on their first day of release in 1948.  In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Land's inspiration came during a family vacation; consider why Steve Jobs and other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have looked to Land for inspiration ever since; and recall Polaroid's disastrous pivot into ‘instant movies', Polavision, in 1977… Further Reading: • ‘Inside the company that gave the world instant photography' (FT, 2017): https://www.ft.com/content/d76d5f44-5088-11e7-bfb8-997009366969 • ‘Instant - The Story of Polaroid, By Christopher Bonanos' (Princeton Architectural Press, 2012): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Instant/VgyuGmMZ7iIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Instant:+A+Cultural+History+of+Polaroid+by+Christopher+Bonanos&printsec=frontcover • ‘Apple & Polaroid's Intertwined Legacy' (In An Instant, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOzdMkMMpR0 Love the show? Join

Long silver hair in a ponytail, a pair of Converse All Star and a Grateful Dead t-shirt… The guest sitting opposite us today in the studio is not your average Cambridge academic. But don't be fooled by his relaxed demeanour; Professor Mete Atatüre is a serious trailblazer in his field. Co-founder of the Atomic, Mesoscopic and Optical Physics Group of the Cavendish Laboratory, his ground-breaking work in quantum optics and solid-state physics has earned him accolades and respect worldwide. His experimental research group investigates light-based quantum science to enable future quantum information networks and communication, as well as new applications in sensing and magnetometry.He is an elected Fellow of the Optical Society of America, the Turkish National Science Academy, the Institute of Physics… and one of Turkish GQ Magazine's Men of the Year 2015, amongst international actors and footballers and in recognition of his pioneering research in quantum physics! In 2018, he co-founded the successful quantum startup Nu-Quantum, and now he is looking forward to being Head of Department here at the Cavendish…His research is driven by an insatiable curiosity and motivated by a desire to see what has never been seen before, which, in the world of quantum optics, is no mean feat!Together with Mete, we talk about striking luck and grasping every opportunity, doing things outside of the clichés and the power of enthusiasm and curiosity to persevere through the times of pressure and failure. Useful linksExplore Mete's research on quantum optics on the Quantum Cambridge website. Learn more about his startup Nu-Quantum, Pioneering Quantum NetworksFollow Mete on Instagram or Twitter/XTo learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Vanessa BismuthRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Today we will be exploring sunlight, vitamin D, health, and diseases and my guest is William B. Grant.   William has worked at the level of senior research scientists in the fields of optical and laser remote sensing of the atmosphere and atmospheric sciences at SRI International, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the NASA Langley Research Center. This career included doing pioneering laser remote sensing instrument development, while the latter half included participating on many NASA-led airborne atmospheric chemistry field missions to the far corners of the world, as well as writing a number of papers on the observations.   Author or coauthor of over 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals, edited 2 books of reprints, and contributed half a dozen chapters to other books. Elected Fellow of the Optical Society of America in 1992.   He is currently the Director at SUNARC, an entity devoted to reserach, education, and advocacy relating to the prevention of chronic disease through changes in diet and lifestyle.   For more on William B. Grant, head to his website: https://www.sunarc.org/   ----    Shownotes are available at William B. Grant: Are You Getting the Sun You Need? ----    Join the Unstress Health Community & Transform Your Life! https://bit.ly/3SRq0gg    Connect with Dr Ron at Unstress Health  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unstresshealth/  Facebook: https://fb.me/unstresshealth  Email: admin@unstresshealth.com   DISCLAIMER: This podcast provides general information and discussion about medicine, health and related subjects. This content is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice or as a substitute for care by a qualified medical practitioner. If you or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experiences and conclusions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GUEST OVERVIEW: Robert J. Marks Ph.D. hosts the Mind Matters podcast for the Bradley Center. He is a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor University. Marks is a Fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the Optical Society of America. He was Charter President of the IEEE Neural Networks Council, and served as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks. He is co-author of the books “Neural Smithing: Supervised Learning in Feedforward Artificial Neural Networks” (MIT Press) and “Introduction to Evolutionary Informatics” (World Scientific).

Katharine E. Schmidtke received a B.Sc. Degree in physics and mathematics from Keele University, UK, in 1989 and Ph.D in laser physics and non-linear optics from the University of Southampton in 1993. She went on to do post-doctoral research in epitaxial growth of non-linear optical materials at Stanford University, CA, USA. She has a 25-year career in the optical communications industry including roles at Finisar, JDS Uniphase and New Focus. For the past 7 years she has worked at Facebook, Menlo Park, CA where she has driven the technology strategy for data center optical interconnects. She is currently Director of Sourcing for ASICS and Custom Silicon focused on AI/ML applications. Dr. Schmidtke is a fellow of the Optical Society of America and has been an invited speaker and served on committees for numerous international conferences, including Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) European Conference on Communications (ECOC) and the Optical Interconnects Conference. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 38480]

Katharine E. Schmidtke received a B.Sc. Degree in physics and mathematics from Keele University, UK, in 1989 and Ph.D in laser physics and non-linear optics from the University of Southampton in 1993. She went on to do post-doctoral research in epitaxial growth of non-linear optical materials at Stanford University, CA, USA. She has a 25-year career in the optical communications industry including roles at Finisar, JDS Uniphase and New Focus. For the past 7 years she has worked at Facebook, Menlo Park, CA where she has driven the technology strategy for data center optical interconnects. She is currently Director of Sourcing for ASICS and Custom Silicon focused on AI/ML applications. Dr. Schmidtke is a fellow of the Optical Society of America and has been an invited speaker and served on committees for numerous international conferences, including Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) European Conference on Communications (ECOC) and the Optical Interconnects Conference. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 38480]

Katharine E. Schmidtke received a B.Sc. Degree in physics and mathematics from Keele University, UK, in 1989 and Ph.D in laser physics and non-linear optics from the University of Southampton in 1993. She went on to do post-doctoral research in epitaxial growth of non-linear optical materials at Stanford University, CA, USA. She has a 25-year career in the optical communications industry including roles at Finisar, JDS Uniphase and New Focus. For the past 7 years she has worked at Facebook, Menlo Park, CA where she has driven the technology strategy for data center optical interconnects. She is currently Director of Sourcing for ASICS and Custom Silicon focused on AI/ML applications. Dr. Schmidtke is a fellow of the Optical Society of America and has been an invited speaker and served on committees for numerous international conferences, including Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) European Conference on Communications (ECOC) and the Optical Interconnects Conference. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 38480]

Katharine E. Schmidtke received a B.Sc. Degree in physics and mathematics from Keele University, UK, in 1989 and Ph.D in laser physics and non-linear optics from the University of Southampton in 1993. She went on to do post-doctoral research in epitaxial growth of non-linear optical materials at Stanford University, CA, USA. She has a 25-year career in the optical communications industry including roles at Finisar, JDS Uniphase and New Focus. For the past 7 years she has worked at Facebook, Menlo Park, CA where she has driven the technology strategy for data center optical interconnects. She is currently Director of Sourcing for ASICS and Custom Silicon focused on AI/ML applications. Dr. Schmidtke is a fellow of the Optical Society of America and has been an invited speaker and served on committees for numerous international conferences, including Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) European Conference on Communications (ECOC) and the Optical Interconnects Conference. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 38480]

Katharine E. Schmidtke received a B.Sc. Degree in physics and mathematics from Keele University, UK, in 1989 and Ph.D in laser physics and non-linear optics from the University of Southampton in 1993. She went on to do post-doctoral research in epitaxial growth of non-linear optical materials at Stanford University, CA, USA. She has a 25-year career in the optical communications industry including roles at Finisar, JDS Uniphase and New Focus. For the past 7 years she has worked at Facebook, Menlo Park, CA where she has driven the technology strategy for data center optical interconnects. She is currently Director of Sourcing for ASICS and Custom Silicon focused on AI/ML applications. Dr. Schmidtke is a fellow of the Optical Society of America and has been an invited speaker and served on committees for numerous international conferences, including Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) European Conference on Communications (ECOC) and the Optical Interconnects Conference. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 38480]

After more than a century, the world’s leading champion for optics and photonics has a new name. Optica (formerly The Optical Society of America) is a reflection of the society’s […]

  After more than a century, the world’s leading champion for optics and photonics has a new name. Optica (formerly The Optical Society of America) is a reflection of the society’s global reach and commitment to continuous growth and inclusivity. Dr. Eric Mazur, Optica’s Foundation Chair and 2017 President, talks about the decision to rebrand […]

"We believe that working from the perspective of harms, rather than risks, and developing pathways where humans grapple with the challenges of technology as they deploy have been and will be a path for enabling good from these new technologies" — Jake Taylor and Alan Ho Jake Taylor has been doing research in quantum information science and quantum computing for the past two decades, most recently at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In addition to his research, he spent the last three years as the first Assistant Director for Quantum Information Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he led the creation and implementation of the National Quantum Initiative (quantum.gov) and the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium (covid19-hpc-consortium.org). Now taking a year as a TAPP Fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Jake is looking at how lessons learned in implementing science and tech policy for an emerging field can enable public purpose in other areas. He is the author of more than 150 peer reviewed scientific articles, a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America, and recipient of the Silver and Gold medals from the Department of Commerce. He can be found on twitter @quantum_jake and at https://www.quantumjake.org. Alan Ho is a life-long engineer and entrepreneur. He has worked at a number of large and small technology companies that deployed artificial intelligence in their products. He is currently the product management lead at Google’s Quantum AI team. His responsibilities include the identification of applications of quantum computing that can benefit society. You can find the article mentioned in the conversation 'Identifying and Reducing Harms: a Look at Artificial Intelligence' here. *** For show notes and past guests, please visit https://aiasiapacific.org/podcasts/ If you have questions, please email us at contact@aiasiapacific.org or follow us on Twitter to stay in touch.

Konstantin Vodopyanov obtained his MS from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (“Phys-Tech”) and his PhD and DSc (Habilitation) from the Oscillations Lab. of Lebedev Physical Institute (later General Physics Inst.), led by Nobel Prize winner Alexander Prokhorov. He was an assistant professor at the Moscow Phys-Tech (1985-90) and later did research as an Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellow at the University of Bayreuth in Germany (1990-92), and at Imperial College, London, UK (1992-98). In 1998, he moved to the United States to became head of the laser group at Inrad, Inc., NJ (1998-2000), and later director of mid-IR systems at Picarro, Inc.,CA (2000-2003). His other industry experience includes co-founding and providing technical guidance for several US and European companies. In 2003 he returned to Academia (Stanford University, 2003-2013) and is now an Endowed Chair & Professor of Optics and Physics at CREOL, the College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida. Konstantin is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), Optical Society of America (OSA), SPIE – International Society for Optical Engineering, UK Institute of Physics (IOP). His research interests are lasers and their spectroscopic and biomedical applications. His passion is music, hiking is wild jungles of Florida, swimming in the ocean, and long bicycle rides. FIND KONSTANTIN ON SOCIAL MEDIA LinkedIn | Facebook ================================ SUPPORT & CONNECT: Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/denofrich Twitter: https://twitter.com/denofrich Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denofrich YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/denofrich Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_of_rich/ Hashtag: #denofrich © Copyright 2022 Den of Rich. All rights reserved.

Konstantin Vodopyanov obtained his MS from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (“Phys-Tech”) and his PhD and DSc (Habilitation) from the Oscillations Lab. of Lebedev Physical Institute (later General Physics Inst.), led by Nobel Prize winner Alexander Prokhorov. He was an assistant professor at the Moscow Phys-Tech (1985-90) and later did research as an Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellow at the University of Bayreuth in Germany (1990-92), and at Imperial College, London, UK (1992-98). In 1998, he moved to the United States to became head of the laser group at Inrad, Inc., NJ (1998-2000), and later director of mid-IR systems at Picarro, Inc.,CA (2000-2003). His other industry experience includes co-founding and providing technical guidance for several US and European companies. In 2003 he returned to Academia (Stanford University, 2003-2013) and is now an Endowed Chair & Professor of Optics and Physics at CREOL, the College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida. Konstantin is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), Optical Society of America (OSA), SPIE – International Society for Optical Engineering, UK Institute of Physics (IOP). His research interests are lasers and their spectroscopic and biomedical applications. His passion is music, hiking is wild jungles of Florida, swimming in the ocean, and long bicycle rides.FIND KONSTANTIN ON SOCIAL MEDIALinkedIn | Facebook

2019 President of The Optical Society and Fulbright Scholar Ursula Gibson details her latest work with novel core optical fibers and their function in expanding applications spanning metrology, optical communication, and optoelectronics. Nick Harris, founder and CEO of supercomputing company LightMatter, talks about silicon-driven advances in all-optical computing and LightMatter’s photonic computing platform. Sponsored by: COMSOL - www.comsol.com All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Find links to the stories mentioned in the episode on our website, www.photonics.com/podcast. The podcast has been named a finalist in two categories - Best Science & Medical Podcast and Best Technology Podcast - for The Publishers Podcast 2021 Awards. Season 1 received an Honorable Mention for excellence in engaging content from the 2020 Folio Eddie Awards.

In this OSA podcast episode, OSA Senior Industry Advisor Tom Hausken interviews Luminar Technologies Co-Founder and CTO Jason Eichenholz. They discuss the importance of the company going public and what it means for LIDAR technology and the automotive industry. Eichenholz describes the alternative pathway towards becoming public and opportunities to deliver the software for self-driving cars to market. An OSA Fellow, Eichenholz became involved with The Optical Society as an OSA Student Chapter president while an undergraduate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, USA. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Did you know that vision is really 90% brain and only 10% eyeball? Much like other aspects of our health, stress and emotional trauma have an impact on our ability see clearly. So, what can we do improve our eyesight—without corrective lenses? Claudia Muehlenweg is the creator of Naturally Clear Vision, a practice dedicated to helping clients see better naturally, regardless of the vision challenges they struggle with. She offers five-day challenges, online courses, membership programs and private mentoring to support people in finding the root cause of their blurry vision rather than using symptomatic treatments like glasses, contacts or surgery. On this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, Claudia joins Anjel to share the vision challenges she faced as a child and discuss how she came to realize that stress made her eyesight worse. She explains why vision is so much more than just eyesight, offering insight on the role our brain plays in what we see and describing the relationship between relaxation and good vision. Listen in to understand how Claudia maintains a clarity of vision and learn how to undo bad habits and heal the emotional root causes of your eye issues! What You Will Learn The vision challenges Claudia faced as a child and how she realized stress made her vision worse Who Claudia serves through her programs at Naturally Clear Vision How Claudia’s clients benefit from the relationship between relaxation and good vision Why vision is so much more than just eyesight The role our brain plays in what we see How our eyes adapt to corrective lenses (and make our vision worse) Why Claudia invested in a mastermind to bring her entrepreneurial vision to life Claudia’s insight on setting clear goals and stepping out of your ‘bubble of safety’ to share your mission with the world How Claudia helps clients undo bad habits and heal the emotional root causes of their poor vision Claudia’s self-care routine of meditation, yoga, breath work, journaling and myofascial release How not feeling safe as a child can lead to the development of vision problems Connect with Claudia Muehlenweg Naturally Clear Vision Resources ‘Optical Differences in Cases of Multiple Personality Disorder’ in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease ‘Mathematical Model of Emmetropization in the Chicken’ in the Journal of the Optical Society of America ‘Chicks Don Glasses for Vision Study’ in The New York Times Connect with Anjel B. Hartwell Wickedly Smart Women Wickedly Smart Women Facebook Community Wickedly Smart Women on TeePublic Anjel on Twitter Anjel on Instagram Email listeners@wickedlysmartwomen.com Apply to Wealthy Life by Design Leave Us A Message On Our listener line:   540-402-0043 x4343

Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum is the Malcolm Gillis University Professor of Bioengineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University. She is also Director of the award-winning Rice 360 Institute for Global Health and founder of Beyond Traditional Borders Program at Rice University. Rebecca and her colleagues are developing technologies to improve healthcare as well as improve access to healthcare. They are dedicated to making medical technology less expensive and finding ways to modify medical technology so it can be used in different environments and settings across the world. When she’s not working, Rebecca loves to spend time with her children. Rebecca also enjoys getting up early in the morning to go running, and she often participates in half marathon and marathon races. Rebecca received her B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and went on to receive her M.S. in Physics and PhD in Medical Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She served as a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was the Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and a Distinguished Teaching Professor. Rebecca has received many awards and honors during her career, including very recently being named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. Some of her other recent awards include the Pierre Galletti Award (the highest honor from The American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering), the Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation, and the Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award from the Optical Society of America. She is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Optical Society of America, and the National Academy of Inventors. Rebecca is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

This week, October 4th-10th is National Fire Prevention Week. Watauga County Forest Ranger Andrew Harsley reminds the residents of Watauga County what it looks like to have a healthy relationship with fire prevention. With the population in Watauga County rising brings wildfires at a higher risk. The ways in which a wildfire could start are: debris, stove ashes, children, fireworks, woods arson, and a campfire. From Appalachian Today, Dr.Jennifer Burris, Department of Physics and Astronomy has been recognized by The Optical Society for: “facilitating systemic changes that have improved diversity and inclusion for her department, university and community.” She is one of three recipients to be internationally honored with OSA's Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy Recognition of 2020. During her time at App State, Burris has worked to increase the number of underrepresented students in her department and support her students throughout her teaching, mentorship, and one-on-one research engagement. She has also helped students receive grants and fellowships, and she was one of the professors who have worked with faculty, staff, and donors to secure funding to develop a free food pantry for students in the department. According to ABC News, The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to American poet Louise Glück for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal. Glück will be awarded a $1.11 million U.S. dollar cash award as the prize winner this year.

Dr. Mark Saffman is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For Mark, physics is a hobby as well as his job. When he’s not thinking about physics, Mark likes spending time with his family, including his young kids. Getting outside and spending time in nature is a great way for Mark to relax and unwind. Mark’s research focuses on quantum computing. He and his colleagues are trying to build a new kind of computer called a quantum computer that can solve some kinds of problems that are unreachable for current supercomputers. A quantum computer uses individual atoms and has power that exceeds what you can do with known classical computing approaches. Mark received is B.Sc. with honors in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology. Mark worked as a Technical Staff Member at TRW Defense and Space systems and subsequently an Optical Engineer at Dantec Electronics Inc. in Denmark before going back to graduate school to earn his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Next, Mark worked as a Senior Scientist at Riso National Laboratory in Denmark before joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Mark has received many honors and awards during his career including the Vilas Associate Award from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, as well as the Research and Creative Work and the William Walter Jr. Awards from the University of Colorado. In addition, he has been named a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Mark has joined us in this interview to talk about his experiences in life and science.

Fingerprint identification and lie detectors are well-known tools of law enforcement today, but both were quite revolutionary when they were introduced. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the memorable cases where these innovations were first used. We'll also see some phantom ships and puzzle over a beer company's second thoughts. Intro: In 1892, Bostonians realized that the architects of their new library had hidden their name in the façade. In 1918, a California businessman built a 7,900-ton steamer out of ferrocement. Sources for our feature on fingerprints and polygraphs: Ken Alder, The Lie Detectors, 2007. Jack Fincher, “Lifting 'Latents' Is Now Very Much a High-Tech Matter,” Smithsonian, October 1989, 201. James O'Brien, The Scientific Sherlock Holmes, 2013. Ian Leslie, Born Liars, 2011. William J. Tilstone, Kathleen A. Savage, and Leigh A. Clark, Forensic Science: An Encyclopedia of History, Methods, and Techniques, 2006. Benjamin Netanyahu, Criminal Justice: New Technologies and the Constitution, 1989. Kenneth R. Moses et al., "Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)," in The Fingerprint Sourcebook, Scientific Working Group on Friction Ridge Analysis Study and Technology and National Institute of Justice, 2011, 1-33. Raymond Dussault, "The Latent Potential of Latent Prints," Government Technology, Dec. 31, 1998. Barbara Bradley, "Fingered by the Police Computer," Christian Science Monitor, June 9, 1988. U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, "New Technology for Investigation, Identification, and Apprehension," in Special Report: Criminal Justice, New Technologies, and the Constitution, May 1988. Thanks to listener Pål Grønås Drange for suggesting the Ken Moses story. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "Mirage" (accessed Feb. 17, 2017). W.H. Lehn, "The Nova Zemlya Effect: An Arctic Mirage," Journal of the Optical Society of America 69:5 (May 1979), 776-781. Wikipedia, "Novaya Zemlya Effect" (accessed Feb. 17, 2017). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Tommy Honton, who sent these corroborating links (warning -- these spoil the puzzle). You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on iTunes or Google Play Music or via the RSS feed at http://feedpress.me/futilitycloset. If you have a moment, please go to podcastsurvey.net to take a very short anonymous survey about today's episode. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- on our Patreon page you can pledge any amount per episode, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum is the Malcolm Gillis University Professor of Bioengineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University. She is also Director of the award-winning Rice 360 Institute for Global Health and founder of Beyond Traditional Borders Program at Rice University. Rebecca received her B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and went on to receive her M.S. in Physics and PhD in Medical Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She served as a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was the Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and a Distinguished Teaching Professor. Rebecca has received many awards and honors during her career, including very recently being named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. Some of her other recent awards include the Pierre Galletti Award (the highest honor from The American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering), the Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation, and the Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award from the Optical Society of America. She is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Optical Society of America, and the National Academy of Inventors. Rebecca is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science. 

Data network bandwidth requirements are currently shifting from 1Gb to 10Gb. But 100Gb is not far away – optical networking becomes essentially mandatory to carry large amounts of data. Researchers are investigating not only materials and equipment, but also novel signal formats. Interviewees: Karl Koch, General Co‑Chair, Frontiers in Optics 2010, The Optical Society; Researcher, […]

Data network bandwidth requirements are currently shifting from 1Gb to 10Gb. But 100Gb is not far away – optical networking becomes essentially mandatory to carry large amounts of data. Researchers are investigating not only materials and equipment, but also novel signal formats. Interviewees: Karl Koch, General Co‑Chair, Frontiers in Optics 2010, The Optical Society; Researcher, […]

Steve Brueck is director of the Center for High Technology Materials, distinguished professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics and Astronomy, and founding editor of the IEEE Journal of Special Topics in Quantum Electronics. As a researcher he has been awarded 35 patents. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a fellow of the Optical Society of America. In this talk he reviews his past research and talks about his current work on problems.

Yeshaiahu Fainman is professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California San Diego, fellow in the Optical Society of America, editor of the international Journal on Optical Memory and Neural Networks, and leads the UCSD Ultrafast and Nanoscale Optics Group. In this talk, he describes himself as a competitor to the Center for High Technology Materials at UNM and he speaks about his current research.

Harold Fetterman is a professor of Electrical Engineering at the Henry Sameuli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of California Los Angeles. He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and was presented with the IEEE LEOS William Steifer Scientific Achievement Award in 2006. His research interests include optical millimeter wave interactions, femtosecond evaluation of high frequency devices and circuits, and solid state millimeter wave structures and systems. In this talk he discusses his current research.