News & Events

By Jamie Carter Link to Original Article In precisely one year—on Tuesday, March 30, 2021—the almost US$10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or “Webb” for short) will launch on a European Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana. The successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, “Webb” will study the solar system, directly image exoplanets, photograph the first galaxies, and explore...Continue Reading

Source: Physics World Cather Simpson is professor of physics and chemical sciences at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and chief science officer of Engender Technologies. Simpson is one of 10 physicists profiled in the March issue of Physics World to launch our new Ask Me Anything careers advice column What skills do you use every day in your job? At Engender Technologies, our technology is physics-based, so that’s our...Continue Reading

Source: Laser Focus World. Talking about optics assumes a well-prepared optical surface—and that was what Jessica DeGroote Nelson, Director of Technology & Strategy, Optimax Systems, talked about: How to make such a surface on an optical component, which is ready for use under challenging industrial conditions. She went through all the steps from glass manufacturing and surface preparation to various coating procedures and metrology methods. While handling optical surfaces is...Continue Reading

During a pandemic, Isaac Newton had to work from home, too. He used the time wisely. By Gillian Brockell, Washington Post Isaac Newton was in his early 20s when the Great Plague of London hit. He wasn’t a “Sir” yet, didn’t have that big formal wig. He was just another college student at Trinity College, Cambridge. It would be another 200 years before scientists discovered the bacteria that causes plague,...Continue Reading

High Tech companies support Optical Technical Program Posted Mar 2, 2020 at 2:00 AM By JAMIE LACOUTURE Over the last 40 years, when people heard the word “industry” or manufacturing,” what came to mind was textiles, automobiles, factories and long hours working on assembly lines. Similarly, trade-based jobs, such as plumber, electrician, mechanic and construction worker started to be viewed by many as a less desirable career path, and vocational...Continue Reading

The Coronavirus detection method combines optics and magnetic particles to reduce the diagnostic time from one hour to approximately 15 minutes. BioOptics World Editors Mar 10th, 2020 Credit: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay Recognizing that current methods to diagnose Coronavirus take approximately one hour, a team of researchers at Bar-Ilan University (Ramat Gan, Israel) has developed a method that combines optics and magnetic particles able to test 100 samples of patients potentially infected...Continue Reading

ROCHESTER, NY—The Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) recognized local educators and organizations making a difference and exciting the community about opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at the RMSC STEM Awards, presented by GW Lisk. The breakfast and awards ceremony were held on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 at the Strathallan Hotel. Monroe County Executive Adam Bello attended the awards and congratulated the recipients and finalists for helping...Continue Reading

AIM Photonics, the huge $600 million public-private US optics consortium, is upbeat as it heads into its fifth year.                                                       AIMContinue Reading

A local teen has been designated as a Scholar in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search (formerly the Intel Science Talent Search) for a research project he carried out last summer at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). Senior Simon Narang of Pittsford Sutherland High School is among the 300 Scholars nationwide chosen from nearly 2,000 who entered the competition. Narang will be awarded $2,000 and his...Continue Reading

Women in our culture have traditionally been recognized as mothers, educators, caregivers, and artists. We’ve seen strides toward greater recognition of women for their other contributions during the past 100 years since women’s suffrage  (the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920). In addition, society is beginning to understand the impact of science and scientists on our day-to-day quality of life.   Two women, Sujatha Ramanujan...Continue Reading