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UNM’s Optical Science and Engineering Program celebrates 40th anniversary

February 22, 2024 - by Kim Delker

The Optical Science and Engineering Program at The University of New Mexico will be celebrating 40 years with a series of events March 7-8.

The Optical Science and Engineering Program (OSE) is an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program offered by the School of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences. It was established in 1983 by UNM professors Marlan Scully (physics) and Kenneth Jungling (electrical and computer engineering) and was one of the first Ph.D. programs in optics in the country. The program delayed its anniversary celebration last year due to the death of Mansoor Sheik-Bahae, longstanding chair of OSE.

“We are very excited to celebrate 40 years of the OSE program at UNM,” said Daniel Feezell, OSE program director and professor of electrical and computer engineering. “More now than ever, the fields of optics and photonics are essential to modern technologies such as communications, imaging, computing, lighting, and medicine. Optics and photonics also enable numerous advancements in basic scientific research, promising an exciting future of new discoveries.”

Those interested in attending the events are asked to RSVP here.

The agenda for the anniversary celebration is as follows:

March 7:

8:30-10 a.m. Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM), Room 101. Breakfast with university administration. Those scheduled to speak are Barbara Rodríguez, senior vice provost of academic affairs; Donna Riley, Jim and Ellen King Dean of Engineering and Computer; Maria Lane, interim dean of Graduate Studies; Christopher Lippitt, associate dean of research for the College of Arts and Sciences; Payman Zarkesh-Ha, director of the Center for High Technology and Materials and professor of electrical and computer engineering; Ganesh Balakrishnan, director of EPSCoR and professor of electrical and computer engineering; Lisa Kuuttila, president and chief economic development officer for UNM Rainforest Innovations, and Daniel Feezell.

11 a.m.-12:45 p.m. CHTM, Room 101. Lunch and talks with John McIver, former UNM physics department chair and vice president of research; and John Hall, Nobel Laureate and professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

12:45– 1:45 p.m. CHTM, Room 103. Seminar with Scott Diddams, OSE alum professor at University of Colorado, Boulder.

March 8:

1:30-4 p.m. Physics and Astronomy Interdisciplinary Science Building (PAIS) hallways and lobby. OSE student poster competition (judges from the national labs, UNM and industry, then winners announced.

4-5 p.m. PAIS Colloquium Room, 1100. Physics colloquium with Scott Diddams.

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