The Institute of Optics

Goergen Hall: Biomedical Engineering and Optics

The Institute of Optics is a department and research center at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. The institute grants degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels through the University of Rochester School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Since its founding, the institute has granted over 2,500 degrees in optics, making up about half of the degrees awarded in the field in the United States. The institute is made up of 20 full-time professors, 12 professors with joint appointments in other departments, 10 adjunct professors, 5 research scientists, 11 staff, about 170 undergraduate students and about 110 graduate students.[1]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Academic programs
* 3 Notable faculty
* 4 Research areas
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## History[edit]

Founded in 1929, through a grant from Eastman Kodak and Bausch and Lomb, the institute is the oldest educational program in the United States devoted to optics.[2][3] During World War I, many American defense companies relied heavily on German optics. The need for an American-based institution of optical training became apparent when the flow of German imports, including optics, attenuated.

The Institute of Optics has long been deeply involved in American optics study and research. The Optical Society of America was founded in 1916 by 30 optical scientists and instrument makers based in Rochester.

The proximity of Rochester to many optical companies has provided an excellent environment for collaboration with industry, as well as funding for research. Companies have in the past included Xerox, Eastman Kodak and Bausch and Lomb but the institute's Industrial Associates has expanded to include nearly 50 companies. Notable local members include Optimax, Corning Inc and L3Harris. Altogether there are over 100 companies in the Rochester NY and Finger Lakes region for whom optics, photonics, and lasers are a central part of the business.

The Institute of Optics occupied the top floor of Bausch and Lomb Hall from 1931 to 1977. Currently, the institute is primarily housed in the Wilmot Building on the River Campus of the University of Rochester; construction began in 1961 with support from NASA, as well as other buildings and centers, including the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The institute successfully expanded into the new Robert B. Goergen Hall for Biomedical Engineering and Optics, which was completed in March 2007 and was dedicated on May 17, 2007.[4]

In 2018, Donna Strickland, became the institute's first alumnus to become a Nobel laureate, winning the Nobel Prize in Physics with former institute professor Gérard Mourou.

## Academic programs[edit]

The Institute of Optics has been granting degrees in optics since its founding in 1929. Beginning with a BS program that included foundational physics, optical design and engineering, optical physics, and medical optics, the program eventually expanded to include MS and PhD programs. The first graduate of the institute was Arthur Ingalls (BS 1932). The first graduate of the MS and PhD programs was Robert E. Hopkins, who later became a professor and director of the institute. Now part of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the institute continues to offer BS, MS and PhD degrees and has an enrollment of about 300 students. Students go on to careers in optical engineering, optical physics, entrepreneurship, biomedical sciences, and a variety of other career paths.

## Notable faculty[edit]

* Professor and former Director Duncan Moore: Former President of Optica, Pioneer in the field of gradient index optics and leader in technical entrepreneurship.
* Professor and former Director Xicheng Zhang: Pioneer in the field of teraHertz technology.
* Professor and former Director P. Scott Carney: Pioneer in the field of physical optics with notable contributions to biomedical optics.
* Professor and former Director Wayne H. Knox: Former Director of the Advanced Photonics Research Department at Bell Labs and pioneer in ultrafast optics and femtosecond laser ophthalmology.
* Professor and current director Thomas G. Brown: Noted for the study of unconventional polarization states of light and leader in AIM Photonics.
* Professor Govind Agrawal: Pioneer and highly cited author in Optical Communications, Optical Fibers, and Nonlinear Optics.
* Professor Robert W. Boyd: Pioneer and highly cited author in non-linear optics and quantum optics.
* Professor David Williams: Former director of the Center for Visual Science, pioneer in the use of adaptive optics for retinal imaging.
* Professor Susana Marcos: Current director of the Center for Visual Science, pioneer in vision science and engineering.
* Professor Joseph H. Eberly: Pioneer in the field of quantum optics, former President of the Optical Society of America, and founding editor of Optics Express, the first open access publication in optics.
* Professor James Zavislan: Professor of Optics, Biomedical Engineering and Ophthalmology.
* Professor James Fienup: Pioneer in optical imaging and phase retrieval.
* Professor Chunlei Guo: Pioneer in femtosecond laser processing of materials.
* Professor Andrew Berger: Award-winning educator and expert in biomedical optics.
* Professor Julie Bentley : Award-winning educator and expert in optical design.
* Professor Jannick Rolland: Director of the Center for Freeform Optics and the Robert E. Hopkins Center for Optical Design and Engineering.
* Former Professor Susan Houde-Walter: Former President of Optica, Entrepreneur, Pioneer in the field of optical materials.
* Former Professor and Director Dennis G. Hall: Pioneer in the field of guided-wave optics and electromagnetic theory and was among the first to predict the emergence of silicon photonics.
* Former Professor and Interim Director Ian Walmsley: Pioneer in Quantum Optics, co-invented Spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER), formerly of the University of Oxford Department of Physics, currently Provost of Imperial College (London UK).
* Former Professor Lukas Novotny: Pioneer in nano-optics.
* Professor emeritus Carlos Stroud: Pioneer in the field of quantum optics and Quantum Information.
* Professor emeritus and former Director Nicholas George: Pioneer in physical optics and electronic imaging.
* Late Professor Leonard Mandel: Pioneer in the field of quantum optics, first demonstrated photon self interference, discovered the Mandel Formula.
* Late Professor Rudolf Kingslake: Pioneer in the field of lens design, founding faculty member.
* Late Professor Robert E. Hopkins: Pioneer in the field of optical engineering, former director and founder of Tropel Corporation.
* Late Professor M. Parker Givens: Director of the institute from 1975 to 1977
* Late Professor Stephen Jacobs: Pioneer in Liquid Crystals, and in Magneto-Rheological Finishing.
* Late Professor Emil Wolf: Pioneer in the field of coherence theory and quantum optics, predicted the Wolf Effect.
* Late Professor and former Director Kenneth Teegarden: Pioneer in exciton physics and color centers.

## Research areas[edit]

* Biomedical optics
* Coherence theory
* Fiber optics
* Quantum optics
* Laser physics
* Polarization
* Non-linear optics
* Laser-based nuclear fusion
* Nanotechnology
* Integrated Photonics especially Silicon Photonics
* Vision Science and Vision Engineering
* Optical Engineering
* Freeform Optics
* Optical Design and Optical Metrology

## References[edit]

1. ^ The Institute of Optics: About the Institute
2. ^ Labs for the 21st Century: Archived 2007-04-17 at the Wayback Machine Partnership Program
3. ^ T. Russell Wilkins, "The Institute of Applied Optics of the U. of R.," The Journal of the Optical Society of America, XXI (1931), 369-387. Anon., "Unusual Optical Development made Possible by Cooperation of Local Industries," RAR, VII (1929), no. 3, 72-73.
4. ^ University of Rochester: Office of the President: Diversity Task Force Report: State of the University Presentation to the Faculty Senate

## External links[edit]

* The Institute of Optics
* Center for Optics Manufacturing

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University of Rochester

Academics|

* College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
* Eastman School of Music
* Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development
* School of Medicine and Dentistry
* School of Nursing
* Simon Business School
* The Institute of Optics

Campuses and locations|

* River Campus
* University of Rochester Medical Center
* South Campus
* Rush Rhees Library
* Memorial Art Gallery
* George Eastman Museum
* Eastman Theatre
* Sibley Music Library
* University of Rochester Arboretum

Research facilities|

* C. E. K. Mees Observatory
* Laboratory for Laser Energetics
* University of Rochester Medical Center
* Golisano Children's Hospital
* Strong Memorial Hospital

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