PODCAST · science
The Spotlight Report
by The Spotlight Report
The Spotlight Report is a podcast in which we discuss science, research, and other topics with the goal of educating and critically exploring different topics. Additionally, the human side of science is often under appreciated and not discussed, thus, it is a huge effort to capture and explore the less talked about joys and struggles of the sciences with a focus on the humanity that powers the cutting edge discoveries of our world. Take a listen and leave a comment!
Episodes
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Kashmira Nakhoda on The Journey from Large Optics Metrology to X-Ray Synchrotron Application Design and Metrology
Dr. Kashmira Nakhoda sat down to discuss her journey through optics. Kashmira shared her early work on metrology and scattering modeling of the DKIST 4.2 m primary mirror and how she progressed to X-Ray synchotron application metrology and design. She also explored what makes a lab group, or any...
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Travis Sawyer on Early Cancer Detection with Multimodal Optical Imaging
Dr. Travis Sawyer, Professor of Optical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Health Sciences, and Medicine, was kind enough to speak with me about how multimodal optical imaging can improve early cancer diagnosis in ovarian and esophageal cancers. Travis…
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Hyemin Yoo on the Sine Condition Test, Deflectometry, and Optical Alignment
I spoke with Hyemin Yoo, who recently completed her dissertation on a combined Sine Condition/Deflectometry test method for optical alignment. Hyemin discusses the methodology in detail, starting with an introduction to the background of optical alignment, the sine condition test, and...
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Eric Goodwin on Interferometry, Optics, and Metrology
Eric Goodwin wrote the Field Guide to Interferometric Testing, and now is the Director of Optical Sciences at Nikon Research Corporation of America. In his work, he has undoubtedly worked on cutting edge optical systems and products, providing him a unique insight into delivering reliable…
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Joel Berkson on Fringe Metrology and Starting an Optical Metrology Company
Joel Berkson sat down to discuss forming his optical metrology company, Fringe Metrology. Joel discusses the ups and downs of creating a startup, why more people should try it, and how to evaluate a product market fit before diving in head first. Joel expands on how they have refined Fringe...
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Pearl John on Utilizing Holography for Art and Outreach
Dr. Pearl John sat down to discuss her work in art, holography, and optics outreach. Pearl discusses her artwork, which touches upon both the very human side of time, memories, and relationships, as well as pieces that help to promote and explain complex science topics. Throughout her work, a...
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Wayne Geerling on Using Pop Culture and Chat GPT In Teaching Economics
Wayne Geerling discusses his research and work in utilizing pop culture to engage students in introductory Economics courses. Pop culture, from Squid Game to Taylor Swift, can tell us quite a lot about various core economics concepts, and Dr. Geerling has leveraged the accessiblity and appeal of...
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Bill Green on Looking Up, Street Astronomy, and Light Pollution
NOTE: If you or someone you know has achromatic doublets they would donate to Bill for his street astronomy, reach out! Bill is looking for doublets and his contact info can be found at philly moon men, or you can comment below. This time we are joined by Bill Green, who was a founder of Philly...
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Donn Silberman on a Career in Optics, Education, and Outreach
This week I spoke with Donn Silberman, who first entered optics in 1976 as a high school student, getting involved in astronomy. Donn shared his insights from his career in optics, in not only engineering but also sales and management. Additionally, he discussed founding the Optics Institute of...
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Dr. Eva Acosta on Visual Optics, Wavefront Coding, and Imaging through Cataracts
Dr. Eva Acosta sat down to share her research in the area of visual optics. She discussed how she entered the field of optics and specific visual optics, her work on wavefront coding, cataract imaging, and intraocular lenses. It was a pleasure to speak with Dr. Acosta and her work is not only...
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Heejoo Choi on Innovative Optical Designs
In this episode, I sat down with Heejoo Choi. Heejoo recently won the Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award He won the award for an innovative UV cross-dispersion space telescope and engineering of a laser-truss LBT metrology system. He is currently an assistant research professor at…
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David Shafer on His Philosophy of Optical Design
In this episode, I sat down with David Shafer. David has been creating incredible and cutting edge lens designs for decades; my first introduction to his work were his free slides he posted which looked like magic to me at the time. David discusses how he got into optics, his background in...
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Graves on Creating a Science Startup
In this episode, we do something a bit new, in that I am the person being interviewed by previous guest Kris Ford. I talk about my own perspectives on being a co-founder of ELE Optics, the general experience , fun, and stress of a startup. I do want to give warning this episode is lighter on...
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Bob Parks on the Point Source Microscope, Alignment, and Optics
In this episode, Bob Parks discusses his background in optics. For those who are not aware, Bob has been a key figure in the world of optics, being a force to establish using an auto-stigmatic microscope for all sorts of alignment and assembly of optical systems (and that is only a small portion…
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Craig Ament on Thin Films, Entrepreneurship, and Founding Arizona Thin Films
In this episode, Craig Ament discusses thin films and their near universal application in the optics industry. He comments on how he started his company, Arizona Thin Films, key considerations in incorporating films into a design, and what unique features his company provides. Craig also…
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David Aikens and Eric Herman on Modern Optical Drawings: The ISO10110 Companion
I sat down with Dave Aikens and Eric Herman to discuss their recent book “Modern Optical Drawings: The ISO10110 Companion”, which they co-authored along with Richie Youngworth. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for those who need to get an optic made. It concisely serves as a companion...
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Dr. Shelby D V Ament on Computer Generated Holograms, Metrology, and Art
This week I spoke with Dr. Shelby D V Ament, who is currently a senior optical scientist at Arizona Optical Metrology. Shelby discusses how she decided to enter optics, why art was an essential aspect of arriving into the field, and her dissertation work pairing holograms and solar energy. She…
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Erin McDermott on creating Odd Engineer, overcoming obstacles, and determination
This week we spoke with Erin McDermott, who has most recently created Odd Engineer, a service for companies to find experts in a field who they can quickly speak to for expert advice. Erin discusses how she got into optics, the many obstacles she faced along her career, and the stunning...
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Henry Quach on how COVID has affected graduate research.
In this episode, Henry Quach, who is in his third year of the Wyant College of Optics graduate program, discusses how his research has been affected by COVID-19. This is a fascinating topic as we discuss how this period of graduate school is already typically one of the more challenging yet...
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Julius Muschaweck on Illumination and Education
Our guest this week is Julius Muschaweck, who has an extensive and impressive background in illumination. He discusses his prior work in the field, the importance of LEDs, and his current work on fostering education on this overlooked area of physics and creating an active illumination community.…
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Dr. Araceli Venegas-Gomez on Qureca, Quantum Optics, and the future of quantum industry
This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Araceli Venegas-Gomez. Araceli received her doctorate in Quantum Optics from the University of Strathclyde, and is the founder and CEO of Qureca, a company leading the way on creating and strengthening bridges between companies and the workforce…
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Dr. Patrick Hagar on Material Chemistry, Films, Adhesives, and Finding Success and Innovation in Industry
We were extremely fortunate to have Dr. Pat Hagar sit down with us for this episode. Pat received his doctorate in polymer material science, which provided him with a strong science background for his 30 year career at the 3M Corporation. Pat discusses some of the applications of films and...
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Dr Kris Ford on Plasma Physics, Analytical Chemistry, and Life After Graduate School
This week Dr. Kris Ford sat down to talk about his dissertation topic on plasma physics, and his life after graduate school. Dr. Ford received his PhD in nuclear physics studying plasma diagnostic methods. After graduating, he has gone on to lead an analytical chemistry lab studying and…
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Dr Heejoo Choi On Large Astronomical Optics
This month Dr. Heejoo Choi sat down to discus active and adaptive optics measures utilized in a range of astronomical telescopes. Specifically, Dr. Choi’s work brings him into frequent contact with a unique subset of astronomical optics known as ‘extremely large telescopes’, which are designated…
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Henry Quach On 3D Printing
Henry Quach is in the graduate program for optical sciences, where he is pursuing his PhD. Henry has been an avid learner and fabricator in the 3D printing realm, both as a hobby and for research projects. He walks us through some of the cutting edge 3D printing technologies that have emerged…
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David Vega on Falloposcope Design and Biomedical Optics
This week we sat down with optical scientist David Vega, who performs optical design in Dr. Jennifer Barton’s tissue optics lab at the University of Arizona. David discusses how he found his way into the optical design field, and specifically biomedical optics. From there, we discuss the…
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Dr. Hannah Grant on Opportunities and Challenges in Silicon Photonics
This week we spoke with Dr. Hannah Grant, who completed her PhD at UCSD with a focus on photonics on silicon. We last spoke with Hannah about her prior research on optical switches. Today, Dr. Grant walks us through her dissertation, titled “Opportunities and Challenges in Silicon Photonics...
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Lisa Li on Vision, Computer Science, and Culture
This week we spoke with Lisa Li, who is a Ph.D. student at the College of Optics as University of Arizona. She completed her MSc at Newcastle University, where her thesis, title ‘Colour constancy modelling with a biologically-inspired neural network structure’ was jointly done between the…
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Dr. Maham Aftab on Modal Integration
In this weeks episode we sit down with Maham Aftab, who has an extensive background in the sciences as well as activism for a variety of causes. We discuss her most recent publication, in which she used Chebyshev gradient polynomials as a basis set for modal integration. She discusses the…
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Round Table 2: What is your reason for doing?
In this round table we discuss the idea of equity and meaning behind a degree, specifically a higher education degree in optics (which I will come back to). The central question is whether or not there is a problem with the amount of work, or quality of work, behind the same degree between two...
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Nirantha Balagopal on Industry, Optics, and Math
This week we sat down with Nirantha Balagopal to discuss her current work in industry at Edmund Optics. She also talked about her prior masters work at the University of Arizona as well as her studies in math and its ongoing application towards everyday life. For all of our optical engineers out...
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Discuss, don't Lecture-Optics Roundtable No. 1
This is the first optics roundtable conversation. The roundttable format is a new thing we are trying out, in which a group of scientists will gather over beers to discuss some interesting current topic in science. In this week’s episode Edward LaVilla and Neil Momson joined the conversation to...
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Dr. Edward LaVilla on Visual Optics, Inspiration, and the Spirit of Learning
In this episode we sit down with the extremely dynamic Edward LaVilla, who is working on obtaining his doctorate in optical engineering. His work focuses on visual optics, although he has done research in a variety of other sub-fields inside of optics. Further, he brings the unique perspective of...
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Dr. Shuang Wu on Biostatistics
This week we spoke with Dr. Shuang Wu, who received his doctorate in research relating to embryonic stem cell work. He decided to slightly alter his research focus and began working on bio-statistics. Dr. Shuang Wu shares his insights on what bio-statistics means for the average person, the…
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Spencer on Podiatry
Daniel Spencer is a medical student who will be receiving his doctorate in podiatric medicine in May. This is an often overlooked field of medicine, which focuses on the foot, ankle, and lower leg area. Daniel sheds light on the field, current important topics in podiatry, as well as general...
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Dr. Abdullah Zafar on plasma diagnostics for nuclear fusion
This week we spoke with Abdullah Zafar, whose work focuses on diagnostics of plasma. Zafar discusses how optical spectroscopy can be used to study plasma effects and dynamics, which leads to a more robust understanding of plasma. There is some very interesting and cutting edge engineering at play...
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Dr. Kris Ford on Plasma Research and Nuclear Engineering
Dr. Kris Ford sat down to discuss plasma research, higher education, and motivation. At the time of this interview, Dr. Ford was a Ph.D. candidate in nuclear engineering, specifically plasma research. He discusses the intricacies of his current work, including the ultra high precision fabrication...
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Dr. John Koshel on Illumination, the Century of Light, and Academics
Dr. John Koshel, the Associate Dean as the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona sat down to discuss illumination, the Century of Light, and academics. Dr. Koshel has a long background in optical sciences, ranging from laser based research in graduate school at Rochester to...
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Oliver Spires on Optical Fabrication
This week Oliver Spires sat down to discuss optical fabrication. This is a topic often taken for-granted by optical scientists, as optical fabrication is the conversion of a theoretical component to a real and usable piece. Oliver discusses techniques and methodologies such as diamond turning and...
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Dr. Cooper-Sood on using Ketamine for Pain Management in Sickle Cell Anemia Patients
Dr. Johnathan Cooper-Sood sits down to discuss his research on novel pain management methods in patients who suffer from sickle cell anemia. These patients suffer extreme, chronic life long pain. Dr. Cooper-Sood discusses the current pain management protocol, which traditionally relies heavily on...
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Dr. Chris Summitt on Optic Chip Interconnects
Dr. Chris Summitt talks about a new fabrication process of a polymer out-of-plane optical coupler by gray-scale lithography. Dr. Summitt discusses the motivation for optical chip interconnects, the limitations on fabrication methods, and his novel technique and results. Additionally, he comments…
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Hannah Grant on Characterizing Silicon Photonic Switches
Hannah Grant discusses her work which focuses on Silicon Photonics. Most recently she has developed and demonstrated a heuristic characterization of Si-Photonic switches. While Si-Photonics is impressive technology, a characterization method has been lacking. Hannah covers her recent work, the...
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Neil Momsen on SPECT Imaging
Neil Momsen, a graduate student whose research focuses on biomedical imaging applications, explains the working concept for a SPECT imaging system. There is discussion covering the system components, theory, noise, and statics. Neil sheds some light on a device we take for granted in medical...
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Dr. Christine Bradley on Spectropolarimetric Observations
Dr. Christine Bradley discusses her doctoral work on spectropolarimetric imaging, which was used to map the polarimetric BRDF of various Earth based zones. An alternative way to thinking about this is a mapping of the reflectance of various common zones on Earth. Dr. Bradley discusses some of the...
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Dr. Chase Salsbury on the Unspoken Challenges of Graduate School
This week we sit down with Chase Salsbury and have a candid conversation about some of the common challenges graduate students face, particularly ones that are not often spoken of outside of grad students. This is a topic that we think is extremely important to talk about and we hope you enjoy…
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Dae Wook Kim on Large Optics
Dr. Dae Wook Kim is the head of the LOFT group at the College of Optics at the University of Arizona. While his original background was in astronom, he came to the University of Arizona and completed his PhD in optical sciences. His dissertation covered computer controlled surface figuring for...
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Graves on Infrared Deflectometry
This week we discuss infrared deflectometry and its applications towards large optics fabrication. By utilizing a long wavlength, surfaces that are not reflective in the visible are able to be tested using deflectometry. Some of the challenges that went into the IR deflectometry system, including...
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The Large Optics and Fabrication Group
This week we introduce the first series for The Spotlight Report, which will be the LOFT Group. The LOFT Group (large optics and fabrication technology) focuses on metrology research, such as CGH’s and deflectometry, as well as fabrication breakthroughs, including polishing methods, materials…
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Trumper on Instantaneous Phase Shifting Deflectometry
We sit down this week with Isaac Trumper to discuss his new work on an instantaneous phase shifting deflectometry system he developed and deployed on an iPhone. His work allows for dynamic metrology of optical surfaces in an extremely low cost form. Background: Deflectometry is a specific method...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Spotlight Report is a podcast in which we discuss science, research, and other topics with the goal of educating and critically exploring different topics. Additionally, the human side of science is often under appreciated and not discussed, thus, it is a huge effort to capture and explore the less talked about joys and struggles of the sciences with a focus on the humanity that powers the cutting edge discoveries of our world. Take a listen and leave a comment!
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How many episodes does The Spotlight Report have?
The Spotlight Report currently has 49 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Spotlight Report about?
The Spotlight Report is a podcast in which we discuss science, research, and other topics with the goal of educating and critically exploring different topics. Additionally, the human side of science is often under appreciated and not discussed, thus, it is a huge effort to capture and explore the...
How often does The Spotlight Report release new episodes?
The Spotlight Report has 49 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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The Spotlight Report is created and hosted by The Spotlight Report.
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