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Annual Report

SPECTRA Joint SPIE and OSA student chapter

2015-16

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Table of Contents Chapter Officers ......................................................................................................................................... 3

Current Members ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Chapter Highlights .................................................................................................................................... 5

Lightscapes: Art and Light Event, WUSTL ................................................................................. 5

Graduate Student Seminars ........................................................................................................ 5

In-reach/Outreach Events ........................................................................................................... 5

Group Structure ............................................................................................................................. 6

Financial Information .................................................................................................................. 6

Events for 2015-16.................................................................................................................................... 7

1. Lightscapes: Art and Light Event ................................................................................................ 7

2. SPECTRA Graduate Student Seminars..................................................................................... 15

3. Recruitment Event: Bowling ..................................................................................................... 18

4. Outreach Events .......................................................................................................................... 18

5. Officer Travel Grants and Other Opportunities .................................................................... 21

Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................. 22

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Chapter Officers 2015-2016 Chapter Officers

Advisor: Samuel Achilefu achilefus@mir.wustl.edu President: Rebecca Gilson rebecca.gilson@wustl.edu Vice-Presidents: Deep Hathi deep.hathi@wustl.edu, Leah Czerniewski

leahvandiver@wustl.edu, and Jonathan Bumstead jrbumstead@wustl.edu Secretary and Treasurer: Zachary Markow zemarkow@wustl.edu In-reach Coordinator: Leah Czerniewski leahvandiver@wustl.edu Outreach Coordinator: Deep Hathi deep.hathi@wustl.edu

2016-2017 Chapter Officers

Elections forthcoming on June 30, 2016. The new board will be sent out after that.

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Current Members SPIE members with current dues paid Leah Czerniewski

Andy Daniel

Rebecca Gilson

Huifeng Guan

Pengfei Hai

Ali Hariri

Deep Hathi

Zachary Markow

Suman Mondal

Joemini Poudel

Matthew Reisman

Arefeh Sherafati

Chenghung Yeh

Huzeyfe Yilmaz

SPIE alumni Mohammadreza Nasiriavanaki Shengkui Gao

Spectra members (other than dues-paying SPIE members listed above)

Nathan Anderson Ashton Hemphill Inema Orukari Behzad Babaei Alex Holehouse Samuel Powell Andrew Badachhape Simon Hsu Annie Pudvah Reekhia Basu Steven Huang Megan Radyk Adeline Bauder Deniz Ibrisim Ramesh Raliya Karla Bergonzi S. Reza Jafarzadeh Ryan Rees Beatrice Bertozzi Mengyi Jia Gerry Sann Macaraeg Rivera Tabbetha Bohac Qisheng Jiang Matt Rosene Aimee Bryan Linda Johnson Sally (Fatemeh) Saadat Jonathan Bumstead Dishant Khatri Luciano Santino Tracy Burns-Yocum Jihye Kim John Schmidt Anthony Cabrera Nathaniel King Nicole Seider Nikhik Chandra James Ko Vipul Sharma Po Hsu Chen Maiko Kume Steve Smith Adam Clemens Yosuke Kurokawa Avik Som Maria Coronelli Daniel Lane Jay Suo Nan Cui William Lewis Chanez Tiffany Valena Symister Babak Dehestani Nate Lin Sam Teeter Elizabeth Delassus Wenbo Lin Arashdeep Thind Tianben Ding Yutang Liu Tyson Todd Keith Dyson Yan Liu Ashraf Ul Kabir Nathan Endicott Madison Mack Hui Wang Andrew Fishell Dolonchampa Maji Geneva Williams Daniel Foust Radoslav M. Marinov Benjamin Wolf

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Mihika Gangolli Tushar Mathew Patrick Wright Shengkui Gao Hesam Mazidi Shaul Yahil Missael Garcia Darshit Mehta Dezhuang Ye Jeanette Gehrig Jessica Miller Shuangyue Zhang Cody Greer Ayan Mitra Fan Zhang Dinesh Gupta Chuanfen Ni Nero Zhou LeMoyne Habimana-Griffin

Spectra alumni

Tauseef Charanya Silvina Ferradal Mahlega Samira Hassanpour Yang Liu Vivak Shah Metasebya Solomon

Chapter Highlights

Lightscapes: Art and Light Event, WUSTL Spectra organized and hosted an event for the Washington University and St. Louis communities that featured light as art. Lightscapes: Art and Light Event drew over 30 submissions of artwork from the Washington University community. These included traditional artworks on paper that incorporated light into the composition as well as hands-on exhibits that used light in other forms. The event was the first of its kind for Spectra, and given the positive feedback, the Lightscapes event will be organized for the next academic year.

Graduate Student Seminars

The 2015-2016 SPECTRA group started a successful collaboration with the Imaging Sciences

Pathway (ISP) group at WUSTL. This involved a monthly seminar series featuring the work of

graduate students in SPECTRA and ISP as well as the research of new faculty who have research

grounded in imaging.

In-reach/Outreach Events Spectra members participated in three outreach events this year. These activities were held at St. Louis high schools were students learned about optics and photonics principles and participated in a hands-on activity focused on the lecture material. In addition to the Lightscapes event, Spectra held an in-reach bowling event for students at Washington University to recruit new members and promote interest in the optics, photonics, and imaging community.

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Chapter Organization

Group Structure Since the previous year, our group has increased meetings to twice monthly to plan upcoming events, with more frequent meetings as events require. These meetings are restricted to an hour and half and include refreshments for the members present during the course of the meeting. When more involved events are imminent, such the Lightscapes event, we meet weekly 2-3 weeks prior to the event. Tasks, such as coordinating event logistics (in-reach/outreach coordinator) with the schools and community centers, designing experiments (all members), and ensuring availability of resources (secretary, treasurer) for the event etc., are divided among members. Similarly, for seminars held for invited speakers, the president or vice presidents are responsible for coordinating the talks. Spectra members who are not officers are informed via email about events for their participation. Our joint SPIE and OSA chapters in Spectra continue to collaborate successfully. We have two vice president positions, one for SPIE and one for OSA. Following a closer collaboration with the Imaging Sciences Pathway program, we have included a third vice president position for this group within Spectra. These three positions have proved to be beneficial for our organization as evidenced by the success of our events. Communication with each organization is the task of that vice president. We have found that this allows us to be more responsive to all three organizations. In addition, the three vice presidents are better equipped to take on leadership roles within Spectra. For example, one vice president spearheaded the graduate student seminars while another led the organization of the Lightscapes event. This leadership style allowed multiple members to take on more responsibility while the Spectra president effectively led the group as a whole and provided support to the vice presidents during smaller event planning. Next year, we plan to continue our collaboration with the Imaging Sciences Pathway at Washington University. We hope that this collaboration diversifies the optics, photonics, and imaging research interests within our group. We also plan to work more closely with Dr. Matthew Lew, a new assistant professor at Washington University. We hope that this collaboration increases communication between faculty, graduate students, and post-docs within the optics and photonics community at Washington University. We aim to continue the graduate student seminar series and hold another Lightscapes event. Furthermore, we will increase the number of outreach activities and expand these events to middle and elementary schools. Spectra seeks to include a large and diverse group within the Washington University and St. Louis communities to increase and raise awareness of the possibilities within the optics and photonics community.

Financial Information Grants and expenditures (USD $ amounts, as of June 30, 2016)

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Officer in Charge or Funding Organization Description Date Received Spent

Balance Forward from FY2015* 1,151.18 0.00

Jonathan Bumstead Lego Microscope Supplies 7/12/15 0.00 74.08

SPIE SPIE Activity Grant 11/16/15 900.00 0.00

OSA Officer Meetings Grant 12/8/15 100.00 0.00

OSA Bowling Recruitment Grant 12/8/15 300.00 0.00

OSA Youth Education Grant for Lego Microscopes Outreach 12/8/15 500.00 0.00

Rebecca Gilson Food and Drink for Lightscapes 12/9/15 0.00 416.50

OSA Centennial Chapter Management Grant 1/7/16 400.00 0.00

Jonathan Bumstead Laser Harp Supplies 1/11/16 0.00 417.91

Jonathan Bumstead Lego Microscope Supplies 2 1/11/16 0.00 276.94

Leah Czerniewski Drinks and Ice for Lightscapes 1/12/16 0.00 46.19

Deep Hathi Supplies for Laser Maze 1/15/16 0.00 79.25

Deep Hathi Moolah Lanes Bowling Recruitment Event 2/4/16 0.00 300.00

Leah Czerniewski T-Shirt Purchase 2/8/16 0.00 136.80

Jonathan Bumstead Lego Microscope Supplies 3 2/9/16 0.00 160.88

Jonathan Bumstead Laser Harp Supplies 2 2/9/16 0.00 162.12

Current Total Balance 6/30/16 1,280.51 * Last year's annual report indicated a final account balance of $1370.31. That balance was inaccurate because: 1) that balance included $200 of University department and program sponsorship that was used directly from the sponsors’ accounts instead of being placed in Spectra's account, 2) that balance omitted $59.17 spent on website start-up costs on 3/13/2015, 3) that balance omitted $34.96 spent on 4/9/2015 for refreshments for our Year of Light Symposium in Spring 2015, and 4) that balance included a $0 balance forward from FY2014, which was lower than the amount present in our account at the end of June 2014 ($75). Note that $1370.31 - $200.00 - $59.17 - $34.96 + $75.00 = $1151.18.

Additional awarded grants to be used before January 2017:

SPIE Officer Travel Grant for 2016

Events for 2015-16 1. Lightscapes: Art and Light Event

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Following the success of the Year of Light Symposium from the previous year, SPECTRA once again sought to organize an event to raise awareness of the optics and photonics research at Washington University. The event Lightscapes featured artworks of many forms that integrated light into each composition. Artwork was submitted by a diverse group of students, post-docs, and faculty with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, engineering, and others. The event was well-attended by 75+ members of the Washington University and St. Louis community. Attendees enjoyed the integration of art and the physics of optics and photonics in each piece. Hands-on exhibits also promoted learning and appreciation of light in art.

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Figure 1. Program for Lightscapes: Art and Light Exhibit

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Figure 2. Flyers for Lightscapes were posted around both Washington University campuses. Additional advertisements were posted in the St. Louis Post Dispatch and on the St. Louis Public Radio website

events page in an effort to include the greater St. Louis community.

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The event was unique in that it was tailored to those in the biological sciences, engineering and physics,

and art community. Members of the Washington University and St. Louis community enjoyed 30

pieces of art, hands-on exhibits, and food and drink at the event. The artwork featured various

compositions captured by confocal and electron microscopy, polarization photography, and MRI,

among others.

Figure 3. Lightscapes attendees discuss the compositions on display.

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Luciano Santino, a graduate student in the Chemistry Department at Washington University, was

selected as the winner of Lightscapes. His work titled “Breadth Figure Array” depicted a micrograph

of the semiconductive material polyaniline.

Figure 4. Lightscapes winner Luciano Santino (second from right) stands by his artwork “Breadth Figure

Array” with his PI Dr. Julio D’Arcy (far left) and colleagues.

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Lightscapes featured exhibits that allowed attendees to experience many forms of art and light. These included a laser harp, laser maze, and long-exposure exhibit. The long-exposure exhibit “Spectra of a Spectra” was a hands-on activity where attendees could capture the movement of light in a single image through the use of a long-exposure, or slow shutter speed. This exhibit was popular among both adults and children alike.

Figure 5. Long exposure images captured lines of light as attendees traced bodies, spelled names, or

made designs in front of a camera with a slow shutter speed.

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Figure 6. The laser harp concept was on display at Lightscapes. Since the event, Spectra members

have built a working laser harp that has been featured at two different events. The laser harp will be used for inreach and outreach events in the future.

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Figure 7. Lightscapes featured in ‘The Record’—the official newsletter of Washington University in St. Louis.

Lightscapes was well-received by members of the university and greater St. Louis community.

Following the successful event, a story in the university newsletter, The Record, highlighted

Lightscapes and the long exposure exhibit. Spectra expects the positive press surrounding the event to

increase attendance for the next year. 2. SPECTRA Graduate Student Seminars Our joint SPIE and OSA group teamed up with the Imaging Science Pathway Program at Washington University to start a monthly seminar series. We held six graduate student seminars featuring ten different speakers. Five of the seminars featured graduate students presenting their research as it relates to optics, photonics, and imaging. These seminars were well-attended by approximately 20 graduate students and post-docs for each date. Food and drink were

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provided at each seminar which helped to create a relaxed and fun environment for students to learn about new topics in optics, photonics, and the imaging field. The last seminar of the year featured a talk by Dr. Matthew Lew, a new assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering. The seminar series also alternated between the medical and main Washington University campus. This allowed a larger and more diverse group of students to attend the seminars. Given the success of this graduate student seminar series, we plan to continue this for the next academic year.

Speaker's Name Date Speaker’s Level Speaker's Primary Department Andrew Badachhape 9/22/15 PhD Student Biomedical Engineering

Jonathan Bumstead 9/22/15 PhD Student Biomedical Engineering

Samuel Powell 10/22/15 PhD Student Computer Science and Engineering

Huzeyfe Yilmaz 10/22/15 PhD Student Institute for Materials Science and Engineering

Mihika Gangolli 11/19/15 PhD Student Biomedical Engineering

Matthew Reisman 11/19/15 PhD Student Physics

Rebecca Gilson 1/21/16 PhD Student Biomedical Engineering

Arefeh Sherafati 1/21/16 PhD Student Physics

Leah Czerniewski 2/24/16 PhD Student Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Matthew Lew 4/20/16 Assistant Professor Electrical and Systems Engineering

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Figure 8. Flyer for the Graduate Student Seminar Series and an outreach event (discussed in section 4).

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Figure 9. Students enjoy food and discussion at the Graduate Student Seminar Series.

3. Recruitment Event: Bowling We hosted a bowling social for those in the optics and photonics community attended by over 15 students. The goal of the event was to create a more diverse optics community on campus. Students from several different departments not typically represented in the optics community attended the bowling event. Their interests ranged from chemistry to biomedical engineering to plant biology. Several attendees at the event decided to join the Spectra mailing list to participate in future gatherings. 4. Outreach Events Spectra held three outreach events at St. Louis high schools. Spectra continued to develop its multi-year relationship with Soldan International Studies High School, a local St. Louis magnet school. We participated in two outreach events with Soldan AP physics students over the year. During the first event, students learned about light microscopy and then built a

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microscope out of Legos and lenses. The second outreach event was focused on interference and diffraction. After a short lecture on these concepts, students used Laser Blox, lasers specifically designed for a classroom setting, to determine the wavelength of the laser light. Then students determined the width of a human hair using diffraction. The third outreach event was held at Gateway STEM High School were AP physics students also learned about light microscopy and built Lego microscopes. At each outreach event, food was provided to the students after the class finished using the funds from the SPIE and OSA student chapters.

Figure 10. Advanced Placement Physics Students at Soldan High School worked in pairs to build their Lego microscopes from the ground up.

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Figure 11. Spectra member Deep Hathi (standing at smart board) discusses interference and diffraction concepts with students at Soldan High School.

Figure 12. Advanced Placement Physics Students at Soldan High School determine the focal length of their lens and celebrate the successful completion of their Lego microscope.

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5. Officer Travel Grants and Other Opportunities Travel Grant Matt Reisman and Jon Bumstead received the SPIE Officer Travel Grant to participate in the SPIE Student leadership workshop at SPIE OP15, San Diego. They participated in the Outreach Olympics and presented a poster detailing our chapter activities. They both gained leadership skills and expanded their interest in SPIE after attending the conference. Our chapter greatly appreciated the travel grant and the opportunities it provided to our members.

Figure 13. Matt Reisman (second from left) and Jon Bumstead (taking picture) meet with other SPIE members at SPIE OP15, San Diego.

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Conclusions

The 2015-2016 year has seen substantial positive growth for Spectra with the addition

of several new events and members. The integration of the Imaging Sciences Pathway into our

joint SPIE and OSA group has helped expand and diversify our chapter. Our members have

successfully planned many events throughout the year. Lightscapes: An Art and Light Exhibition

was the first of its kind at Washington University that brought together many different

disciplines to share and enjoy light as art. The inreach and outreach events expanded our

community’s interest and knowledge in optics, photonics, and imaging. The Spectra Graduate

Student Seminar series became a regular forum to share research in optics, photonics, and

imaging. This series effectively connected graduate students from different disciplines and

created a relaxed atmosphere to promote fruitful discussions. Furthermore, the final seminar by

Dr. Lew created a new connection for our group. Dr. Lew has since met with the Spectra board

to discuss ways to expand Spectra. We are eager to work with Dr. Lew in the upcoming year to grow all aspects of Spectra and our SPIE chapter at Washington University.