The Spotlight Report

The Spotlight Report

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The Spotlight Report episodes

  • 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 in Quantum. We spoke in depth about how Araceli entered into quantum optics from being an aerospace engineer, why she created a quantum company, and what she views as the future of quantum industry and key skills needed by companies now. This was a very enjoyable conversation for me, and I learned quite a bit about an and field of quantum, which was previously very opaque and confusing. Dr. Venegas-Gomez's insight on the diversity of workforce needed for quantum, and the various avenues to enter the field were refreshing and eye opening to me for a field traditionally considered extremely esoteric and confined to the highest reaches of academia. Highly recommended.

    Related Reading and Links:

    1. Qureca
    2. Building The Quantum Workforce Of The Future
    3. Quantum Optics and Quantum Many-body Systems- Andrew Daley's Research group at the University of Strathclyde
    4. The U.S. National Quantum Initiative: From Act to action
    5. A list of courses offered by Qureca in the fall, for anyone interested I strongly recommend reaching out (I for one may be looking into Quantum for everyone!):
      • Quantum for everyone (introductory course and quantum technologies overview).
      • Quantum Computing algorithms for Finance 
      • Finance introduction for quantum algorithms
      • Applications in Quantum Chemistry
      • Quantum and AI
      • QKD technology
      • Quantum computing hardware

        • 58 min
      • 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 adhesives that he worked on during his time at 3M, what driving factors motivate innovation and product development, and what optical considerations exist with respect to films and adhesives. Pat also speaks about his personal experience inside of a corporation, and how he found success and growth in his role and how to collaborate in industry, as team centric work becomes essential. Overall, I just want to say Pat is a hugely impressive scientist and engineer, and a fantastic person; I highly recommend this episode.


        Related Readings:

        Tony Kinlock (Material Scientist): https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.kinloch

        Fracture Mechanics (Introduction, MIT): https://web.mit.edu/course/3/3.11/www/modules/frac.pdf

        John Scalzi (Sci-Fi Author): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scalzi

        The Long Earth (Recommended Sci-Fi Book): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Earth

        Robert Johnson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson

        Reverend Gary Davis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverend_Gary_Davis

        Archeology Southwest: https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/

        1 hr 16 min
      • 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 classifying cannabis products. Dr. Ford shares interesting insight regarding receiving feedback that your dissertation topic may not be novel, how to complete a thesis, and what challenges exist in industry post graduation. 


        We have also shifted to a new format with the podcast, and we have a new host! Please let us know what you think of the new format.


        Related Reading:

        Plasma (Wikipedia): a high-level overview of plasma physics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_%28physics%29

        Pulse Plasma (UT Dallas): an older report on the uses and methods to pulse plasma. Probably outdated at this point. https://personal.utdallas.edu/~overzet/Puls_97/

        Effective Altruism: the website for a group that supports effective altruism. Not necessarily meant as the definitive guide on it. https://www.effectivealtruism.org/

        Peter Singer TED Talk on Effective Altruism: a brief TED talk discussing the merits and methods for effective altruism. https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_singer_the_why_and_how_of_effective_altruism

        Why introductory chemistry lab is boring by Trevor Klee: an article discussing why intro chem lab is boring and may not serve us well when learning chemistry. Highly recommend. https://get21stnight.com/2019/12/27/why-introductory-chemistry-is-boring-a-long-term-historical-perspective/

        Golijov: La Pasión según San Marcos: Lating/African contemporary classical music. Absolutely beautiful and highly recommend. https://www.amazon.com/Golijov-Pasi%C3%B3n-seg%C3%BAn-San-Marcos/dp/B0036OC9ME/ref=pd_sbs_15_1/135-5854595-2558859?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0036OC9ME&pd_rd_r=d55f40a5-bb93-495f-99ee-206472608ff3&pd_rd_w=F8snG&pd_rd_wg=yqtOp&pf_rd_p=bdd201df-734f-454e-883c-73b0d8ccd4c3&pf_rd_r=07CAMTV3BK24DAJN8K4T&psc=1&refRID=07CAMTV3BK24DAJN8K4T

        Electrostatic Chromatography: an intro to electrostatic chromatography on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrophilic_interaction_chromatography

        Conversations with Tyler: a podcast hosted by economist Tyler Cowen which covers a truly stunning array of topics. Recommend for just about anyone as there is almost assured a guest you will find interesting. https://conversationswithtyler.com/

        1 hr 32 min
      • 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 as having a clear aperture larger than 10 meters. Dr. Choi explains what some of the tools and devices are that allow for keeping such massive optics and structures aligned throughout long exposure sessions and in variable environments.
        Related Reading:
        Dr. Heejoo Choi Profile: http://www.loft.optics.arizona.edu/members/post-doc/heejoo-choi/
        Nonlinear Optics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonlinear_optics
        Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBT): http://www.lbto.org/
        What are Active and Adaptive Optics: https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/develop/ao/what_ao.html
        Telescope Seeing Limit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_seeing
        Reference laser star-ARGOS for LBT: http://www.mpe.mpg.de/ir/argos
        Econtalk Gerd Gigerenzer on Gut Feelings: https://www.econtalk.org/gerd-gigerenzer-on-gut-feelings/
        European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT): https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/eelt/
        Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT): https://www.tmt.org/
        NASA Space Borne Balloon Telescopes: https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/balloon/
        Wikipedia on Space Balloon Telescopes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon-borne_telescope
        55 min
      • 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, and explores what this means for rapid prototyping both in a research and industry application. Finally, Henry comments on the possible future trends for 3D printing.
        Related Reading:
        1) FDM 3D printing: https://www.stratasys.com/fdm-technology
        2) Thingaverse.com- free 3D models: https://www.thingiverse.com/
        3) Prussa I3 KM3: https://www.prusa3d.com/original-prusa-i3-mk3/
        4) Stereolithography: https://www.livescience.com/38190-stereolithography.html
        5) Digital Light Processing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Light_Processing
        6) CLIP-Continuous liquid interface production: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_Liquid_Interface_Production
        7) The Maker Movement: https://time.com/104210/maker-faire-maker-movement/
        8) Addressing Ethics of Synthetic Human Organs: https://elifesciences.org/articles/20674
        9) 3D Printing a Miniature Human Heart: https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/3d-printing-mini-heart
        10) A Swifter way of Printing Organs: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190906172436.htm
        11) 3D Printing for Bioengineering: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/cp-fwb081116.php
        1 hr 6 min
      • 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 challenges that endoscopy imposes on optical design, and the unique additional challenges encountered when designing endoscopes for ovarian cancer detection.
        Further Resources:
        1) Dr. Barton’s Lab: http://bmeoptics.engr.arizona.edu/
        2) Ovarian Cancer Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovarian_cancer
        3) Histology Wikipedia Page, offers excellent images showing what a histologist will typically have to look through to make a diagnosis. :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histology
        59 min
      • 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 Systems”. In addition, Dr. Grant shares her outlook on the graduate process, advice for the job search, and where the future of optical communication may be.
        As always, we thank our guest Dr. Hannah Grant look forward to our listeners comments!
        References
        Dr. Hannah Grant’s Dissertation (Draft Version): http://www.airyinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/HRG_Thesis_DraftVersion.pdf
        Optical Switches : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_switch
        Photonics: https://www.rp-photonics.com/photonics.html
        Crosstalk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk
        1 hr 3 min
      • 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 Computer Science and Neuroscience departments, under advisers Prof. Marcus Kaiser and Prof. Anya Hurlbert. Lisa briefly discussed her past work at Newcastle. Additionally, she comments about the cultural differences she witnessed between graduate schools, and some of the unique experiences she has encountered as a woman in the sciences. Lisa Li shed light on a fascinating field of science which we all have intuitively experienced and provides valuable insight on how to navigate a career in the sciences!
        As always, we thank our guest Lisa Li and we eagerly look forward to our listeners comments!
        References:
        1) Dr. Marcus Kaiser Dynamic Connectome Lab: https://www.dynamic-connectome.org/
        2) Dr. Anya Hurlbert Academic Profile: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/staff/profile/anyahurlbert.html#background
        3) Cell Q&A with Dr. Hurlbert and Matt Ridley
        4) Introduction to Neural Networks: https://www.explainthatstuff.com/introduction-to-neural-networks.html
        5) Youtube video on Neural Networks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvQwE2OhL8I
        6) Neural networks and back propagation explained in a simple way: https://medium.com/datathings/neural-networks-and-backpropagation-explained-in-a-simple-way-f540a3611f5e
        7) National Geographic’s ‘The Dress’ : https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/science/blue-or-white-dress-why-we-see-colours-differently.aspx
        8) What #theDress reveals about the role of illumination priors in color perception and color constancy :https://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/production/242764/A390CDB3-9ADA-442C-96FB-7877D8745520.pdf
        9) Guggenheim’s Piet Modrian Profile: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/3014
        49 min
      • 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 recursive nature of the polynomial set which allowed for her method to generate a high number of fitting polynomials. The integration’s ortho-normality is discussed, as well as its unique benefits and how it fits into the general universe of integration methods for slope data. Additionally, Maham speaks about her academic experience and her work in activism.
        Resources:
        Aftab’s Paper:
        Maham Aftab, James H. Burge, Greg A. Smith, Logan Graves, Chang-jin Oh, and Dae Wook Kim, “Modal Data Processing for High Resolution Deflectometry,” Int. J. of Precis. Eng. and Manuf.-Green Tech. (2018). (in press)
        Southwell Integration Paper: https://www.osapublishing.org/josa/abstract.cfm?uri=josa-70-8-998
        51 min
      • 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 people. It is assumed that this is an actual occurrence (with many anecdotal pieces of evidence offered). The conversation transitioned and two clear view points arose. On one hand, the idea that you determine the value of your degree, and outsiders values should not meaningfully impact your reason for a degree or how you go about achieving the degree. The counter view was that to some extent the college and its alumni affect one another, such as a alumni can promote or dissuade groups from hiring from your college or academic group, thus impacting your future employment. A final undercurrent throughout is the idea that there is some, undefined, threshold that students should achieve before they can graduate, although due to how hard it was to pin down this seems to be a likely culprit for why comprehensive exams, orals, and defenses are so hated; making a test that everyone agrees defines some threshold beyond which you are an expert is extremely difficult.
        Finally, I realized after listening again we entirely missed the mark by considering a wider scope, namely, outside of higher education, or optics, etc. This topic bears coming back to which we will hopefully do soon.
        Note: Image Credit Jeremy Perkins
        1 hr 11 min

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      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…