Barbara Zuegel ’57 establishes an endowed professorship to support early career faculty at the Institute of Optics

The gift is part of the Wyant Challenge, a fund designed to boost optics faculty by 50 percent within a decade.

Richard Zuegel and Barbara Blake (Zuegel) model the “bachelor’s gown” as featured in the May 1957 issue of Rochester Review.

Barbara Zuegel ’57 has established the Zuegel Family Professorship in Optics in honor of her late husband, Richard Zuegel ’57, and in recognition of her family’s ties to the University of Rochester. Her generous gift will be matched by the Wyant Challenge, a $12 million fund established in 2022 by the late trustee emeritus James C. Wyant ’69 (PhD) and his wife, Tammy, to create 10 new endowed professorships at the Institute of Optics within 10 years.

Barbara’s gift marks the first fully funded early-career professorship and the fifth professorship inspired by the Wyant’s matching challenge fund. The Zuegel Family Professorship is designed to support a promising new faculty member engaged in research and development related to laser science, technology, or engineering. It will help fill a vital pipeline of innovative and dedicated scholar-researchers, ensuring a lasting impact on both the institute’s future and the broader optics industry.

“We are deeply grateful to Barbara for her tremendous generosity,” says Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences. “An early-career professorship like this, focused on laser science within the Institute of Optics, will inspire the kind of teaching and research that can transform industries, improve lives, and address some of society’s most pressing challenges, from creating new energy solutions to driving technological breakthroughs that improve our quality of life.”

“When the opportunity arose to join the Wyant Challenge, I saw it as a chance to further important research and support the institution that has meant so much to our family,” says Barbara. “Three generations of Zuegels—starting with Rick and me—attended the University, so I have a deep appreciation for it and for education, having spent my career in it. Naming this professorship on behalf of our family underscores its importance in our lives.”

Says Tom Brown, the director of the Institute of Optics and the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor, “Thanks to Barbara and the Zuegel family, the Institute of Optics is in an excellent position to build a faculty that will inspire the next generation of optics students, especially future leaders in laser science and engineering. As we celebrate our centennial in 2029 and look to the next 100 years of optics at Rochester, I especially appreciate investments in early career faculty. Barbara’s gift is significant—it helps bring in faculty who will work to continue the institute’s rich legacy, and to build a community that improves our University, our country and our world.”

“My mother has dedicated her life to education and our family has always recognized the importance of helping people reach their potential,” says Jon Zuegel, ’96 (PhD), the Laser and Materials Technology division director, a distinguished scientist at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), and a professor of optics. “This professorship is an extension of what both my mother and father have always done—supporting excellence and providing opportunities to advance the public good. I am proud of and inspired by her generosity, confident that it will make a real difference in the future of laser science and optics. I know that this gift would make my father very happy.”

Barbara’s gift aligns with the University’s leadership in these areas. In 2023, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the University a $1 million Regional Innovation Engines Development Award grant to begin developing the next generation of lasers and laser applications. Lasers are found in medical devices, telecommunications, manufacturing, and fusion energy research. They drive advances in precision medicine, enable the backbone of global communications, revolutionize industrial processes, and hold the potential to unlock clean energy solutions.

The NSF grant brings together a variety of institutional, industrial, and business partners that will lay the groundwork for an innovation and economic hub built around the Science, Technology and Engineering of Lasers and Laser Applications Research (STELLAR). The effort promises to position Rochester as a national leader in the field, addressing significant gaps in the US education system. “Few universities can play the kind of crucial role that we can in these areas,” adds Jon, who works closely on the project with Tom Brown.

The Zuegels have a deep connection to Rochester—the community and the institution—and a strong commitment to science, photography, and education. Barbara and Rick met at the University as undergraduate students. After graduating with his general science degree, Rick worked at Kodak for 32 years. He was an avid nature photographer and a dedicated leader in the Kodak Camera Club, serving in various roles, including president. He also held leadership positions in regional photography associations and was a founding member of the North American Nature Photography Association, where he chaired its first two internationally attended conferences. A sought-after teacher, lecturer, and photo judge, Rick also shared his passion through travelogues inspired by his and Barbara’s extensive travels.

Barbara, a history major, was a librarian for the Greece Central School District for more than 20 years. Together, they had three children: Stephen, a mechanical engineering major from the Class of 1983; and twins Jim and Jon. Jon earned his PhD from the Institute of Optics and his daughter, Hannah, continued the family tradition, graduating from Rochester in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in studio arts and minors in chemistry and business.

Adds Barbara, “The Wyants had great vision establishing this funding challenge. They made it possible for others like me to participate and make a bigger difference, together.”