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Institute of Optics

‘Transformational’ Gift Puts New Focus on the Future of Optics A leading graduate of a signature Rochester program establishes a $12 million challenge to increase the University’s prominence at a critical time for the field.By Bob Marcotte
photo of University of Rochester alumnus and Nobel laureate Donna Strickland signing autographs for young people in Munnerlyn Atrium of Goergen HallSIGNATURE HONOR: A professorship in recognition of Nobel laureate Donna Strickland ’89 (PhD) (left) is the first of several new faculty positions planned for the Institute of Optics, thanks to a gift from entrepreneur and optics leader James Wyant ’69 (PhD) and his wife, Tammy. When Strickland returned to campus in 2019 to be recognized during Commencement, she took time to meet with future scientists and other members of Rochester’s optics community. (Photograph: University of Rochester)
side-by-side photos of University of Rochester alumnus Donna Strickland and former professor Gerard Mourou, taken on campus in the 1980s conducting optical researchLIGHTING LAUREATES: While conducting research at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics in the 1980s, optics graduate student Donna Strickland ’89 (PhD) (left) and then Rochester professor and research scientist Gérard Mourou devised a method to manipulate light pulses in ways that greatly improved the viable use of lasers in technology, computing, medicine, and other fields. Their work was recognized in 2018 with the Nobel Prize in Physics. (Photograph: University of Rochester)

Storied History

Founded in 1929 as the nation’s first optics education program, the Institute of Optics has a storied history. In 93-plus years, members of Rochester’s optics community have received Nobel Prizes, served as prominent leaders in the field, and launched dozens of companies. Here’s a quick look:

21 alumni and faculty members have served as president of Optica (formerly OSA)

150-plus alumni and faculty have started companies

5 faculty members have been elected fellows of the National Academy of Inventors

49 companies participate in the Industrial Associates Program

Nearly 3,000 degrees have been awarded since 1929

As the Institute of Optics prepares for its second century, a prominent alumnus is helping ensure the program remains a leading light in a field that Rochester helped establish in 1929.

University Life Trustee James Wyant ’69 (PhD) and his wife, Tammy, have established a $12 million challenge fund to encourage fellow alumni and other members of the University community to join them in an effort to increase the optics faculty by 50 percent as the institute celebrates its centennial in 2029.

“Tammy and I made this gift to increase opportunities for world-class training and research in optics,” says Wyant, the founding dean of what is now the University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences. “Optics is a technology enabler and a huge part of daily life, yet there are few universities in the world that have a comprehensive educational and research program in optics.

“The Institute of Optics, where I went to graduate school, is one place where you can get a well-rounded education in optics, and the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, where I spent a large part of my career, is another.”

Under the project, the Wyants will provide 60 percent of the funding to establish new professorships—early-career professorships as well as distinguished professorships, positions that typically attract the highest profile level of researchers and scholars.

In making the challenge public, the University announced that the first distinguished professorship will be named for Nobel laureate Donna Strickland ’89 (PhD). One of the University’s most notable graduates, Strickland and former engineering professor Gérard Mourou received the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for research they conducted when Strickland was a Rochester graduate student in optics. The two developed an innovate way to manipulate pulses of light that eventually made lasers more practical for use in medicine, technology, and other areas.

A gift from Optica, a leading society in optics and photonics, will be matched with funds from the Wyant challenge to establish the Strickland professorship.

The largest gift in the institute’s history, the challenge fund will support an increase in the number of full-time optics faculty members from 20 to 30. A visiting professorship and staff position will also be endowed.

photo of University of Rochester alumnus and trustee James Wyant with his wife, TammyNAMESAKE PROGRAM: “Optics is a technology enabler and a huge part of daily life, yet there are few universities in the world that have a comprehensive educational and research program in optics,” says James Wyant ’69 (PhD), who along with his wife, Tammy, have established a historic fund for optics at Rochester. (Provided photograph)

An elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, Wyant was one of several optics graduates who eventually settled in Tucson to help establish Arizona’s program in optical sciences. In 2018, Wyant and his family established a similar challenge program to endow optics professorships at Arizona.

Home to the nation’s oldest school of optics, Rochester has long been regarded as one of the world’s leaders in the field, awarding about half of all optics degrees in the US. Over the course of nearly a century, the University has become a leader in biomedical optics, fiber and optical communication, optical design and fabrication, lasers, and nano-, freeform, ultrafast, and quantum optics.

Institute Director Thomas Brown says the field is growing internationally, fueling an increased demand for trained optics graduates at companies, research institutes, and national laboratories.

The Wyants’ gift will help Rochester “continue to contribute as we have in the past, in both research and education, to the advancement of the field of optics.”

The new professorships will allow for the creation of a “much-needed pipeline of diverse, creative, and committed young faculty whose new ideas and work as educators and researchers will drive and shape not only the future of the Institute of Optics but the optics industry as a whole,” he says.

Brown says the program will focus on hiring professors with expertise in laser science, integrated photonics, and quantum optics.

While the new faculty will have primary appointments in optics, many will also have secondary appointments in other science and engineering units across the University, including the Medical Center and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, helping the University build on signature strengths across areas.

“Jim’s and Tammy’s generosity is truly transformational,” says Sarah Mangelsdorf, University president and the G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor. “Their vision and partnership will help the University recruit leading scholars in optics and photonics in an increasingly competitive environment. It will dramatically impact how our Institute of Optics educates and trains the next generation of researchers and leaders. The fact that Optica has already come on board is a testament to the important work being done at Rochester.”

Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, says the gift will make it easier for others to contribute.

“The match that Jim and Tammy are providing makes establishing a professorship that much more feasible for others who are thinking about a large gift. Because of their generosity, the Institute of Optics will play a key role advancing the field of optics—now and into the future.”

Brown agrees that the future will be bright.

“The collective generosity here—from Jim, Tammy, Optica, and others soon—is instrumental to the growth and success of the Institute of Optics. It provides an extraordinary opportunity to build upon the unique environment and culture for optics that has been established here and elevate our preeminent position in the field.”