September Cafe Abstract: Dr Duncan Moore (UofR): Mirages, Malaysia Air Flight 370 and Other Interesting Optical Phenomena

September 23: Dr. Duncan Moore, Ph.D.
Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Professor of Optical Engineering
Vice Provost for Center for Entrepreneurship
University of Rochester

Mirages, Malaysia Air Flight 370 and Other Interesting Optical Phenomena

What do ocean waves, optical waves, seismic waves, and acoustic waves have in common?  In most materials the composition varies as a function of x, y, and z.  This talk will tie together these four phenomena and describe one of the difficulties of locating Malaysia Air Flight 370 while the pingers were still active.​

It is my pleasure to announce the full Fall 2014 schedule for the Rochester Science cafe, now entering its sixth year (!!!). We have an exciting run of speakers ready for the fall and into the spring, and hope to see everyone there starting in a couple weeks. As always, Cafes will be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, in the Community Room of the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble, starting at 7pm, with refreshments provided. Here is the lineup for the fall and beyond:

• September 23: “Mirages, Malaysia Air Flight and other interesting Optical Phenomena”
  Dr. Duncan Moore, Ph.D.
  Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Professor of Optical Engineering
  Vice Provost for Center for Entrepreneurship
  University of Rochester 
  
  
  

  Dr. Moore is the Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Professor of Optical Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, as well as Professor of Business Administration in the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, all at the University of Rochester. In 2006, he was also appointed Director for Entrepreneurship at the University and in 2007, he became the Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship. Dr. Moore was president of the Optical Society of America in 1996 and was awarded the Edwin H. Land Medal in 2009.
  
  Professor Moore's major areas of research are in gradient-index materials, computer-aided design (including design for manufacturing methods), the manufacture of optical systems, medical optics (especially optics for minimally invasive surgery), and optical instrumentation. His most recent Ph.D. thesis student topics have been: very high efficiency solar cells; polymer gradient index optics; built-in accommodation system for the eye; terahertz imaging; generalized three-dimensional index gradients; single-point diamond turning of glass; design methods for gradient-index imaging systems; effect of diffusion chemistry on gradient-index profiles formed via sol-gel; quantitative phase imaging in scanning optical microscopy; integration of the design and manufacture of gradient-index optical systems; and interferometric characterization of the chromatic dispersion of gradient-index glasses.
  
  For those interested in more on this topic, he discussed the search for the missing Malaysia Air plane on WXXI's Connections in April.



• October 28: “Aging research: The search for the fountain of youth”
  Dr. Vera Gorbunova, Ph.D.
  Professor of Biology
  University of Rochester
  


• November 25: “Influential Passengers: Bacterial Symbionts That Manipulate Their Hosts”
  Dr. John (Jack) Werren, Ph.D.
  Nathaniel & Helen Wisch Professor of Biology
  University of Rochester
  


• January 27: "Conversing with computers to improve social skills"
  Dr. M. Ehsan Hoque, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor
  Department of Computer Science
  University of Rochester


• February and beyond: TBA later this fall