Events

Learning to See: Some of Jim Wyant's Favorite Optics in Nature Photos from My Collection

Dr. Joseph A. Shaw, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Director of the Optical Technology Center, Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, Montana State University

Presented in person in Goergen 101 and on Zoom

Join Zoom

Abstract

As a young college-aged volunteer living in Japan, I photographed a beautiful scene of the setting sun creating a long glitter pattern on the ocean. At the time I did not understand the cause of that optical phenomenon or its deep connection to my future PhD dissertation, "Laser glint measurements of sea-surface roughness." Eventually, my interest in photography led me to study optics and learn more about how my camera worked and about the science of optical phenomena in nature that I loved from an early age. Along the way I met some truly fabulous people, including Jim Wyant who encouraged my optics in nature photography and helped me gain recognition for both my work and the optics program I was helping to build in Montana. After some stories about how my career and the Montana optics and photonics community benefited from Jim Wyant's support, I will show you some of the photos he liked from my collection - and some he never got to see. With explanatory diagrams and photos of things like rainbows, halos, glitter patterns, and aurora, my goal in this talk will be to inspire you to learn to see and better understand the optical beauty in the world around you.

Biography

Joseph Shaw grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he learned about cameras by photographing the Aurora Borealis. He started college as a music major but graduated from the University of Alaska with a degree in electrical engineering. He later earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona while working at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Colorado. He joined the faculty at Montana State University in 2001 where he has helped establish and grow a dynamic optics industry and academic program in Bozeman, Montana. He is the Director of the Optical Technology Center (OpTeC) and Distinguished Professor in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. Dr. Shaw's research is developing optical remote sensing instruments and conducting interdisciplinary studies of the natural Earth environment. Examples include airborne lidars for mapping invasive lake trout in Yellowstone Lake and polarization imaging systems for measuring clouds for climate science. Recognition for his research and education contributions include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the SPIE G. G. Stokes Award for optical polarization, election as Fellow of SPIE and Optica, and selection as the 2025 Alumnus of the Year from the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona.