Optical Society undergraduates model a Schlieren imaging system

April 21, 2016

Optical Society students model a Schlieren imaging systemOptical Society undergraduates Raymond Lopez-Rios '17,  J.T. Pirog '18, Nicholas Kochan '17, and David Lippman '18 model a Schlieren imaging system for outreach demonstrations.  This year the Optical Society celebrates 100 years since its international establishment in Rochester.

The Schlieren imaging setup will be used at upcoming local science outreach events, such as Spooky Science day and Family Science Day, as well as science camps.  Schlieren imaging is a method of imaging which uses a very fine edge to measure differences in index of refraction.  The sensitivity of the system makes it possible to see things invisible to the unaided eye, such as the hot air flow out of a heat gun (as shown on the screen).  This part of the Optical Society Student Chapter's effort gets the local community aware and excited about optics through outreach. 

Left to right, the students are Raymond Lopez-Rios, JT Pirog, Nicholas Kochan,
and David Lippman.

Photo: David Lippman