News from the Chair
Mohammadreza Ghasemkhani, UNM Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student
Ghasemkhani Wins International Year of Light Student Paper Competition
Graduate student Mohammadreza Ghasemkhani won first place in the New Mexico International Year of Light Celebration Student Paper Competition with his paper entitled Laser Cooling of Solids Using High Power Vertical External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VECSELs).
Physics graduate student Zhou Yang also placed, winning third place in the competition.
A formal award ceremony took place during the International Year of Light Celebration on Friday, September 25, 2015, for all three winners. Mohammadreza Ghasemkhani presented his paper at this event.
- Mohammadreza Ghasemkhani - First Place Winner
- Alireza Kazemi - Second Place Winner
- Zhou Yang - Third Place Winner
"We found that every paper submitted was of excellent quality, and wish to thank all the students for their submissions." - NM IYL Judges
NM IYL Graduate Student Paper Competition Judges
- James Thomas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNM
- Gordon Keeler, Sandia National Laboratories and IEEE Photonics Society
- David Voelz, Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, NMSU
- Stavroula Foteinopoulou, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UNM
About the Student Paper Competition
The University of New Mexico’s Optical Science and Engineering (OSE) program, part of the School of Engineering and the College of Art and Sciences, celebrated the International Year of Light with a graduate student research paper competition. The purpose of this competition was to recognize those graduate students who write outstanding papers on their current research activities as it relates to optics and photonics. Candidates were judged primarily on the clarity of their written presentations, innovation and their paper's potential impact on optics.
About The International Year of Light
The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL) is "a global initiative adopted by the United Nations to raise awareness of how optical technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to worldwide challenges in energy, education, agriculture, communications and health."