People
Meredith Kupinski’s Bio:
Meredith Kupinski joined the Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona (UA) in 2008 where she is now an Associate Professor developing polarimetric instrumentation, polarized light scattering models, and polarization-aware computer vision and graphics capabilities. In 2016, she was awarded a Jean d’Alembert visiting scholar position at École Polytechnic in France to work on Mueller polarimetry for cervical cancer detection. In 2024, she received an NSF CAREER award. Her career goals include leveraging academic resources to build new opportunities for underrepresented students. She earned a BS with Highest Honors in Imaging Technologies from the Rochester Institute of Technology and an MS and PhD in Optical Sciences from UA. Being both an optical engineer and an image scientist, her research considers every aspect of the imaging chain: engineering requirements and optical design, uncertainty and statistics of calibration and data acquisition, and optical physics modeling. Prof. Kupinski’s scientific contributions span various applications: the detection and characterization of abnormalities in medical imaging, estimating parameters to model the Earth’s atmosphere in remote sensing, and computer vision classification. Prof. Kupinski was the recipient of Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) postdoctoral NSF fellowship to study polarimetry for aerosol science. Prof. Kupinski values multi-disciplinary experiences and exposure to diverse perspectives.
Jeremy Parkinson
- Optical Engineer
- jparkinson@arizona.edu
- I decided to pursue my degree after working as a surgical laser manufacturing technician and taking photonics courses at Irvine Valley college. I completed my B.S in Optical Sciences and Engineering at the Wyant college of Optical Sciences in the spring of 2021. During my undergrad I worked as a research assistant for the Polarization group.
- My main project uses Infrared Channeled Spectro-Polarimetry to measure the polarization characteristics of ice particles in clouds with the goal of reconstructing their microphysical properties to better constrain our climate models. My contributions focus on electro-mechanical design and analysis for field deployments as well as assembly, testing, verification and validation of instrumentation.
PhD Students:
Masafumi Seigo
- 5th Year PhD
- masafumiseigo@arizona.edu
- Comprehensive Exam
- Masafumi Seigo is a 5th year Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences. For the past 15 years, and concurrent with his doctoral research, he is an engineer for a Japanese company named Nalux. Nalux is a lens manufacturer specializing in plastic optical element design, fabrication, and testing.
Clarissa Deleon
- 5th Year PhD
- cdeleon@arizona.edu
- Comprehensive Exam
- Comprehensive Exam Slides
- Master’s Report
- Example Fellowship Applications
- Clarissa began as a Ph.D. student at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences (UAWCOS) in Fall 2020, coming from Montana State University, where she majored in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Optics and Photonics. During her first year at Optical Sciences, she found her place in the Polarization Lab with her advisor, Professor Meredith Kupinski. She supported a project using an ultraviolet polarimeter for optically thin cloud detection, leading to her first SPIE publication. As a proud Latina, Clarissa hopes to become a professor and continue to advocate for Latinx representation in STEM. Clarissa plans to pay it forward as she establishes herself as a researcher and an optical engineer using polarization science and remote sensing for environmental and medical applications. Outside of school, she likes to crochet, cross-stitch, hike, and read. ¡Èchale ganas!
- We are designing and deploying ultraviolet polarimeters to better understand the changes in Earth’s climate system.
Jaclyn John
- 4th Year PhD
- jj94759@arizona.edu
- Comprehensive Exam
- Comprehensive Exam Slides
- Jaclyn was born and raised in Arizona, received her B.S. in Applied Physics at the UA, and now is studying Optics in the Polarization Lab after learning she enjoys the endless applications of polarimetry and image science. In addition to her research project, she enjoys volunteering for multiple UAWCOS events throughout the year. Outside of school and work, whenever she gets the chance, she enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and scuba diving!
- Her research involves using polarization in the thermal IR to determine microphysical characteristics of ice clouds, for the purpose of improving climate models and weather-forecasting. She is currently preparing for multiple NASA scientific flights this summer to get a good look at these interesting ice clouds!
Micah Mann
- 3rd Year PhD
- micahmann@arizona.edu
Lily McKenna
- 2nd Year PhD
- lilymckenna@arizona.edu
- Lily is originally from Ithaca, NY. She received her B.S. in Physics with a minor in Optical Sciences from Rochester Institute of Technology. She began the Ph.D. program at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences in Fall 2023. She found out about the Polarization Lab while looking for grad schools and was immediately very interested in the research and its applications. She is excited to learn a lot more about imaging and polarization. Outside of work and school, she likes to crochet, listen to music, and bike.
Uday Talwar
- 2nd Year PhD in the Department of Mathematics
- udaytalwar@arizona.edu
- Uday received his MS in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Stony Brook University, New York. He is broadly interested in probability and optimization, which led him to the Statistics PhD program in the Math Department – allowing him to work with researchers across fields on theoretical and applied problems related to his interests. His current work at the Polarization Lab is a unique opportunity at the intersection of probability and optimization. Outside of work and school, Uday plays soccer, the electric guitar and enjoys being outdoors.
Ellie Spitzer
- 1st Year PhD
- ellies@arizona.edu
Charlie Tribble
- 1st Year PhD
- cmtribble3@arizona.edu
- Charlie Tribble is a Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona’s Wyant College of Optical Sciences. Originally from Howard County, Maryland, Charlie earned his B.S. in Applied Physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute before starting his doctoral studies in Optical Science. His current research is working to develop polarization-sensitive physically-based rendering techniques. Outside of research, Charlie enjoys hiking in the outdoors, traveling new places, and exploring Tucson’s nightlife
Undergraduate Students:
Adeline Tai
- yanadelinetai@arizona.edu
- Poster – IA Fall 2024
- Poster – IA Fall 2023
- Adeline is a senior majoring in Optical Sciences & Engineering with minors in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. She joined the Polarization Lab in Spring 2023 as an undergraduate researcher.
Jenna Little
- jennalittle@arizona.edu
- Poster – IA Fall 2024
- Jenna is a sophomore pursuing a degree in Optical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. She is from Tucson, AZ and enjoys hanging out with her friends, family, and dogs! She also loves to read, crochet, and play the NYT games!
Alumni:
Michael Gartman
Samara Sytsma
Jeremy Parkinson
James Heath
Former Undergraduate Researchers:
