Our Team

Daewook Kim dkim@optics.arizona.edu

Director of Museum of Optics, Associate Professor of Optical Sciences and Astronomy

Daewook Kim is an associate professor of optical sciences and astronomy at the University of Arizona. He has been working in the optical engineering field for more than 15 years, including NASA Aspera UV space telescope mission, 25 m diameter Giant Magellan Telescope, and commercial Augmented Reality freeform glass project. His main research area covers precision freeform optics design, fabrication, and various metrology topics, such as interferometric test systems using computer-generated hologram, wavefront curvature measurement, and dynamic deflectometry system. For the past 10 years, Daewook has been chairing conference programs including the Optical Manufacturing and Testing conference (SPIE), Optical Fabrication and Testing conference (OSA), and the Astronomical Optics: Design, Manufacture, and Test of Space and Ground Systems conference (SPIE). He is also teaching the SPIE Optical Testing Short Courses. He has published more than 180 journal/conference papers and served as an associate editor for the Optics Express journal for 7 years. He gave more than 20 plenary, keynote, colloquium talks at various international conferences and universities. Prof. Kim is an SPIE Fellow.

Jim Schwiegerling

Co-Director of Musuem of Optics, Robert R. Shannon Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences, Professor of Optical Sciences

Jim Schwiegerling received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Rochester in Optics in 1990 and 1991, respectively. Upon completion, he upstate New York and headed for Tucson, Arizona, where he completed his dissertation entitled “Visual Performance Prediction Using Schematic Eye Models” and received his Ph.D. in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona in 1995. Since then, he has spent several years working as an Assistant Research Scientist, and as a Professor with the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Arizona. In August of 2010, he became a Professor in the College of Optical Sciences.

Ameé Hennig

Communications Director, Media Content Manager

Ameé Hennig received her B.S. in Physics and Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas in 2012 and her M.A. in Professional Writing from Northern Arizona University in 2017 before starting at the University of Arizona in 2013 and the College of Optics in 2017. She is now responsible for managing the college’s website, Watts Up! newsletter, marketing and promotional materials, press releases, UA branding, and photographic support.

Grace Marie Gousman

Undergraduate Intern

Grace Marie Gousman is a current senior majoring in History at the University of Arizona. She is also pursuing minors in Spanish, Linguistics, Psychology, and Art History. Grace holds internship positions at both the Museum of Optics and the Arizona State Museum, and also is a Planetarium Operator at Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium. She will be continuing her education at the University of Washington, attending their graduate program in Museology.

Jennifer Rose Weiss

Graduate Intern

Jennifer Weiss is a graduate student pursuing a double Master’s in Art History and Geosciences. She received her B.A. in Art History and B.S. in Geosciences from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Her research interests in bridging the sciences and the humanities and looking at the intersection between geology and art history. Jennie currently serves as the GPSC representative for the College of Fine Arts. She is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Guest Services Representative for the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center.