Undergraduates

Inquiry@Queen's is seeking proposals for their 18th annual undergraduate conference.

Due date for proposals is Feb 9, 2024.

iatq@queensu.ca

I@Q website

Conference Information

 

Joyce Poon
Director at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics,
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto

Abstract

Emerging applications, such as ultra-low energy optical interconnects, depth sensing, quantum computing, and biosensing rely on shorter wavelengths, in the visible (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) part of the spectrum (wavelength < 1100 nm), which can be addressed with silicon photonic technology that guide light in silicon nitride or aluminum oxide layers. I will review the development of silicon photonic technology for VIS and NIR light and discuss the opportunities and challenges.

Bio

Joyce Poon is a Director at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto, and an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Technical University of Berlin.  She and her team specialize in integrated photonics on silicon.  Prof. Poon obtained the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Caltech in 2007. She currently served as a Director-at-Large for Optica from 2021 to 2023. She is an Optica Fellow and a Fellow of the IEEE.

Timbits, coffee, tea will be served in STI A before the colloquium.

 

Sarah Gallagher
Professor, Physics and Astronomy & Director, Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, Western University

Abstract

The Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and uv Research (CASTOR) is a proposed Canadian Space Agency (CSA) mission that would image the skies at ultraviolet (UV) and blue-optical wavelengths simultaneously. Operating close to its diffraction limit, the 1-m CASTOR telescope is designed with a spatial resolution similar to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), but with a field of view about one hundred times larger.  The exciting science enabled by the CASTOR suite of instruments and the planned legacy surveys encompasses small bodies in the Solar System, exoplanet atmospheres, cosmic explosions, supermassive black holes, galaxy evolution, and cosmology.  In addition, this survey mapping capability would add UV coverage to wide-field surveys planned for the Euclid and Roman telescopes and enhance the science return on these missions.  With a CSA-funded phase 0 study already complete, the CASTOR science case and engineering design is on track for a launch in 2030 pending continued funding.

Bio

Dr. Sarah  Gallagher is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy and the Director of the multi-disciplinary Institute for Earth and Space Exploration at Western University. As the first Science Advisor to the President of the Canadian Space Agency (2018-2022), she served as the liaison to the space science community and the Chief Science Advisor of Canada. Her research focuses on understanding the growth of supermassive black holes and the evolution of galaxies.  She is active in science policy and an advocate for creating a diverse and inclusive space science community.  She regularly talks to the public about astronomy and space, and is currently serving as the President of the Canadian Astronomical Society.

Timbits, coffee, tea will be served in STI A before the colloquium.