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We are delighted to welcome Professors Keisuke Goda, Sindy Tang & Yi-Chin Toh to the Lab on a Chip Advisory Board. Keisuke Goda Professor, Department of Chemistry University of Tokyo, Japan Keisuke Goda is a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Tokyo, an adjunct professor in the Institute of Technological Sciences […]

    Lab on a Chip and Dolomite are proud to sponsor the Pioneers of Miniaturization Lectureship, to honour and support the up and coming, next generation of scientists who have significantly contributed to the understanding or development of miniaturised systems. This year’s Lectureship will be presented at µTAS 2022 with the recipient receiving a prize of US$3,000. […]

Creating a lab-on-chip device with multiple sensing capabilities has been a long-desired goal in the biotechnology field. A sensor-rich chip would pack the power of a full-scale laboratory as initially envisioned in the lab on a chip concept, yet it remained challenging for decades. Many researchers suggest that real-time monitoring of the culture conditions can […]

Lab on a Chip is delighted to be sponsoring the EMBL Microfluidics Conference (11-13 July), bringing together top researchers and emerging research leaders to spark scientific exchange and create community. Topics spanning from fundamental physics & chemistry to device design and nascent biological applications will be presented, which should be of interest to everyone from […]

The hybrid µTAS 2021 meeting was held from 10-14th October, chaired by Amy Herr & Joel Voldman. We’d like to thank all those who entered the awards this year, and to the judging panels who helped us select the winners. All three prizes received excellent submissions and we’re delighted to announce the winners below. Lab on […]

Gavrielle presents her research in Ven

SPIE Student Member Gavrielle Untracht is pursuing her PhD at The University of Western Australia. She had the chance to participate in the 9th International Graduate Summer School in Biophotonics this past June on the island of Ven between Sweden and Denmark.

At the school, sponsored by SPIE, invited experts from around the globe gave extended presentations on topics like tissue optics, strategies for cancer treatment using lasers, and entrepreneurship in photonics. Attendees also had the opportunity to present their current research projects, results, or ideas. Gavrielle shares her experiences of the summer school with this community in the following guest blog post.

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I recently returned from a week of great discussions and beautiful weather at the 9th Biophotonics Summer School on the Isle of Ven, Sweden. This experience, made possible (in part) by SPIE, was an invaluable opportunity for networking and a deep dive into the world of biophotonics that I would highly recommend to any student pursuing a career in biophotonics or optics in general. It was a great vacation from my regular PhD duties to do one of my favorite things – learn about optics!

SPIE Fellows Stefan Andersson-Engels, currently of the Irish Photonic Integration Center (IPIC), and Peter Andersen with DTU Health Tech, started the school in 2003 to fill a gap in photonics education since no comprehensive course in biophotonics was available. They invited experts in 10 topics to lecture a small group of students with the goal of facilitating education and in-depth discussions on topics relevant to the field. As (arguably) the birthplace of modern science, the Isle of Ven makes a perfect backdrop: Tycho Brahe had his observatory there in the 16th century! He’s notably the first astronomer to use empirical measurements to support his research.

During my PhD, I have spent time at two universities: The University of Western Australia and the University of Surrey. Still, I always find it challenging to find new technical courses in my field. The in-depth lectures at Summer School allowed me to bolster my technical background on many different topics ranging from the physics of supercontinuum laser sources to gas spectroscopy for nondestructive testing of food. The lecturers always made themselves available for additional details or more in-depth discussion on any of the topics they addressed. Even if some material isn’t new, there’s nothing like going back to the basics to help you work through any challenges in your research. Even discussing things you know, but with new people and in a new place can help you see things from a different perspective.

Some of the topics were very relevant to my research, such as lectures on OCT by Wolfgang Drexler of the Medical University of Vienna, although some of my favorite lectures focused on new topics that I might not have otherwise investigated. A good example is lectures on combining optics with x-rays by Brian Pogue of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. Thinking about these new topics allowed me to form a better picture of where my work fits in the field and how I could broaden my research horizons.

However, some of the best experiences I got at the Summer School were during mealtimes. (And not just because of the delicious food!) Given the small group size and geographical isolation, I had the opportunity to interact with everyone there, and mealtimes were some of the best opportunities for networking. Now I have other people to talk to when I go to a big conference like SPIE Photonics West!

One of the most valuable parts of the Summer School was having the opportunity to interact with lecturers in both an academic and non-academic way. It was great to be able to discuss my wild ideas with Kishan Dholakia from the University of St. Andrews over dinner, and I’ll never forget playing trivia with Wolfgang Drexler and Melissa Skala from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These types of interactions help break down the barrier between students and lecturers and facilitate better discussion. Now, I’ll be less ‘star struck’ when I meet a professor whose papers I’ve been reading for years and will have the confidence to go up and talk to them. And who knows – maybe one of the lecturers will be my future boss! (Note: I will be looking for a post-doc in about two years *wink*)

Incidentally, Brian Pogue, is also the editor of the SPIE Journal for Biomedical Optics. Every two years JBO puts out a special issue for the Summer School which features tutorials written by some of the lecturers and research papers from summer school attendees. Keep an eye out for this year’s issue to see some of the things we’ve been talking about!

Summer School attendees listen to a lecture by Brian Pogue

Gavrielle (second from left) with fellow Summer School attendees

John Dudley and Perla Viera in Trieste

Perla Marlene Viera González, an SPIE Early Career Professional Member working at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, represented the SPIE Student and ECP Membership at the International Day of Light 2019 celebration in Trieste, 16 May. She shares with this community her experiences at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the impact of taking part in this annual day of recognizing light.

The International Day of Light brings together culture and science.

This phrase was part of the message given by John Dudley during the introduction to the International Day of Light 2019 at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. And it reflects the importance of bringing together the science, technology, culture, and art that involves light in this emblematic celebration.

This year, the IDL celebration was about “Illuminating Education,” and for the event participants, we enjoyed talks about science outreach, development, art, and education that reflect the diversity of projects done to improve the world where we live using optics and photonics.

The official program began with a keynote presentation that explains light phenomena at four levels: rays, waves, polarization, and quantum, where Sir Michael Berry, University of Bristol and ICTP Distinguished Lecturer, showed us how to engage a wide audience using pictures to explain light.

From the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Stephen Pompea spoke about outreach and how to communicate about light. He explained that setting engagement as the goal of an event rather than outreach shifts the focus to the audience, because engagement is based on participation from your audience and not on the people organizing the event. Rachel Won, international editor of Nature Photonics, also spoke about science communication, explaining that as a science editor, you become an ambassador of science. Finally, Federica Beduini, outreach and science communicator at ICFO recommended we “act locally and think globally” when conducting outreach projects.

After lunch, we had the opportunity to hear about the diverse challenges facing science and education. The first presenter was Krisinda Plenkovich, director for education and community services at SPIE, who explained how photonics is used to achieve some of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. During the second talk, Brian Liebe, director of standards and research for the Illuminating Engineering Society, discussed that everything—every career path—is touched by light, and we need to pull together science, engineering, and art.

Later, John O’Hagan, director of Division 6 “Photobiology and Photochemistry” of the International Commission on Illumination, described the importance of public awareness and education around lighting quality. He challenged us to take common sense into account when we are thinking about how to implement new technology, looking for the better solution. For the final presentation of the session, Prajna Khanna, head of corporate social responsibility and director at Signify Foundation, talked about her organization and remarked on the importance of adapting the technology to the reality of each environment.

The second keynote talk was about development challenges, specifically, how we can use physics to feed the planet, presented by Cather Simpson. Simpson, who won the third place in the 2018 SPIE Startup Challenge, is a professor of physics and chemical sciences at the University of Auckland where she also started the Photon Factory. She explained different projects that use photonics to feed the people, such as vertical farms, harvesting the sun, and improving milk production. She gave inspirational examples about how to use light science and technology to improve our lives and make the world a better place for everyone.

For the artistic segment of the event, John Taylor, director of the Executive Office at The Optical Society, presented a documentary about an art installation in Washington DC to celebrate IDL 2019 and award-winning photographer Saurabh Narang explained some of his most amazing photographs.

For the third segment of the event, we heard Jess Wade, postdoctoral physicist at Imperial College London and gender equity advocate, talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Jess was so inspiring because she demonstrated how something that can look so simple, like a Wikipedia article, could drive change and make a big impact in the world.

Amna Abdalla Mohammed Khalid discussed the aims and objectives of her organization, the Next Einstein Forum, and the positive impact that it is having in Africa by creating a unified scientific identity that fosters innovation and discovery.

For the last session, students and early careers representatives from international scientific societies, like myself, described the work each of them is doing as a volunteer with their organization to promote photonics and IDL. Roberta Caruso talked about the Young Mind project of the European Physics Society. Ezabo Baron and Kithinji Muriungi from the IEEE Photonics Society presented on the outreach programs they are doing in Africa. Duarte Graça and Artemis Tsimperi from the International Association of Physics Students described the great work performed by this society, work done by physics students for students. Xiang “Dino” Dai talked about the work of his OSA student chapter and encouraged everybody to try to inspire kids to learn about optics, photonics, and light.

Student and Societies Session. Roberta Caruso (EPS), Artemis Tsimperi (IAPS), Kithinji Muriungi (IEEE PS), Ezabo Baron (IEEE PS), Xiang Dino Dai (OSA), Duarte Graça (IAPS), and Perla Viera (SPIE)

The last presentation was mine, and I presented some of the optics projects and programs that I had participated in—thanks to the support of the SPIE—including Optics for Everyone and its adaptation to Spanish, and the Mexican curricula for the Dumpster Optics workshop. Finally, all the students presented our opinions about our careers and the importance of doing photonics outreach work, including global initiatives like IDL.

The entire day and celebration was an inspiring event where experts from all over the world explained their work and their projects. I’m very sure that all the people that were present learned something new. And importantly, they were inspired by the amazing work performed by all the presenters to advance light and its impact.

Students during the dinner before the IDL event. From left to right: Guillermo Sanchez (SPIE), Perla Viera (SPIE), Xiang Dino Dai (OSA), Ezabo Baron (IEEE PS) and Kithinji Muriungi(IEEE PS).

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About the author: Perla is an SPIE Early Career Professional Member working at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) in Monterrey, Mexico. She obtained her PhD in January 2019 in the field of physical engineering, completing her thesis on optical design. Since 2011, she has been an active Member SPIE; she was the treasurer (2011), president (2012) and (2014 – 2015) IYL-representative of the SPIE UANL Student Chapter. Also, she has served as a Student Committee Member of the SPIE since 2015. She is the leader of the science outreach group “Física Pato2 FCFM” which has held several events impacting more than 75,000 people in five years.

Dr. Ashleigh Haruda is a zooarchaeologist.

Dr. Ashleigh Haruda

She examines animal bones found at archaeological sites to investigate the relationship between animals and ancient human societies. These bones reveal information about ancient societies including diet, trade, migration, and market forces. For her doctoral research, she studied pastoralists living in the Central Asian steppe in the Late and Final Bronze Age (1500-800 B.C.E.). These were people who did not practice agriculture, but lived off of their animals, including sheep. “Primarily these people are experiencing their world and their landscape through their animals,” said Haruda. “So, if they fail to move their animals in the right way, or they fail to understand how the weather is going to be that year, they could all die because there was no safety net for them.”

By measuring the bones of sheep found in the steppe from the Final Bronze Age, she was able to determine that these pastoralists did not migrate extensively or trade animals with their neighbors. This was because the morphology of the sheep bones she examined was very distinct from microregion to microregion; if regular migration or frequent trade occurred between these regions, the sheep would have interbred, homogenizing away such distinctions.

Haruda did her PhD research on sheep astragali, which are traditionally used as game pieces in Kazakhstan. When she saw these huge sculptures depicting  the game pieces in Almaty, Kazakhstan, she had to snap a pic!

Haruda is currently the project leader of “Sus 100” at the Natural Science Collections of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany. The project is focused on the effects of selective breeding on domestic animals, and how quickly human influences become detectable in an animal’s genetics and skeletal structure. “We have historic pig skeletons from 100 years ago that were raised at the University…and then we are pulling pigs out of the food chain right now and comparing the genetics and the morphometrics of those skeletons,” said Haruda.

The results of that comparison will help to determine a rate of change that can be used to make assessments of time scales on much older bones found at archaeological sites. Check out the video below—in German!—for more detail on the project.


In her research, Haruda uses a digital measurement technique called Geometric Morphometrics, or GMM. GMM is the analysis of shape using Cartesian geometric coordinates to represent the landmarks, curves, and surfaces of objects. Archaeologists use it to generate 3D digital models of the bones they study. Compared to traditional linear measurements made with calipers, GMM allows for a greater interrogation of shape.

One of the largest sources of variation in bones is size, which can be affected by things like animal sex and nutrition level. Scaling of digital models allows researchers to control for size to make more direct comparisons between bones. “Which means,” Haruda added, “we can start to measure variation and covariation among those landmarks, so we can ask a lot more from our data set, and we can interrogate it different ways, statistically.”

Haruda washes animal bones at the archaeological site of Botai in Kazakhstan.

And GMM is enabled by optics! The first scanner that Haruda used to take such measurements was a NextEngine scanner, a device that uses laser scanning and a turntable to create 3D models of objects. Currently, she uses an Artec Eva, which is a hand-held scanning device that can be moved around the object for measurement. Instead of a laser, the Eva uses a flashbulb to generate “structured light,” or a pattern such as a grid, that is projected onto the object and measured by two cameras. The distortion of the projected lines and the offset of the cameras allows for triangulation of points on the object to generate a digital 3D model.

Haruda's "lab" set-up in Kazakhstan: a Next Engine Laser Scanner, laptop, and calipers.

GMM is not yet common in zooarchaeology, but is used more extensively in osteoarchaeology, the archaeological study of human bones. One issue facing the adoption of this technology is cost; another is complexity. In its current form, GMM requires a researcher to write their own code in a language like R or Python to do analysis, which only adds to the very long list of skills zooarchaeologists already need to possess. “We need a really good background knowledge of biology, anatomy, and physiology but also archaeological skills such as how to lay out a grid with a GPS, how to define soil color and type, and identify basic pottery styles and metals, plus we have to know about our historical contexts,” said Haruda.

But as the technology matures, it is becoming less expensive and more user friendly, and Haruda notes that in general the adoption of new technology is occurring rapidly in the field of zooarchaeology. GMM and digitization of data are also a great benefit in a field where bones must often be destructively sampled for DNA or other measurements.

Photogrammetry setup with a turntable at Haruda's current job.

Haruda also described a technique that she is learning called photogrammetry, which uses photographs (instead of scans) to generate measurements of an object. Photogrammetry has existed almost since the beginning of photography, but with modern processors and software, thousands of photographs can be integrated to generate high-detail 3D models of objects. This technique also moves complexity away from the measurement device and into the realm of postprocessing, giving it the potential to be more cost effective for archaeologists working in the field.

So now you know. Zooarchaeology: optics does that.

Guest Blogger: Christina C. C. Willis is an SPIE Board Member, laser scientist, and writer living in Washington, DC. Find out more about her on LinkedIn.

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Optics Does That is looking for more stories! Do you, or does someone you know, have an interesting or unusual application of optics that you use at work or elsewhere? Then please send us an email and tell us about it! emilyp@spie.org.