News

NASA has recently chosen six proposed astrophysics mission for concept studies. Among them is the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer, or SPHEREx, which aims to unlock the mysteries of the universe by performing the first all-sky spectral survey.

Harnessing light through photonics to power today’s electronic devices is an industry in the making. Rochester became the focal point of that emerging industry when it was awarded a multimillion dollar federal investment in July 2015 to create a national photonics center, AIM—the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics— part of the federal government’s Manufacturing USA institutes.

Prior to cruising well beyond Pluto, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft used an onboard imaging telescope to make the best-ever observations of the universe’s cosmic optical background (COB). That is, the sum of the universe’s emitted optical light from beyond our own Milky Way galaxy.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today the expansion of Precision Optical Transceivers, a system engineering company focused on optical transport technology, into Eastman Business Park in Rochester.  "Precision’s Rochester expansion only adds to the region’s momentum as a destination for high tech business and innovation," Governor Cuomo said. "This great news is one more reason why the Finger Lakes is moving forward."

Imaging technology advanced by researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) is being tested on the International Space Station (ISS) and could someday be used on future space telescopes. 

Join Dr. Don Figer of the RIT Future Photon Initiative and Center for Detectors for a presentation and Alumni Networking event in San Francisco Jan. 31, 2017.

Integration and packaging of optical components such as laser sources, multiplexers, detectors and modulators into a single chip are ushering in a new era of communications to 100 Gbps and beyond.

Future Photon Initiative members Stefan Preble and Don Figer are featured in a new RIT video: Manufacturing Innovation at RIT

Precision Optical Transceivers Inc. has partnered with Rochester Institute of Technology’s Future Photon Initiative as part of the university’s Industry Partnerships Program, officials announced Tuesday.

How does any ship, from watercraft to spacecraft, successfully navigate away from the sight of natural landmarks on the Earth’s surface? 
By using the stars.

With its suitability for monolithic integration for optics and photonics, silicon has been widely hailed as the material of the future. But graphene — with its capacity for signal emission, transmission and detection — could be the next disruptive technology.

Rochester Institute of Technology has designated four areas of research as strategic to the college's future, with each area awarded up to $1 million in investments from RIT over five years.