Ocean Optics names winner of 2011 Young Investigator Award

Dunedin, FL--Ocean Optics, industry provider of miniature photonics and solutions for optical sensing and spectroscopy, named David Wegner as the winner of the SPIE 2011 Young Investigator Award sponsored by the company. Wegner, part of a research team at the University of Potsdam (Germany) that included Daniel Geissler and Hans-Gerd Löhmannsröben, was honored for his work as lead author of "Time-resolved and steady-state FRET spectroscopy on commercial biocompatible quantum dots." Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a mechanism describing energy transfer between chromophores.

The Young Investigator Award is presented to the researcher who is no more than five years out of school and is author of the best juried paper submitted as part of the "Colloidal Quantum Dots for Biomedical Applications VI" session of the 2011 BiOS/Photonics West conference. The award was presented during the session on Monday January, 24. The honor includes a $1000 investigator reward and a company grant to the investigator's advisor. Wegner's advisor is Professor Niko Hildebrandt of Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Polymerforschung.

Ocean Optics has a long history of supporting young scientists from around the world. "We are always encouraged and inspired by the commitment of young researchers," said Rob Morris, director of Marketing at Ocean Optics. "Twenty years ago, our company prospered because someone believed and invested in a team of young researchers with a vision. The energy and enthusiasm that this year’s SPIE participants demonstrated is a great reminder that young investigators represent the promise of both scientific discovery and industry growth."

With locations in Asia and Europe, Ocean Optics has sold more than 150,000 spectrometers worldwide since 1992. Ocean Optics’ line of complementary technologies includes chemical sensors, analytical instrumentation, optical fibers, metrology products, and optics. The company is a subsidiary of Halma, an international provider of safety, health, and sensor technology.

SOURCE: Ocean Optics; www.oceanoptics.com

Posted by:Gail Overton

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