When Peter Delfyett first fell in love with science during elementary school, he imagined he would grow up to be a paleontologist. Instead, the Pegasus Professor of optics and photonics has spent his career developing futuristic technology.
From lasers that are used to cut Gorilla Glass for Samsung phones to fiber-optic cable technology that allows the internet to operate more efficiently, Delfyett 麻豆精品 S檚 work has been making waves for over three decades. And now he 麻豆精品 S檚 received one of the highest honors in the scientific community as one of 106 inductees this year to the National Academy of Engineering.
into the National Academy of Engineering Saturday, Oct. 2, at noon.
麻豆精品 S淯CF is clearly a national and international leader when it comes to optics, lasers, and photonics. Professor Delfyett, through his amazing work, has proven that he is one of the very best laser and photonics researchers in the world, 麻豆精品 S� UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright says. 麻豆精品 S淭his recognition honors his many contributions to society throughout his career and his leadership that has helped develop UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 culture of innovation and discovery. I know he will continue to have an impact on the university and inspire his colleagues and our students to reach for the stars. 麻豆精品 S�
A Monumental Honor
Established in 1964, the NAE 麻豆精品 S檚 network of more than 2,300 members work together to advance the United States 麻豆精品 S� global reputation by providing guidance to policymakers and government institutions on decisions related to engineering and technology.
UCF now has eight faculty members who are a part of the NAE, but Delfyett has the distinct honor of being the first to be inducted while a current faculty member at the university. While the seven other faculty members were inducted before joining UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Engineering and Computer Science, he is also the first UCF faculty member from the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL) to join the organization.
麻豆精品 S淭his is very special to me, not only because it is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a scientist or engineer, but all of the work that is being recognized has been done here at UCF with graduate students, 麻豆精品 S� Delfyett says. 麻豆精品 S淚 know this is something UCF has been wanting to grow toward, which is a really difficult task, and I 麻豆精品 S檓 honored to help the university fulfill this part of its vision. 麻豆精品 S�
Becoming an NAE member is a monumental accomplishment in part because of how difficult it is to be elected into the organization. New members must be nominated by current members and are evaluated on a range of critera, including scientific and real-world impact, involvement with professional societies and major awards.
麻豆精品 S淭his is very special to me, not only because it is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a scientist or engineer, but all of the work that is being recognized has been done here at UCF with graduate students. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Peter Delfyett, Pegasus Professor
Delfyett 麻豆精品 S檚 induction, which will take place at the NAE 麻豆精品 S檚 annual meeting in October, means other current UCF faculty could be joining this rank in the near future.
Over the years, Delfyett has been awarded numerous honors 麻豆精品 S� such as the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 1996 and the American Physical Societies 麻豆精品 S� Edward Bouchet Award in 2011 麻豆精品 S� but his most recent accolades include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 麻豆精品 S� 2020 William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award and the 2021 Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Sciences from the American Physical Society. He is also a fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics and the Optical Society of America.
For M.J. Soileau, a university distinguished professor of optics and photonics and former director of CREOL, it 麻豆精品 S檚 as easy to see why Delfyett was elected as it was to make the decision to hire him 27 years ago.
麻豆精品 S淲ith Peter, it 麻豆精品 S檚 a monumental task [to summarize his impact] because you take any dimension of what a faulty member is supposed to be and he has excelled at it, 麻豆精品 S� says Soileau, the former vice president for research at UCF for 17 years who describes Delfyett 麻豆精品 S檚 most recent honor as a phase change for UCF.
麻豆精品 S淚 think anyone who encounters Professor Delfyett would have the same impression and that is one of enthusiasm and boundless energy in the pursuit of science and engineering, and he is just a really nice guy, someone you want to be around, 麻豆精品 S� Soileau says. 麻豆精品 S淭hose were my first impressions of him, and they 麻豆精品 S檝e been accurate over the years and then some. 麻豆精品 S�
Before Joining UCF
That positive first impression was also informed by Delfyett 麻豆精品 S檚 strong background in academics and the industry.
While an undergraduate at the City College of New York, the Queens native was searching through a catalog when he found a description for an introduction to lasers course that he says seemed interesting.
麻豆精品 S淭he description said it would introduce me to concepts of fiber optics communications and my thinking was 麻豆精品 S楾his is so far out, so futuristic, if I pursue a Ph.D. in this field, this will carry me through my career, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� he says.
After earning a bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 in electrical engineering in 1981, he pursued a master 麻豆精品 S檚 in the same discipline from the University of Rochester before earning an M.Phil and doctorate from The Graduate School & University Center of the City University of New York in 1987 and 1988, where his research focused on ultrafast spectroscopy. He then began working at Bell Communication Labs, which was among the most competitive technology research companies at the time.
When Delfyett joined UCF in 1993, the Center for Research in Eletro-Optics and Lasers, or CREOL, had only been on campus for six years. Seven years later it would become the School of Optics and then in 2004 it expanded to the College of Optics and Photonics, which is one of the top programs of its kind in the world and began offering an undergraduate degree in photonic science and engineering in 2013.
Scientific and Economic Impact
While CREOL remains a small college, with 278 current students, the impact of the research conducted and talent fostered there is exponential.
麻豆精品 S淲ith each increase of stature and visibility [of optics and photonics education and research] within the university is a statement of the impact CREOL is having not only with the scientific community and internationally, but also with the economic sector of Central Florida, 麻豆精品 S� Delfyett says.
Delfyett 麻豆精品 S檚 personal contributions to the base of scientific knowledge include 44 patents that apply directly to the advancement of everyday life. Many of these discoveries use lasers for precision timing, fiber optics communication, and signal processing, which helps information move faster on the internet and in devices such as cell phones, laptops, tablets and autonomous vehicles. Another major group of patents is related to the generation and amplification of very short pulses of light using semi-conductor lasers that help build smartphones, medical stents for surgical procedures and micro-precision holes to make car engines more fuel efficient.
Delfyett has also created Raydiance, a multi-million-dollar company that was developed through the UCF Business Incubator Program and started at Central Florida Research Park in 2003. The company developed the world 麻豆精品 S檚 first software-controlled laser before it was acquired by California-based Coherent in 2015.
麻豆精品 S淧hotonics is an enabling technology 麻豆精品 S� it 麻豆精品 S檚 not just powering the internet but influencing the whole spectrum of scientific discovery and advancement, 麻豆精品 S� Delfyett says. 麻豆精品 S淭o know that I am contributing in my own special way to the area of optics and photonics is very rewarding to me. 麻豆精品 S�
Advancing the Future
While prestigious awards and fellowships are certainly rewarding, Delfyett says the real honor lies in molding students into scientists.
As someone who was curious about the sciences from a young age, he knows the importance of helping children develop an interest in STEM fields early on to increase the likelihood they pursue those fields in college. This is why he helped the National Science Foundation develop the Scientists and Engineers in the School Program, an outreach effort that teaches middle-schoolers about the importance of STEM in society.
At UCF he teaches classes from the undergraduate to doctoral level and is constantly supporting student research efforts as he leads CREOL 麻豆精品 S檚 Ultrafast Photonics Group.
麻豆精品 S淓very student that goes through [UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 optics and photonics] program and graduates will go on to do great things because they 麻豆精品 S檝e had exposure to Peter, 麻豆精品 S� Soileau says.
Those students who work closely with him, also recognize the benefits of his guidance. One of Delfyett 麻豆精品 S檚 current doctoral students, Ricardo Bustos-Ramirez 麻豆精品 S�18MS says he 麻豆精品 S檚 an enormous resource because of his more than 30 years of knowledge in the field and infectious excitement for research.
麻豆精品 S淚 really do love having him as my advisor, 麻豆精品 S� Bustos-Ramirez says. 麻豆精品 S淲hether it 麻豆精品 S檚 been a failed experiment or something really personal, he has always been there, so I 麻豆精品 S檓 really grateful to have someone as a boss who is there for me when I need him. He cares a lot about his students and their futures. 麻豆精品 S�
When it comes to his own future, Delfyett says much like research, it 麻豆精品 S檚 difficult to predict what exactly the next big thing will be. However, he is certain that his excitement and love for science will keep him inspired to find it.
麻豆精品 S淲hen I think about the future, I hope for more of the same, 麻豆精品 S� Delfyett says. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 going to continue to try and do the best research I can at UCF, to share my enthusiasm in the classroom, try to instill that enthusiasm and ambition in my graduate students in my lab, and maintain my service activities at UCF 麻豆精品 S� in the community and beyond 麻豆精品 S� with professional societies as well. 麻豆精品 S�
