Harvey M. Pollicove Memorial Scholarship

Each year, a scholarship of USD 4,000 is awarded to a student pursuing a degree in the field of precision optics manufacturing. There are four core universities associated with this program the (University of Rochester, the University of Arizona, the University of Central Florida, and Monroe Community College), but applicants at any university in the US are eligible to apply.

Established in 2007, this program honors the work of Harvey Pollicove and was made possible by the generous contributions to the H.M. Pollicove Memorial Fund by Harvey’s friends and colleagues.

Application Information

How to Apply

Apply when open at apply.optica.org

Important Dates

Opens: 09 May 2022
Closes 10 July 2022

Applicant Requirements

• Be an accepted or enrolled in an optics manufacturing program.
• Be at a minimum an active half-time student (Undergraduate or Graduate) at an institution in the United States
• Intend to work in the US. optics manufacturing industry upon graduation.
• Agree to complete and submit a Scholarship Report if they are selected as a scholarship recipient.

Application Requirements

• Short Answer Questions
  • In 250 words or less, describe why you first became interested in optics/photonics/physics
  • In 250 words or less, how does optics play a role in your current research?
  • In 250 words or less, identify the impact receiving this grant would have on your career.
• CV/Resume
• GPA certification (Unofficial Transcript)
• Two Reference Letters

2021 Selection Committee

• Don Golini, SANICA Ventures
• James Sydor, Sydor Optics Inc
• Walt Czajkowski, APOMA
• Kathleen Richardson, University of Central Florida, CREOL

2020 Recipient

Tyler Peterson
University of Arizona, USA

Peterson is a second-year PhD student in Dr. Rongguang Liang’s lab at the University of Arizona, where he works on the design of clinical imaging devices for early cancer detection. He is currently investigating best practices for tolerancing freeform optics in biomedical imaging applications to help push them toward broad industry acceptance. Prior to joining UA, Tyler received his M.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Oregon and then worked in industry as an optical engineer for five years designing and testing fluorescence microscopes. In his free time, he enjoys playing jazz piano, hiking, drawing, and reading.

Past Recipients

• Kellie Kiekens, University of Arizona, USA (2020)
• Nicholas Kochan, University of Rochester, USA (2019)
• Juniyali Nauriyal, University of Rochester, USA (2018)
• Chris Dodds, Monroe Community College, USA (2017)
• Kameron Tinkham, University of Rochester, USA (2016)
• James Lewis, Monroe Community College, USA (2015)
• Antoine Lepicard, University of Central Florida, USA (2014)
• Laura Coyle, University of Arizona , USA (2013)
• Peter McCarthy, University of Rochester, USA (2012)
• Nea Sample, Monroe Community College, USA (2011)
• Mark Ramme, University of Central Florida, USA (2010)
• Katie Schwertz, University of Arizona, USA (2009)
• Katherine Hasman, University of Rochester, USA (2008)