Dr. Kurt Oughstun, professor in the School of Engineering at the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences was invited by the Brigham Young University Mathematics Department in Provo, Utah to be a Visiting Scholar for their April 2012 celebration of the “Year of the Laser”.  While there, he presented a seminar entitled, "The Group Velocity Approximation: Myth or Reality?"

Oughstun is a Fellow of the Electromagnetics Academy (FEMA). The  Electromagnetics  Academy has over 1,000 members and is devoted to the advancement of academic excellence in the field of electromagnetic theory.   He is also a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, which is focused on increasing and diffusing the knowledge of optics, pure and applied and to promote the common interests of investigators of optical problems, of designers and of users of optical apparatus of all kinds.

Oughstun’s research has been funded for over 20 years by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Oughstun’s past AFOSR sponsored research focused on the unique imaging properties associated with ultrawideband electromagnetic pulses with particular application to foliage and ground penetrating radar and IED detection as well as to biomedical imaging for tumor detection. This same technology can also be applied to pollution monitoring, groundwater remediation, and undersea communication.  The AFOSR manages the basic research investment for the U.S. Air Force (USAF).

For more information contact:  Kurt Oughstun, office: 361A Votey

Phone: (802)656-4301

E-Mail: oughstun@cems.uvm.edu