Jannick P. Rolland - 2009 SPIE Women in Optics Planner
Professor of Optics and Biomedical Engineering
University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
Country of origin: Algeria
What I do.
Together with students, we design and develop optical instrumentation, physics-based models, and systems for imaging and 3D visualization, with special emphasis on medical diagnostics and treatment. We also help to solve imaging challenges in space discovery in collaboration with NASA, and lighting and 3D visualization systems for everyday life.
[Jannick Rolland pictured third from right]
What I find exciting.
The discovery of how various scientific fields interrelate, and how mathematics can play a key role, is fascinating to me. The reward is the joy that comes with learning and creating technologies in collaboration with teams of people, where diversity is recognized as the jewel. The development of new technologies is at the core of enabling new science, so engineering and science form a full circle. In this perspective, greater things can be accomplished. To me, working with people that share this vision is truly rewarding. Sharing the joy that comes along this path with others, including my own children, is part of the story I choose to live.
What I wish someone had told me.
The experience is ours to create. Being a scientist is like being a choreographer-we need technique but also creativity and passion. If one has the passion and vision and engages to the fullest, where commitment and mentors play a key role, we ultimately feel more and more part of a greater whole, where all are connected and all interact. In the midst of obstacles that are sure to manifest along the way, hanging on to our purpose and philosophy, and keeping the dance alive can be a guiding light. Being a professor, ultimately, can be one of the best jobs out there in terms of "intellectual" freedom and keeping the challenge alive. It is also about people, more than I ever imagined, which are the core of a rich experience.