Trenton Brendel is pursuing a Ph.D. in optical sciences at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences in Tucson, Arizona. Trenton is a member of the Large Optics Fabrication and Testing (LOFT) group led by Dr. Dae Wook Kim. His work is focused on astronomical instrumentation for ground, balloon, and space-based telescopes, and he is jointly employed by the Wyant College of Optical Sciences and Steward Observatory. Trenton spends his time assisting with the development of the Telescope Metrology System at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory on Mt. Graham, conducting stray light analysis for the FIREBall-2 UV balloon telescope, and supporting multiple ground and space telescope projects with stray light analysis, optical modeling, and optical design. Trenton plans to graduate in May of 2023. LinkedIn

Hayden Wisniewski began his PhD at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences at The University of Arizona in 2018 with focus on optomechanical engineering. Previously he attained a B.S. in Physics from Whitworth University. At the University of Arizona, he focuses on absolute X-ray telescope mirror metrology through different interferometric techniques. He also works as a senior R&D engineer at Apre Instruments in Tucson designing next generation interferometric systems. When Hayden is not in the lab, he enjoys getting too much Tucson sun through off-road motorcycle riding, rock climbing, mountain biking, and jeeping. LinkedIn

Joshua Richards

Biography Not Available

Kevin Derby graduated with a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2020. He is now a first year PhD student in optical sciences at the University of Arizona. Working with Drs. Daewook Kim and Ewan Douglas, his primary interest is in developing coronagraph technologies for detection and characterization of terrestrial exoplanets. He also invested in advancing a variety of metrology techniques including deflectometry for measuring large reflective optics and interferometry to detect semiconductor defects.  LinkedIn