Janice A. Hudgings

Assistant Professor of Physics

Specialization
Optics and semiconductor lasers; vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers; thermal profiling of photonic integrated circuits

Janice Hudgings notes that "physics has immediate practical applications to every aspect of our lives: physics describes the forces that hold your DNA together, physics leads to the technology that lets you surf the Web and image the human body; the applications are endless." Her own research on semiconductor lasers has already led to a U.S. patent. Hudgings's research on vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and photonic integrated circuits is of immediate practical use since these lasers are quickly becoming an integral part of communications networks.

Hudgings also mentors young women interested in physics. She has coauthored a paper, "Expanding College Women's Perceptions of Physicists' Lives and Work through Interaction with a Physics Career Website," for the Journal of College Science Teaching. The basis of the paper comes from a project that Hudgings and colleague Becky Wai-Ling Packard developed, using interactive media to teach students about the many professions a physicist can undertake and about women physicists today.

Hudgings teaches an introductory-level course on electromagnetism and advanced courses on quantum mechanics and mathematical methods for scientists. She is offering a new January Term course on modern optoelectronics. Students consistently praise Hudgings for her ability to teach hard concepts and to help each student learn.

Hudgings has won numerous awards for her research and teaching. She recently won a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award of $375,000 for her research on VCSELs in 2002. The NSF CAREER award is granted to a select few researchers who demonstrate exceptionally promising research projects coupled with a strong educational plan. In 2003, Hudgings won another NSF research grant for her collaborative work on thermal profiling of photonic integrated circuits. Hudgings is also the author of numerous publications, some of which were coauthored by MHC students.

News Links:

"Role Models Help Students Take a Quantum Leap in Physics," Vista, spring 2001