Technical Event
An Optical Believe It or Not: Key Lessons Learned
19 August 2024 • 8:30 PM - 10:00 PM PDT | Marriott Marquis, Catalina
Session Chair: Mark Kahan
This event is dedicated to the sharing of key optical lessons learned. Nearly all optical engineers, scientists, researchers, or managers have dealt with the unexpected. Many of these situations in hindsight are quite funny, and have buried within them key optical/managerial lessons learned. The problem with simply listing lessons learned is that as a simple listing, they are clearly hard to remember, thus history repeats itself much to our collective debit. This event will help us all remember the important take-aways by presenting a collection of small stories or optical parables from Leaders in the fields of optics and optical systems engineering.
Please note that our Lessons Learned Speakers are encouraged to embellish their material (within editorial limits), and names, places, and dates may be changed to protect the guilty, but all the take-aways will have a basis in truth as avowed by the author. Audience participation will be allowed/encouraged, as time permits.
This year's speaker will be Adam Phenis, presenting some of Joe Houston's Lessons Learned.
Five topics relating to the long-standing issue of Dual Use provide an insight into the tension that exists between the national research establishment and the national security and intelligence communities. There is an accepted cycle of technology being developed for civilian and commercial use and later, that same technology being repurposed and deployed to protect our basic freedoms. Oftentimes, the reverse is true. This presentation pledges to offer, with some degree of humor, lessons learned during the course of major undertakings involving space exploration, airborne surveillance, ground-based stellar interferometry, underwater wreckage recovery operations, and tech transfer conflict resolution. To this end we employ the popular idiom "Swords versus Plowshares."
Joe Houston received the first undergraduate degree in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin in August 1956. A Distinguished Military Graduate, he served 4-1/2 years in the Regular Army, including a tour in Korea as the 2nd Engineer Group’s Aviation Officer. In 1961, he joined Perkin-Elmer where he was lead optical engineer for the Stratoscope II optical components. At P-E he implemented the use of a Burch Scatterplate Interferometer and Offner Null Lens, designed and managed the first fabrication and evaluation facility for vibration-isolated, vacuum chamber, low temperature optical testing of large optics. In 1964 he moved to Itek Corporation where he replicated the P-E model for optical fabrication and testing (OF&T) and invented the Laser Unequal Path Interferometer. As Manager for Large Optics OF&T and Chief Engineer for Underwater Optical Systems, he supported the spy satellite Project Corona and Project Azorian where he was lead engineer for the CIA’s unique deep ocean camera and lighting contract. He served a year as President of the New England Section of the OSA. In January 1971 he joined Kollmorgen's Electro-Optical Division and wrote the winning proposal for Charles Towne's Infrared Spatial Interferometer. In August 1973, he joined Itek Corporation's Applied Technology Division as VP for Advanced Development. He served two years as President of SPIE. He founded, then chaired, the OF&T Technical Committee of the OSA. He formed Houston Research Associates in 1981and has since served as consultant, GS-15E, to the U.S. Army's Intelligence & Security Command; worked for the DoD's DDR&E during the Tech Transfer crisis of the early 1980's; worked at 3 Universities; supported "Star War's" Office of Innovative Science & Technology; and assisted over 100 DoD contractors with technical expertise. Among these contractors was Lockheed's Advance Technology Center where he was lead optical engineer for the JWST Near-Infrared Camera.
Adam Phenis is an optical engineering consultant at AMP Optics, where he partners with his customers to design, build and deliver optical systems tailored to their specifications. His expertise spans from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to very long-wavelength infrared (VLWIR). Excelling in practical design, delivering on-time, on-budget solutions for electro-optical systems, high-power laser material processing systems, and many more. His systems operate in diverse environments—from high-power laser labs to harsh conditions like space and airborne environments. As a senior SPIE member and OEOSC board member, he also contributes to the optical industry and ISO optics standards.
Part of the Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions XIV conference.
MENU: Assorted snacks and beverages will be available inside the presentation room.
SETUP: Theater style seating.
This event is dedicated to the sharing of key optical lessons learned. Nearly all optical engineers, scientists, researchers, or managers have dealt with the unexpected. Many of these situations in hindsight are quite funny, and have buried within them key optical/managerial lessons learned. The problem with simply listing lessons learned is that as a simple listing, they are clearly hard to remember, thus history repeats itself much to our collective debit. This event will help us all remember the important take-aways by presenting a collection of small stories or optical parables from Leaders in the fields of optics and optical systems engineering.
Please note that our Lessons Learned Speakers are encouraged to embellish their material (within editorial limits), and names, places, and dates may be changed to protect the guilty, but all the take-aways will have a basis in truth as avowed by the author. Audience participation will be allowed/encouraged, as time permits.
This year's speaker will be Adam Phenis, presenting some of Joe Houston's Lessons Learned.
Five topics relating to the long-standing issue of Dual Use provide an insight into the tension that exists between the national research establishment and the national security and intelligence communities. There is an accepted cycle of technology being developed for civilian and commercial use and later, that same technology being repurposed and deployed to protect our basic freedoms. Oftentimes, the reverse is true. This presentation pledges to offer, with some degree of humor, lessons learned during the course of major undertakings involving space exploration, airborne surveillance, ground-based stellar interferometry, underwater wreckage recovery operations, and tech transfer conflict resolution. To this end we employ the popular idiom "Swords versus Plowshares."
Joe Houston received the first undergraduate degree in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin in August 1956. A Distinguished Military Graduate, he served 4-1/2 years in the Regular Army, including a tour in Korea as the 2nd Engineer Group’s Aviation Officer. In 1961, he joined Perkin-Elmer where he was lead optical engineer for the Stratoscope II optical components. At P-E he implemented the use of a Burch Scatterplate Interferometer and Offner Null Lens, designed and managed the first fabrication and evaluation facility for vibration-isolated, vacuum chamber, low temperature optical testing of large optics. In 1964 he moved to Itek Corporation where he replicated the P-E model for optical fabrication and testing (OF&T) and invented the Laser Unequal Path Interferometer. As Manager for Large Optics OF&T and Chief Engineer for Underwater Optical Systems, he supported the spy satellite Project Corona and Project Azorian where he was lead engineer for the CIA’s unique deep ocean camera and lighting contract. He served a year as President of the New England Section of the OSA. In January 1971 he joined Kollmorgen's Electro-Optical Division and wrote the winning proposal for Charles Towne's Infrared Spatial Interferometer. In August 1973, he joined Itek Corporation's Applied Technology Division as VP for Advanced Development. He served two years as President of SPIE. He founded, then chaired, the OF&T Technical Committee of the OSA. He formed Houston Research Associates in 1981and has since served as consultant, GS-15E, to the U.S. Army's Intelligence & Security Command; worked for the DoD's DDR&E during the Tech Transfer crisis of the early 1980's; worked at 3 Universities; supported "Star War's" Office of Innovative Science & Technology; and assisted over 100 DoD contractors with technical expertise. Among these contractors was Lockheed's Advance Technology Center where he was lead optical engineer for the JWST Near-Infrared Camera.
Adam Phenis is an optical engineering consultant at AMP Optics, where he partners with his customers to design, build and deliver optical systems tailored to their specifications. His expertise spans from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to very long-wavelength infrared (VLWIR). Excelling in practical design, delivering on-time, on-budget solutions for electro-optical systems, high-power laser material processing systems, and many more. His systems operate in diverse environments—from high-power laser labs to harsh conditions like space and airborne environments. As a senior SPIE member and OEOSC board member, he also contributes to the optical industry and ISO optics standards.
Part of the Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions XIV conference.
Event Details
FORMAT: General session with one featured speaker and live audience Q&A and general discussion.MENU: Assorted snacks and beverages will be available inside the presentation room.
SETUP: Theater style seating.