Viteri-Pflucker Earns SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

June 14, 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Physics major Valeria Viteri-Pflucker ’22 has been awarded a 2021 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE , the international society for optics and photonics, for her potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics or related field.

Through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Summer Undergraduate Laboratory Internship, Viteri-Pflucker has been working with Ames Laboratory — a Department of Energy national laboratory in Ames, Iowa — on materials and condensed matter topics under the supervision of Iowa State University Associate Scientist Lin Zhou. Viteri-Pflucker's work involves Lorentz electron microscopy, a form of quantum measurement that uses electron wave interference, for imaging of magnetic topologies relevant to emerging technologies. She currently serves as the vice president of the SPIE Chapter at Illinois Wesleyan.

This year, SPIE is awarding $298,000 in education scholarships to 78 outstanding SPIE student members — including Viteri-Pflucker — based on their potential contribution to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. Award-winning applicants were evaluated, selected and approved by the SPIE Scholarship Committee. Through 2020, SPIE has distributed over $6 million dollars in individual scholarships, a reflection of the society's commitment to education and to the next generation of optical scientists and engineers around the world.

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering, and technology. The Society serves more than 255,000 constituents from 183 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library.

By John Twork