Dr. Peter Delfyett has earned national recognition for cutting-edge research and leadership by inspiring a new generation of scientists while at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ the past 20 years.
As a professor in the College of Optics and Photonics, he holds appointments in ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs electrical engineering and physics departments. He also holds the titles of trustee chair and Pegasus Professor, the highest honor a ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ faculty member can earn. Delfyett has been granted 35 patents and now is working on the development of lasers that produce many colors simultaneously for applications in laser-based radar, optical communications, optical search engines and other processes.
This salsa dancer, however, also understands the need for art and science to work together.
When did you realize you wanted to work in the field of optics and photonics?
I was looking through the course catalog of electrical engineering courses in my second year at The City College of New York (1978-79), trying to get an idea of what elective courses I could take. I saw the course βIntroduction to Lasersβ which, in the description, said that it would cover the basic concepts of fiber optic communication. This was just emerging as a new field in the βcommunicationsβ area of electrical engineering, and I thought to myself that if I were able to get an expertise in that area, it would carry me through a long career.
What accomplishment have you been most proud of while at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½?
There are several, such as being able to develop semiconductor diode-based lasers (laser-pointer technology) that 1) produce the worldβs shortest pulses from a laser diode; 2) produce the worldβs highest power from a laser diode; 3) generated the most data from a single laser diode, and 4) generated an optical timing signal that is the most accurate ever generated from a laser diode.
While these are recognized as record-breaking levels of performance, some of the most important accomplishments Iβm most proud of is helping new young students become young shining stars in the field of optics and photonics. There is nothing better than knowing you have truly helped another person achieve levels of greatness that perhaps they never knew they could achieve.
What do you like about your job at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½?
There is something new every day, and being able to work with young energetic students.
What do you tell middle and high school students to interest them in science and engineering?
Many young students always want to become either entertainers or athletes. I tell young students that, in my case, while I am a bit of a musician β I play drums β Iβll never be as famous as Michael Jackson; and while I used to run track, Iβll never be as fast as Michael Johnson, who at one time held records in the 400 meter, 200 meter and mile relay; and while I play basketball, Iβll never be as tall as Michael Jordan nor play as well. But in science and engineering, I can guarantee that you will do something that no one else in the universe has done, and you will be credited with that discovery. And the field of science and engineering pays very well.
What are some of your most significant patents?
The most significant patents, for me, can be interpreted in two ways: 1) the ideas which required true βout of the boxβ thinking to make an idea work, and 2) the patents that have resulted in commercial products. On the second front, the patents that are the most significant are those that relate to the generation and amplification of short burst of light. Several of these patents were licensed to a start-up company (Raydiance) that is using lasers for advanced manufacturing techniques in making fuel injectors and stents that go inside arteries to help maintain good blood flow.
What have been the biggest changes youβve noticed at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ in your time here?
The biggest changes at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ are obviously the size. When I got here in 1993, there were about 23,000 students. Now the student body is nearly 60,000. In addition, in 1993, the concept of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ having a medical school was unheard of, but owing to the vision and perseverance of President Hitt, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ graduated its first medical students this month.
How important is the relationship between art andΒ science?
The arts are very important to science. In the field of the arts, students are taught to be creative β this is very difficult to teach in the sciences and engineering. Science and engineering are typically taught in a way that is very rigorous and well defined; creativity is very hard to teach this way. However, creativity is the most important driver in science and engineering. Thatβs because, in order to create new knowledge and new technologies, one needs to be creative and think out of the box. I call this βon your head thinking.β People typically attack problems βhead-on,β but if you were to look at the world by standing on your head, literally, you will see things, and things will appear very differently.
What do you like to do when youβre not working?
When Iβm not working at/for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, I train with a salsa dance team at Salsa Heat Dance Studios, where we perform choreographed dance routines. The most interesting thing is that many ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ students go there to learn how to dance the several different styles of Latin dance. When some of the students who know me see me there, they say: βDoctor D, what are you doing here!?β Of course, I smile and say: βThe same thing youβre doing here.β