UCF Leads State in Department of Defense Equipment Awards

The Defense University Research Instrumentation Program awarded Zenghu Chang, Ph.D. up to $252,000 for laser research.

Chang, a distinguished professor of physics and optics at UCF, is one of three award recipients at UCF to receive an award from the program, which is the most among Florida universities.

The award money will go toward purchasing a high-energy, high-repetition-rate laser and a set of transmission-type pulse compression gratings. The new equipment will be used to develop a high-power attosecond laser source at UCF. Chang already holds the world record for the shortest laser pulse ever recorded at 67 attoseconds, which is one quintillionth of a second. He is working to make the pulses 1000 times stronger.

“These awards represent university competition at its finest and the fact that we are receiving them consistently illustrates our strength in some of the defining technologies of the future – specifically photonics and microelectronics,” said MJ Soileau, Ph.D., vice president for research and commercialization at UCF.

The Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research and Air Force Office of Scientific Research worked together to judge the merit competition to distribute the awards. The awards are subject to the successful completion of negotiations with the academic institutions.

UCF has received 16 of the rewards since 2012.

To read more about the award, click here.