UNM Hosted ThorLab's Mobile Optics Lab Experience
March 3, 2026
ThorLabs Mobile Photonics Lab had a successful visit! All photos by Alex Albrecht
UNM students, faculty, and staff, as well as Albuquerque Academystudents were able to experience the ThorLabs Mobile Photonics Lab, hear about Optical Science & Engineering and Physics programs, and visit the Semiconductor Laser Development Laboratory on February 25-26, 2026.
Associate Professor Denis Seletskiy writes:
"There is something about watching a laser beam bend through a stream of water or seeing hidden structures beneath your own skin through a live microscope (OCT) that stops people in their tracks. That moment of wonder, when light does something you didn't think was possible, is what drew me to photonics, and it's what I saw on the faces of students all week at the Thorlabs Mobile Photonics Lab Experience."
"Light has a way of surprising you. It bends, splits, carries sound, reveals what's invisible to the eye — and when you put those phenomena in front of a curious person, something clicks. Events like this are how we spark that curiosity and grow the next generation of scientists and engineers."
He continues, "The magic of these events is that they look effortless — the truck rolls onto campus, transforms into an interactive photonics lab, and the demonstrations just work. What most people don't see are the predawn setups, the real-time problem solving, and this time, a team that drove through two feet of snow and arrived in the middle of the night. Thank you, Thorlabs for continuing to invest in bringing the beauty of photonics to the next generation!"
