Dr. Bryant Hichwa will join the regular faculty of the SSU Department of Physics and Astronomy in the fall of 2002.

Dr. Hichwa earned his Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame and has much experience in both the academic world and industry. After teaching physics at Hope College in Michigan for ten years he spent twelve years at Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc. (OCLI) in Santa Rosa, part of that time as vice president of research. In 2000 he became president of MetroPhotonics (USA), Inc., a Santa Rosa outpost of a Canadian telecommunications company.

Throughout his industrial career he has simultaneously pursued his love of teaching, mostly at SSU. He is currently teaching Analytical Mechanics and Light and Optics as a part-time instructor.

As a full-time faculty member Dr. Hichwa intends to pursue an active research program in optical Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), a field in which he distinguished himself at OCLI. The holder of several patents, he has numerous plans for devices which SSU students can help design and test.

A dedicated environmentalist, Dr. Hichwa is the president of the Madrone Audubon Society and serves on the board of the Audubon Canyon Ranch, a non-profit organization that promotes environmental research and education of elementary school children.

He also has a passion for nature photography, especially native wild orchids, and enjoys tromping around in remote woods and bogs in search of the perfect flower or wildlife picture. He enjoys dabbling with digital photography of the images he takes while listening to both classical and jazz music.