Trustees approved spending about $35.6 million of Capital Improvement Trust Fund fees on the two projects, which were recommended by a committee that includes students. The per-credit-hour fee funds student-related projects on campus.

Before any construction can begin, the state Board of Governors, which oversees all Florida public universities, must authorize spending the fee on the two projects. The state Legislature also must vote to release the money to 麻豆原创 next year.

The library expansion would accommodate a four-story Automated Retrieval Center that would hold up to 1.5 million volumes, freeing up much of the main library to add individual and group study spaces.

The new addition also would enable 麻豆原创 to keep a portion of the library open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The 24-hour space is something many students want to see at the library, said Cortez Whatley, president of the Student Government Association

The most frequently used materials would remain in the main library, while materials that are rarely used would be moved to the expansion. An automated retrieval system would fetch those materials when needed, and the system would save the university money as well as space.

The Lake Claire enhancements would include a student services building with space for boats and other outdoor equipment. Usage of the recreational area has nearly tripled during the past three years as a result of prior improvements such as sand volleyball courts.

In other action, the Board of Trustees:

Recognized several faculty members who earned at least $1 million in external research funding during the past year. A total of 35 faculty members achieved Millionaires Club status in 2011-12.

Heard an update on a 麻豆原创 initiative that involves the collection and interpretation of data examining topics such as which students are at risk for dropping out of a course or not completing a program. That data then would be used to help identify barriers to student success and to help students overcome those barriers. The goals of the initiative include increasing student retention and graduation rates.

Learned that 麻豆原创 will host the 2014 Science Olympiad National Tournament, which will be the 30th anniversary of the competition. The invitation was a result of 麻豆原创鈥檚 success with hosting the Science Olympiad earlier this year. The tournament includes about 2,500 of the nation鈥檚 best science, technology, engineering and math students.

Congratulated the 麻豆原创 women鈥檚 soccer team on winning the Conference USA tournament and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Knights defeated Miami on Saturday in the first round and will play at Florida on Friday in the second round.

Lauded Eric Van Stryland, professor of optics in CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, for earning the R.W. Wood Prize of the Optical Society of America for his work that revolutionized the measurement of nonlinear properties of materials.

Congratulated Eduardo Salas, of Psychology and the Institute for Simulation聽& Training, for winning the Michael R. Losey Award presented by the Society for Human Research Management.

Met briefly with newly elected State Rep. Joe Saunders, a 2005 麻豆原创 graduate whose district will include the university. Saunders earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Political Science with minors in Women鈥檚 Studies and Legal Studies.

Eric Van Stryland, professor of optics, is the joint winner of the R.W. Wood Prize, endowed by the Xerox Corporation and presented by the Optical Society of America. The prize is shared with Mansoor Sheik-Bahae, formerly of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers, and now a physicist at the University of New Mexico.

The award is given annually in recognition of an outstanding discovery, scientific achievement or invention in the field of optics that opens a new era of research or significantly expands an existing one.

Bahaa Saleh, dean of 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Optics & Photonics, said the Wood Prize is an honor that only the most dedicated scientists receive and he is especially proud that Van Stryland is the third faculty member from the college to receive the award.

Professor Demetri Christodoulides received the award in 2011 and George Stegeman, now emeritus professor of optics, was chosen in 2003.

鈥淲e are pleased that the Optical Society of America recognizes the vast talent we have here at 麻豆原创,鈥� Saleh said.

Van Stryland and Sheik-Bahae developed the Z-scan technique that allows researchers to better understand the interaction of high-intensity light with materials and discover new nonlinear optical phenomena. Scientists from all over the world now use this technique to easily measure how materials respond to laser light by simply measuring the transmittance of a material sample as it is moved in and out of the focus of a laser beam.

Using Z-scan measurements, scientists and engineers have been able to select and design materials that can be used to control and manipulate light in specific ways, leading to advances in optics and lasers.

Their technique was published in the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics in 1989 and remains the most highly cited paper in that journal鈥檚 history.

Van Stryland said the award would not have been possible without the support of longtime 麻豆原创 collaborators, including MJ Soileau, vice president for research & commercialization, and David Hagan, associate dean for academic programs and professor of optics and physics.

鈥淚 am greatly honored to win the R.W. Wood Prize and want to be sure to thank, in addition to my colleagues, all the graduate students, post-docs, research scientists and visitors who have taught me so much over the years,鈥� Van Stryland said.

The ability to manipulate light through materials opens up myriad possibilities for applications. Currently, optical communications are via fiber optics where short pulses of light carry information. These pulses are currently detected electronically and sent to the proper destinations. New research is showing that electronics in many areas can be replaced by “smart” optical materials that will greatly speed up communications and allow more information capacity. There are many examples of how specially engineered materials are finding uses in energy, defense, and medicine.

Van Stryland is one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 most decorated scientists. He is a fellow and past president of the 19,000-member Optical Society of America and a past member of its board of directors. He is also a senior member of the Laser Institute of America, and a fellow of IEEE LEOS, the American Physical Society and SPIE. In 2003 he was awarded 麻豆原创鈥檚 Pegasus Professor award.

Optics and lasers researchers at the 麻豆原创, led by Professors David Hagan and Eric Van Stryland, have found a technology that could eliminate the need for cold and the weight, making it possible to jettison expensive and bulky cooling units for large infrared devices.

The exciting discovery was made with a common material called gallium nitride that is currently used to read Blu-ray DVDs.

The team鈥檚 research is featured in the September issue of out this week.

Much more research is needed. But Hagan said the new material may offer an alternative to expensive liquid nitrogen, which boils at a chilly 200 degrees Celsius below zero.

鈥淚f you have to cool with liquid nitrogen, it鈥檚 not very practical,鈥� Hagan said. 鈥淭his discovery opens up possibilities.鈥�

Lightweight cameras are one possibility. Another is an infrared sensor on a military airplane that wouldn鈥檛 be bogged down by a bulky cooling unit.

Infrared detection and other thermal imaging systems are usually based on the material mercury cadmium telluride, or MCT. Researchers had long wanted to see if the material gallium nitride, or GaN, could detect infrared light and produce similar results compared to detectors with MCT.

The researchers used uncooled GaN detectors and an effect called two-photon absorption in which they tested two photons of light of different wavelengths.

鈥淭here are other technologies that measure infrared, but they are not very sensitive,鈥� Hagan said. 鈥淲e made the two-photon absorption very strong, and we found that using gallium nitride as a semiconductor provides surprisingly good sensitivity to infrared.鈥�

Hagan and Van Stryland authored the paper with post-doctoral researchers Dmitry Fishman, Lazaro Padilha and Scott Webster and graduate students Claudiu Cirloganu, Trenton Ensley and Morgan Monroe in 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Optics and Photonics.

The researchers used short bursts of light to conduct their initial experiments. Next, the team will test longer bursts that would be required to make the new technology practical. They also will be looking to develop devices that can house this new technology.

鈥淧eople are always interested in new types of infrared detection,鈥� Van Stryland said. 鈥淢y guess is we鈥檙e going to find some application niches people couldn鈥檛 do before.鈥�