Laser remote sensing instrument development for laser ranging, laser altimetry and atmospheric Earth science and planetary applications.
Teaching Experience
EDUCATION OUTREACH:
1997 IAP (indep. Activity period) invited course lecturer, course 12.265, 12.565 Techniques in Remote Sensing, Topic: Laser Pointing Angle Determination.
1997 SEAMORE pilot program, Science Engineering and Mathematics Outreach Event, enrolled 3 GSFC Science leaders and organized 10 workshops & chaired one for teachers from Cape May NJ.
1997 Education Showcase, The Human Laser Altimeter.
1996 Western MD College, invited talk for Womens History Month, Engineering & Science Today: A womans Perspective & experiences, Westminster, MD.
1996 US Naval Academy, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, invited talk High Precision Laser Ranging Instrument, Annapolis MD.
1995 Optical Science & Laser Tech. Conference, invited talk High Precision Semiconductor Laser Ranging System for Earth Gravity Measurements, Bozeman MT.
1993 University of Maryland, invited talks Ionic Excimers and 2-Color Laser Ranging, College Park, Maryland.
MENTORING:
2006 GSFCs Formal Mentoring Program, Dr. Ann Hornschemeier, Astrophysicist.
2005 GSFCs Leadership Alchemy Program, Jason Soloff, Electrical Engineer.
1996 -1998 JHU Graduate Student, John Holt, Quad APD Amplifier Design for Measuring Laser Pointing.
1995 -1998 MSU Graduate Student, Gregg Switzer, NASAs Graduate Student Research Program, Laser Diode Frequency Stabilization for Remote Sensing.
1996 NASA Space Academy Student, Kristen Whitson, Undergraduate U of TN, Electro-Optical Mixer for High Precision Laser Ranging.
1995 -1996 Eleanor Roosevelt H.S. Senior Science & Technology Internship Program, Adam Stone, Microthrusters for Microsatellite Attitude Control.
1993 -1994 NASA Space Academy Student, Heather Thomas, Undergraduate MSU, 2-Color Laser Ranging With Diode Lasers.
1993-1994 Electrical Engineering International end-of-studies internship for ENSIEG, Cedex, France, Line Locking Controller Electronics for Diode Lidar.
Education
Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 1990
Dissertation Title: "Kinetics and Spectroscopy of Rare-Gas Alkali Ionic Excimers"
M.S. Electrical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 1987
Thesis Title: Fluorescence Studies of Exciplex Molecules In the Vacuum Ultraviolet Regime
B.S. Electrical Engineering, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1985, with High Honors
Professional Memberships
Optical Society of America (OSA)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Rice Quantum Institute (RQI)
Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu
2004 Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor for Spaceborne Lidars: Sub-Arcsecond Laser Pointing Angle Determination System, P.I.
2001 Electro-Optic Mixing to Improve High Precision Laser Ranging Systems,
P.I.
1996 Electro-Optical Mixer for High Precision Laser Ranging, P. I.
2005-1992 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Evaluator
2005-2003 SBIR Technical Monitor, Tunable, High Power Fiber Optic Laser for Lidar Applications, Sigma Space Inc., Contract No. NNG04CA12C
2003, 1998/9 NASA Graduate Student Research Program, Selection Committee
1998 19th International Laser Radar Conference, Program Committee Member
1997 SPIE Advances in Laser Remote Sensing for Terrestrial & Oceanographic Applications paper selection committee (SPIEs AeroSense 97 Conference)
1996 Daedalus Inc. Phase II SBIR Critical Design Reviewer, Laser Search & Rescue, Contract No. NAS5-32710
1995-1996 SBIR Technical Monitor, Commercial Star Camera, PhotoMetrics, Inc. Contract No. NAS5-38036
Awards
NASA GSFC Directors Award, For the Women Advisory Committee
Innovative leadership, community building & advocacy on behalf of women in the Goddard Workforce, 2005
NASA GSFC Special Thanks & Recognition Awards (2), For Obtaining Funding for the Space Laser Cleanroom Facility ($2.115M), 2005
NASA GSFC Performance Award, 2005
NASA Group Achievement Award, ICESat Mission Development Team, 2004
NASA Group Achievement Award, ICESat Geoscience Laser Altimeter system Instrument Development Team, 2003
NASA GSFC Performance Awards, 2002 & 2003
NASA Special Act Award, Design & Development of Geoscience Laser
Altimeter System Stellar Reference System, 2001
NASA Special Act Award, Development of Geoscience Laser Altimeter
System Stellar Reference System, 1999
NASA Special Act Award, Leadership of Geoscience Laser Altimeter
System Stellar Reference System, 1998
NASA Certificate of Outstanding Performance, 1997
NASA Group Award, Mars Observor Laser Altimeter-2 Development
Team, 1996
NASA Quality Increase Award, 1996
NASA Certificate of Outstanding Performance, 1996 & 1995
NASA Performance Award: Gravity & Magnetic Earth Surveyor, 1994
NASA Certificate of Outstanding Performance, 1994 & 1992
Publications
2005 The Transmitter Pointing Determination in the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System, J. M. Sirota, S. Bae, P. Millar, D. Mostofi, C. Webb, B. Schutz and S. Luthke, Geophysical Research Letters, 32, L22S11, doi:10.1029/2005 GL024005.
2004 Laser Pointing Determination System for the Geoscience Laser Altimeter on ICESat. Initial In-Flight Performance Assessment, J. M. Sirota, P. S. Millar, E. C. T. Field, D. K. Mostofi, C. Carabajal, and S. Luthke, in 27th Annual American Astronautical Society, Guidance and Control Conference, AAS 04-077.
2003 Laser Pointing Angle Measurement System for the Geoscience Laser Altimeter, P. S. Millar, J. M. Sirota, C. T. Field, D. K. Mostofi, in Conference on Lasers and Electro-optics 2003, CtuM53, Baltimore, MD.
2001 System to Attain Accurate Pointing Kowledge of the Geoscience Laser Altimeter, J. M. Sirota, P. Millar, E. Ketchum, B. Schutz and S. Bae, in 24th Annual American Astronautical Society, Guidance and Control Conference, AAS 01-003.
2000 Inertially Referenced Laser Pointing Determination System, by J.M. Sirota, P. Millar, B. Volodin, T. Brown, J.Marsh and S. Bae, in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, OSA Technical Digest pp. 603-604.
2000 Calibration technique for high-resolution laser pointing determination system, by B. Volodin, J.M. Sirota, P. Millar, and J.Abshire in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, OSA Technical Digest p. 604.
2000 The geoscience laser altimeter system (GLAS) for the ICESat mission, by J.Abshire, E.A. Ketchum, R.S. Afzal, P.S. Millar and X. Sun in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, OSA Technical Digest p. 603.
1999 Laser Remote Sensing Systems Analysis for Search and Rescue, by C. T. Field and P. S. Millar, Applied Optics: Lasers, Photonics and Environmental Optics, Vol. 38, No. 12, 2586-2593, April 1999.
1998 Laser Pointing Determination For the Geoscienc Laser Altimeter System, by P. S. Millar and J. M Sirota, Proceedings from 19th International Laser Radar Conference, NASA/CP-1998-207671/PT1, pp. 215-218, July 1998, Annapolis, MD.
1998 Goescience Laser Altimeter System - Stellar Reference System, by P.S. Millar and J.M Sirota, Space Technology & Applications International Forum - 1998, AIP Conference Proceedings 420: First Conference on Global Virtual Presence, A1 Active Remote Sensing, Vol. 1, pp. 27-32, January 1998, Albuquerque, NM.
1995 " High Precision semiconductor laser ranging system for Earth Gravity Measurements," by P.S. Millar, and C.T. field, invited talk at Optical Science & Laser Technology Conference, Bozeman, MT, Sept. 5.
1995 " Demonstration of high precision semiconductor laser ranging system," by P. S. Millar, K. D. Christian, and C. T. Field, in Semiconductor Lasers: Advanced Devices and Applications, Vol. 20, OSA Technical Digest Series (Optical Society of America, Washington DC, 1995), pp. 73 - 75.
1995 " Semiconductor Laser-Based Ranging Instrument for Earth Gravity Measurements," by J. B. Abshire, P. S. Millar and X. Sun, in Semiconductor Lasers: Advanced Devices and Applications, Vol. 20, OSA Technical Digest Series (Optical Society of America, Washington DC, 1995), pp. 76 - 78.
1995 " High-Power, High-Bandwidth Laser Diode Transmitter Module," by D. M. Cornwell, A. Yu, G. L. Harnagel, D. E. Hopf and P. S. Millar, in Semiconductor Lasers: Advanced Devices and Applications, Vol. 20, OSA Technical Digest Series (Optical Society of America, Washington DC, 1995), pp. 70 - 72.
1995 " High-Power, High-Bandwidth Laser Transmitter for Aerosol LIDAR and Laser Ranging," by D.M. Cornwell, A. Yu, G.L. Harnagel, D. E. Hopf and P. S. Millar, submitted to NASA Tech. Briefs, Oct.
1994 "Satellite-to-Satellite Laser Ranging Instrument for Earth Gravity Measurements." by J. B. Abshire, P. S. Millar and X. Sun, proceedings of 17th International Laser Ranging Conference, Sendai, Japan, pp. 506 - 509.
1993 "Two-Color Laser Ranging to a Cooperative Airborne Target," by J.
F. McGarry, J. W. Cheek, P. S. Millar, and J. B. Abshire, proceedings from SPIE's OE/Aerospace: Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing VII, SPIE Vol.1950, no. 3, pp. 28-39.
1992 "Two-Color Laser Ranging Experiment to an Aircraft using GPS-aided Tracking," by J. B. Abshire, J. F. McGarry, P. S. Millar and J. W. Cheek, Eos Trans. AGU, 73 (43), Fall Meeting Suppl., p. 130.
1992 "Airborne Two-Color Laser Ranging Experiment," by P. S. Millar, J. B. Abshire, J. F. McGarry and T. W. Zagwodzki, proceedings of 8th International Workshop on Laser Ranging Instrumentation, NASA Conference Publication 3214, pp. 13-1 to 13-16.
1990 "Kinetics and Spectroscopy of Rare-Gas Alkali Ionic Excimers" P. S. Millar (Ph.D. Dissertation), Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas, pp. 1-128.
1990 "Electron Beam Excitation of Rare-Gas Alkali Ionic Excimers," by P. S. Millar, G. Warwar, P. J. Wisoff, K. Balasumbramanian and R. Sauerbrey, Appl. Phys. Lett., 55 (21), pp. 2176.
1989 "Progress Toward Rare Gas-Alkali Metal Ionic Molecular Lasers" by P. S. Millar, G. Warwar, P. J. Wisoff, and R. Sauerbrey, Conference on Quantum Electronics and Laser Science, Vol. 12, Technical Digest Series, (Optical Society of America, Washington, D.C.) pp. 40 - 41.
1989 "Excimer Molecules Produced by Reactive Kinetics in a Laser-Produced Plasma," by P. Millar, T. Petersen, G. Warwar, P. J. Wisoff and R. Sauerbrey, Opt. Lett. 14, pp. 171.
1988 "Heated Cell for Electron Beam Pumped VUV Experiments," by T. Petersen, P. Millar, L. Frey, F. K. Tittel, W.L. Wilson, R. Sauerbrey, and P. J. Wisoff, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 59, pp. 2596.
1987 "Core-Excited Alkali Atoms and Ionic Excimers as VUV/XUV Laser Sources," by L. Frey, S. Kubodera, P. Millar, T. Petersen, G. Warwar, P.J. Wisoff, and R. Sauerbrey, International Conference on Lasers '87.
1987 "Improved Laser Pumping by Intense Electron Beams Via a Backscattering Reflector," by R. Sauerbrey, Y. Zhu, P. Millar, F. K. Tittel, and W. L. Wilson, Jr., J. Appl. Phys. 61, pp. 4740.
1987 "Fluorescence Studies of Exciplex Molecules in the Vacuum Ultra-Violet Regime." P.S. Millar (M.S. Thesis), Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston
