Du named Fellow of international optics society

January 29, 2015

DuSTARKVILLE, Miss. – An international organization has awarded a Bagley College professor its most prestigious membership rank.

Qian “Jenny” Du, a Bobby Shackouls Endowed Professor of electrical engineering, has been named a Fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE).

“Dr. Du is an expert in digital image processing and its application to remote sensing problems. Her excellence in research led her to being named the Shackouls Professor and I am pleased to see her recognized by SPIE with this great distinction,” interim dean Jason Keith said.

The rank of Fellow is the highest grade of membership in many professional organizations. It is awarded to members who have made significant contributions to their respective fields.

Du’s commitment to research, the optics community and SPIE throughout her 15-year career in academia prompted her nomination and Fellow selection.

“I am excited to receive this great honor,” Du said. “I consider this recognition as encouragement to continue working hard.”

Du researches optical hyperspectral imaging and analysis in remote sensing. She has authored or co-authored more than 240 referred journals, conference proceedings, book chapters and book reviews. Last year, she earned the Best Paper Award at a professional workshop in Lausanne, Switzerland sponsored by the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society.

At Mississippi State University, she has received the Faculty Research, Outstanding Researcher, Hearin Faculty Excellence, and Schillig Teaching awards.

Du joined the Bulldog family as an associate professor in 2004 and says that her time as a faculty member at Mississippi State has contributed to her success as a researcher and professor.

“I am lucky to work in a very supportive environment for my career development. I always learn something new from discussions with faculty and students,” Du said.

Du holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the Beijing Institute of Technology. She also earned master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from The University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Founded in 1955, SPIE promotes the advancement of light-based technology through interdisciplinary approaches to the science and application of light. With members in more than 155 countries, the not-for-profit society focuses on educational outreach through the organization and support of technical forums, exhibitions and programs in North America, Asia, Europe and the South Pacific

For more information about SPIE, visit www.spie.org.

The Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu.

By: Erin Boozer