MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 17 -- Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing, announced today that University of Rochesterstudents Anthony Visconti and Brett Sternfield and University of Alabama in Huntsville student Josh Walters are the winners of the 2012 Robert S. Hilbert Memorial Optical Design Competition. The competition was established in 2000 by Optical Research Associates (ORA), now the Optical Solutions Group at Synopsys, and was named in honor of ORA's former president and chief executive officer Robert S. Hilbert. The annual competition is open to students in North America working toward a bachelor's, master's, or Ph.D. degree who utilize Synopsys' CODE V or LightTools software to perform optical design and engineering research. Awards are granted to students who have submitted papers that demonstrate optical design excellence.

Anthony Visconti of the University of Rochester was recognized for his work on infrared optical imaging using CODE V in his paper titled, "Optical Passive Athermalization Using Schott Chalcogenide Glasses." Applications of Visconti's project include thermal imaging for night vision systems, as well as remote sensing for aerial photography and satellite data collection. Brett Sternfield, also of the University of Rochester, was recognized for his work on a machine vision imaging system using CODE V in his paper titled, "190 Degree FFOV Fisheye for Autonomous Robots." Sternfield presents a method to improve a robot's ability to navigate a new environment and capture images, which can be useful for a wide range of tasks, including search and rescue missions, intelligence gathering and even fast food delivery.

Josh Walters of the University of Alabama in Huntsville was recognized for his project using CODE V titled, "Non-Sequential Modeling of Multi-Aperture Lenslet Array Spectropolarimetic Imager." The goal of Walters' design is to reduce crosstalk in an imaging system that uses an array of lenslets, so that the resulting image of each channel is clearly distinguished. This work will aid those researching the benefits of non-traditional imaging systems, similar to the compound eye found in insects.

"We believe it is important to encourage the next generation of optical engineers by recognizing and showcasing their talents in our annual student design competition," said George Bayz, vice president and general manager of the Optical Solutions Group at Synopsys. "The entries we received reflect strong design concepts that were well executed and presented and show promise for optical systems across a broad range of applications."

The three projects will be on display at SPIE Optics + Photonics (August 12-16, 2012, San Diego, Calif.) in Synopsys' booth 417.

About the Robert S. Hilbert Memorial Optical Design Competition

The annual Robert S. Hilbert Memorial Optical Design Competition recognizes excellence in optical design projects completed by students. The competition honors the memory of Robert Hilbert (1941-2008), former president and chief executive officer of Optical Research Associates, who was deeply committed throughout his career to fostering technical innovation in optics and supporting optics education. The competition is open to students enrolled in a post-secondary degree program in North America, working toward a bachelor's, master's or Ph.D. degree. To participate, students can enter an optical design class assignment or thesis work that uses CODE V or LightTools software. Awards totaling$4,000 are granted each year. For more information, visit www.opticalres.com/student.

About Synopsys' Optical Solutions Group

Synopsys' Optical Solutions Group, formerly Optical Research Associates, is one of the world's leading developers of optical design and analysis tools, with CODE V imaging design software, LightTools illumination design software and RSoft products for photonic and optical network design. The group also provides optical systems design services, with more than 4,800 completed projects in imaging, illumination and optical systems engineering.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com.

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Source: Synopsys, Inc.