View of The Optics Building

This essay will discuss the history of The University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Optics Building. It will also discuss the intended purpose for the Optics Building vs. what it is currently being used for to serve UAH and the Huntsville community. A source I found that discussed the initial building of the Optics Building is from the Huntsville Depot and Museum. This source talked about how the Optics Building was built in the late 1980s through funding by representative Tom Bevill of Alabama’s 4th congressional district to create a research facility for Optics Research on UAH’s campus. Another source I found is from the UAH Archives that discussed how the building of the Optics Building was initially facilitated by Dr. John Wright, the new president of UAH with the intention of gaining ties with Huntsville’s business and technology communities. I found these sources by searching through the UAH Archives and by doing a reverse image search of my postcard image on Google Images. I plan on finding sources from the Cybersecurity Research Program as well as other sources to show what specific work the Optics Building has done and what it is currently doing now.

In the photos above there is a representation of the “then” vs. the “now” of the UAH Optics Building. As you can see on the “then” photo there seems to be older cars compared to the cars in the “now” photo. The building itself appears to be the same, with the materials science building still being on the side of the Optics Building. This was not very clear in the first photo, but after some research through an article published by UAH’s Alumni News, it was confirmed that these buildings were built at the same time. What did seem to change and develop over time is the research going on in the Optics and Materials Science Building. In just its first year there was a new research laboratory that was built on UAH’s campus in tandem with the U.S. Army to increase the life cycle of various parts going through extreme environments as discussed in an Alumni News article from UAH in Summer 2007. While this research was not done directly at the Optics or Materials Science Building, it can be inferred that there was some collaborative relationship between them as it was within the first year of these buildings being built. Just later that year in the Winter of 2007 there was another article published from the UAH Alumni News Article stating that there was another new laboratory being created for Advanced Scintillating Materials Applications in the Optics Building. It was said that it was established with an 800,000-dollar budget to research customs agents scans for dirty bombs and radiation.

Today, the Optics Building is continuing to be a center for the growth and research in both the Huntsville community as well as in other areas. It is currently a place that is facilitating government connections with connections to companies and agencies on the Redstone Arsenal as well as in Research Park. There are multiple programs that have been created at the Optics Building, with one of the most popular one being UAH’s Center for Cybersecurity Research and Education (CCRE). This program is one of the main ones facilitating lots of growth in Huntsville. This is discussed in Huntsville’s Business Journal with the CCRE announcing that UAH was designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by both the National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency.

This information just shows how much the Optics Building has grown and developed since its first development, and how it is continuing to grow and develop the Huntsville community. It is also still a hub for research and partnership with local companies and agencies helping students gain real world experience and face real challenges such as laser and cybersecurity research.

Primary Sources:

University of Alabama in Huntsville. (2006) “Alumni News.” LOUIS, https://louis.uah.edu/alumni-news/17/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

University of Alabama in Huntsville. (2007). Alumni News. LOUIS. https://louis.uah.edu/alumni-news/21/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

University of Alabama in Huntsville. (n.d.). History of UAH. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://libguides.uah.edu/c.php?g=263653&p=1760026#:~:text=During%20the%20next%20decade,%20the%20university%20capitalized%20on%20its%20ties

University of Alabama in Huntsville. (n.d.). Alumni News. LOUIS. https://louis.uah.edu/alumni-news/22/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Secondary Sources:

Sears, Christine , Danial Ahari, and Drew Adan. "Optics Building." Clio: Your Guide to History. August 17, 2022. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://theclio.com/entry/152703

Huntsville Business Journal. (2022, December 8). UAH designated as National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by NSA and CISA. Huntsville Business Journal. https://huntsvillebusinessjournal.com/lead/2022/12/08/uah-designated-as-national-center-of-academic-excellence-in-cyber-defense-by-nsa-and-cisa/