What is Imaging Science?

Hi There!

My name is Joe Pow. I'm the Associate Director of RIT's Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, and that's really me in the picture above! That picture, called a thermal image, shows what I would look like if your eyes could see heat instead of light.

I'm using this picture of myself as a way to help explain what "imaging science" is all about. First of all, imaging science is a field of study, just like social studies, art, or history. The only difference is that imaging science is actually a combination of other fields of study - math, science, and technology to be specific. Students who study imaging science hope to one day use their knowledge in each of these areas to help them create new devices which produce... pictures!

Some of these new devices may be similar to the cameras you're probably familiar with - the kind that produce nice, clear color pictures of people, places, or things. But some of the new devices that imaging scientists create produce pictures of a subject which may look very very different than it would appear if you viewed it with your eyes. The thermal image of me at the top of this page is a perfect example.

Why would anyone want a camera that produces pictures like that? Great question! In the case of the camera that took the thermal image of me, there are lots of practical uses. Firefighters use them to find people trapped in smoke-filled buildings. Utility companies use them to find where energy is being lost from buildings. And recently, they were even used at airports to help identify passengers who might be infected with the swine flu!

In addition to thermal cameras there are also cameras which look inside the human body. There are cameras which reveal objects on the bottom of the deepest oceans. There are cameras which allow us to learn about the most distant galaxies. We have imaging scientists to thank for all of these cameras and more! So if you like math, science, and technology, you may want to consider a career in the exciting, fast-paced field of imaging science!