Michael Morris (oceanographer)

Michael Morris is an American biochemist, oceanographer and businessman, who has designed, developed and marketed new applications of optical sensing technology and spectroscopy. He has founded several companies including pHish Doctor (pH sensors for home aquariums), Ocean Optics Inc. (OOI) (miniature spectrometers),[2] and SpectrEcology (engineering and support services for optical sensing applications).[3][4][1]

This article is about the American oceanographer. For the 2003 president of the Optical Society, see G. Michael Morris.
Michael Morris
Spouse(s)Linda Morris[1]
AwardsPittcon Heritage Award

Morris is credited with developing the first miniature spectrometer.[5][6][7] The miniature spectrometers introduced by Morris' Ocean Optics have wide applications in the food industry, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, aquaculture, the environment, medicine, dentistry, and forensics. They have been used on the Mir Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and the Mars Rover Curiosity. They have been used to discover new information about the structure and properties of the Hope Diamond and other blue diamonds.

Education

Morris has a B.Sc. in Chemical and Cell Biology from Rutgers University and an M.Sc. in Marine Science from the University of South Florida.[2]

Career

Morris gained experience as a sales representative for Fisher Scientific. He also served as the associate director of technology transfer for the Southern Technology Applications Center for technology entrepreneurs, sponsored by NASA.[4]

His first entrepreneurial venture, in 1986, was pHish Doctor. He borrowed $10,000 to create the company, which sold pH sensors for home aquariums. That project was successful enough to help him start his next company.[1]

Morris worked with Robert Byrne, Luis Garcia-Rubio, and Roy Walters from the University of Central Florida, on the development of a fiber-optic pH sensor for use in seawater. In 1989, they co-founded Ocean Optics, Inc. with the help of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.[1] A miniature spectrometer that they had developed as part of the fiber-optic project became the company's core product.[6]

They introduced the first miniature fiber-optic spectrometer, the S1000, in 1992.[4] It was capable of measuring wavelengths in the visible range.[1] The company focused its mission around being agile, understanding customers' desires and creating applications to meet customer demand,[6] "enabling any measurement involving absorbance, transmission, reflection, or emission of light."[4] The company was bought by Halma in 2004.[6][1]

After the sale of Ocean Optics Morris went on to found SpectrEcology, which specializes in engineering and support services for applications that use optical sensing.[3]

Applications

NASA projects

Ocean Optics' miniature spectrometers have been used on the Mir Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and the Mars Rover[8] Curiosity.[5][6][9][10][11][12] In 2009, an Ocean Optics QE65000 Spectrometer named "ALICE" was modified by Aurora Design & Technology for use in NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission. ALICE measured ultraviolet light resulting from the impact of the Centaur upper rocket stage on the floor of the crater Cabeus. This confirmed that water ice is present on the moon.[13][14]

The Rocky 7 Rover prototype used an Ocean Optics point spectrometer which was sensitive in the range of 350-800 nm.[8]

Three Ocean Optics HR2000 spectrometers were customized as part of the ChemCam unit of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, which was launched November 26, 2011. The spectrometers were configured to measure different wavelengths of light, in the ranges of 240-336 nm, 380-470 nm, and 470-850 nm. The Laser Induced Breakdown Spectrometer (LIBS) used a laser to fire a series of very short pulses at a nearby target.[9][15] The initial shots cleared away any dust, while the later ones heated the rock to create a flash of ionized gas or plasm.[16] The resulting light was measured by the spectrometers and the spectra were analyzed to determine the composition of Martian rock and soil.[9][15][17][5][18] Since landing, the ChemCam has identified hundreds of thousands of samples, including calcium, gypsum and bassanite.[11]

The incorporation of an instrument for Raman spectroscopy is being planned by NASA's Mars 2020 Rover Science Definition Team.[19]

Blue diamonds

Ocean Optics' portable spectrometers have been also been used to examine the phosphorescence spectrum of the Hope Diamond, the Blue Heart Diamond and other natural type IIb blue diamonds.[20][21] The Smithsonian, the United States Naval Research Laboratory, Ocean Optics Co. and Pennsylvania State University collaborated on a study to examine hundreds of blue diamonds.[22] Researchers examined the spectral and temporal properties of the diamonds using a USB2000-FL spectrometer for UV/Vis light studies and an IR512 spectrometer for Raman spectroscopy.[23][24][25]

The Hope Diamond, in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, shows a distinctive red phosphorescent glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. Visible to the human eye, it had never been explained.[22][26] The researchers discovered that all blue diamonds show red and green peaks in their phosphorescence spectrum, due to the presence of nitrogen and boron in the stones. The intensity and rate of decay of the spectrum varies from diamond to diamond.[22][26] This technique may enable individual blue diamonds to be "fingerprinted" for identification purposes.[26][22]

Other applications

Ocean Optics' miniature spectrometers are used in hospitals, in airport security and in university and high school chemistry labs.[6][27] They have applications in the food industry,[28] pharmaceuticals,[29] agriculture,[30] aquaculture, the environment,[31][32] medicine,[33] dentistry,[34][35] and forensics.[36] Their small size means that they can be incorporated into scientific instruments that are used outside laboratories, in industrial production settings, on agricultural fields, for environmental monitoring, and for point of care medical use.[37][38]

Awards

Philanthropy

Morris has contributed to the Endowed Fellowship Awards program at the College of Marine Science of the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida.[39] He is also a supporter of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership's Technology Fund which helps to provide capital for young start-ups in the St. Petersburg area.[40]

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References
  1. Kruschwitz, Jennifer D.T. (February 2006). "From Small Fish to Oceans of Opportunity The Story of Ocean Optics Inc" (PDF). Optics & Photonics News: 10–11. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  2. "MIKE MORRIS Alum '82". University of South Florida, St. Petersburgh. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  3. "Mike Morris". USFCMS Turns 50 50 Years of Advancing Science. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  4. "Pittcon Heritage Award". Science History Institute. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  5. Lapowsky, Issie (August 7, 2012). "Small Businesses That Made the Mars Mission Possible". Inc. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  6. Morris, Mike (2008). "The Ocean Optics story in a nutshell". In López-Higuera, José Miguel; Culshaw, B. (eds.). Engineering a high-tech business : entrepreneurial experiences and insights. SPIE Press. pp. 121–128, 268. ISBN 9780819471802. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  7. "Ocean Optics Partners with SpectrEcology". Ocean Optics. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  8. Volpe, Richard; Balaram, J.; Ohm, Timothy; Ivlev, Robert (1997). "Rocky 7: A Next Generation Mars Rover Prototype" (PDF). Journal of Advanced Robotics. 11 (4): 341–358. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.51.7544. doi:10.1163/156855397X00362. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  9. "Ocean Optics Spectrometers Head to Mars". Ocean Optics News. December 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  10. Hayes, Tim (25 Sep 2012). "ChemCam: under the hood". Photonics World. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  11. NASA (January 1, 2015). "Energy Ruggedized Spectrometers Are Built for Tough Jobs". Tech Briefs. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  12. Wiens, Roger (March 12, 2013). Red Rover : inside the story of robotic space exploration, from Genesis to the Mars rover Curiosity. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0465055982. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  13. "Ocean Optics Spectrometer Confirms Water on the Moon". Analytik News. December 3, 2009.
  14. Welander, Peter (July 14, 2009). "Spectrometer orbits the moon". Control Engineering. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  15. Taranovich, Steve (September 7, 2012). "Mars Curiosity Rover: ChemCam laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy unveiled". EDN Network. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  16. Webster, Guy (December 22, 2010). "NASA's Next Mars Rover to Zap Rocks With Laser". Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  17. Trigaux, Robert (August 8, 2012). "Part of 'Curiosity' rover on Mars hails from Tampa Bay". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  18. "Mars Rover's Laser Zaps First Target". Photonics Media. August 22, 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  19. Gasda, Patrick J.; Acosta-Maeda, Tayro E.; Lucey, Paul G.; Misra, Anupam K.; Sharma, Shiv K.; Taylor, G. Jeffrey (February 2015). "Next Generation Laser-Based Standoff Spectroscopy Techniques for Mars Exploration". Applied Spectroscopy. 69 (2): 173–192. Bibcode:2015ApSpe..69..173G. doi:10.1366/14-07483. PMID 25587811.
  20. Gaillou, E.; Post, J. E.; Rost, D.; Butler, J. E. (9 January 2012). "Boron in natural type IIb blue diamonds: Chemical and spectroscopic measurements". American Mineralogist. 97 (1): 1–18. Bibcode:2012AmMin..97....1G. doi:10.2138/am.2012.3925. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  21. Gaillou, Eloise; Post, Jeffrey E.; Byrne, Keal S.; Butler, James E. (30 January 2015). "Study of the Blue Moon Diamond". Gems & Gemology. 50 (4). doi:10.5741/GEMS.50.4.280. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  22. "Bombarded with ultraviolet light, the blue Hope diamond glows red". Smithsonian Insider. 19 August 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  23. "Ocean Optics helps examine the Hope Diamond". Laser Focus World. January 20, 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  24. "Ocean Optics Helps Examine Hope Diamond". Photonics Media. January 16, 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  25. US Naval Research Lab (August 25, 2005). "Researchers to Study Properties of the Hope Diamond". Phys.org. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  26. Griffiths, Jennifer (April 1, 2008). "AC Detective: Why does the Hope diamond glow red?". Analytical Chemistry. pp. 2295–2296. doi:10.1021/ac086021+.
  27. Randelman, Rob; Morris, Rob (2008). "Industrial sensing instruments lead to 'mass customization'". SPIE Newsroom. doi:10.1117/2.1200705.1137. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  28. Segran, Elizabeth (March 21, 2016). "Why Target Is Fast-Tracking Food Innovation". Fast Company. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  29. Ciurczak, Emil W.; Drennen, III, James K. (Feb 8, 2002). Pharmaceutical and Medical Applications of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. CRC Press. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9780203910153. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  30. DeShazer, James A.; Meyer, George E. (2001). Optics in Agriculture: 1990-2000 : Proceedings of a Conference Held 6 November 2000, Boston, Massachusetts. SPIE Optical Engineering Press. p. 4.
  31. Mishra, Deepak; Ogashawara, Igor; Gitelson, Anatoly (3 May 2017). Bio-optical modeling and remote sensing of inland waters. Elsevier. p. 246. ISBN 9780128046449.
  32. "Light Years Ahead" (PDF). Analytic Scientist. July 2015. p. 42. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  33. "Spectral Fiber Sensors for Cancer Diagnostics". News Medical Lifesciences. June 29, 2018.
  34. Rai, A. K.; Das, I. M. L.; Uttam, K. N. (2010). Emerging trends in laser & spectroscopy and applications. Allied Publishers. p. 282. ISBN 9788184246261. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  35. Heymann, Harald; Swift, Jr., Edward; Ritter, Andre (2017-12-20). Sturdevant's art and science of operative dentistry (6th. ed.). Elsevier/Mosby. p. 185. ISBN 9780323083331. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  36. Estracanholli, E. S.; Kurachi, C.; Vicente, J. R.; Menezes, P. F. C.; Bagnato, V. S. (January 4, 2010). "Determination of post-mortem interval using in situ tissue optical fluorescence". In Dössel, Olaf; Schlegel, Wolfgang C.; Becks, Thomas (eds.). World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering September 7 - 12, 2009 Munich, Germany: Vol. 25/VII Diagnostic and Therapeutic Instrumentation, Clinical Engineering. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 442–. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  37. "Global Miniature and Micro Spectrometers Market 2017-2021: Focus on the Most Promising Applications - Pharmaceutics, Food & Beverages, Agriculture, Environment Testing, Medical Point-of-care, Consumer - Research and Markets". PR Newswire. June 12, 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  38. Overton, Gail (February 17, 2016). "Photonics Products: Handheld Spectrometers: How spectrometers have shrunk and grown since 2010". Laser Focus World. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  39. "Endowed Fellowship Award Ceremony University of South Florida's College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL". Consortium for Ocean Leadership. 2007-09-17. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  40. "Investing in St. Pete Start-ups". St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
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