Ocean Optics has named the winners of its World Cup of Applications contest. Andreas Burkart, a postgraduate researcher at the Jülich Research Center, of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, won for his study, “The Faint Red Glow of Photosynthesis.” A group study led by Bruce Robertson, a former professor and researcher at Michigan State University, also won for the study “Polarized Light Pollution: A New Kind of Ecological Photopollution.” Andreas Burkart, of the Jülich Research Center in Germany, won for his study on the “Faint Red Glow of Photosynthesis.” Courtesy of Ocean Optics. Burkart’s work investigated a new avenue for plant study, using spectroscopy to measure the faint red chlorophyll fluorescence present during photosynthesis. To apply this method in remote field locations, he paired inexpensive open source microcontrollers with Ocean Optics spectrometers to create a fully solar-driven research instrument. Robertson’s team study, which included fellow researchers Gábor Horváth, György Kriska and Péter Malik, looked at the ecological impact of the interaction of light with human-made objects such buildings, cars, roads and other outdoor materials. The team used Ocean Optics spectrometers to characterize different manmade light sources and their effects when shined on various objects. Contest entrants submitted application notes featuring research they have done using Ocean Optics’ spectrometers. More than 40 entries were received. The winning entries, as well as the others submitted, can be found at www.oceanoptics.com/world-cup-entries.