Farpoint Optics and Image Science

Biography

Russ Palum is a optical engineer and image scientist with experience in the development and testing of digital imaging systems.

Russ is an inventor on twenty US patents, is an author of two book chapters, and seven published papers, and has given presentations and taught short courses at professional meetings.

After receiving an MS in imaging science from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Russ worked in an advanced development group at Eastman Kodak Company where he developed techniques for interferometric and mechanical testing of aspheric surfaces.  He also developed a heat transfer model for a glass lens molding process and optimized the process based on the model, and wrote a machine control program in PLM to control the glass lens molding machines. Russ also finished an MS degree in electrical engineering during this time.

Russ left the advanced development group in 1996 to work at Kodak Research Laboratories.  He worked on interferometric testing, optical design, image simulation, image quality testing, imaging system data path development, and algorithm development including the data path for the Palmpix digital camera attachment for the Palm personal digital assistant.  Russ designed the Cineon (motion picture) scanner illumination system and specified the projection optical system.  He also designed optical anti-aliasing filters for Kodak Professional cameras, and a fly’s eye light source and projection system for a 35mm film writer.

He left Eastman Kodak in 2008 and started a consulting service for large and small companies including Bausch and Lomb, Vistapoint technologies, Motorola Mobility, and Rambus.  As an adjunct professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Russ taught a course in photographic optics from 2010 to 2013.