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University of Arizona undergraduate Joshua Gordon received the First Jack D. Gaskill Endowed Scholarship Award from the university's Optical Sciences Center for his achievement and potential in the optics industry, including his essay, "Why I Became Interested in Optics." He said his interest began some years ago with the sheer boredom of a night-shift job at a grocery store deli counter and a nearby rack of science magazines. Scientific American, Popular Science, Astronomy Magazine -- he bought and read them all.