Daily News Briefs

Darrel B. Fuller has been named manager of Janos Technology Inc.'s thin-film coatings department. Fuller has more than twenty years of experience in development of infrared and visible thin films for commercial and military applications. Most recently, he was a senior development engineer at Exotic Electro Optics, of Murrieta, Calif. Janos Technologies, based in Townsend, Vt., makes advanced infrared optic components and assemblies. . . . Boston University geologist Farouk El-Baz, research professor and director of the Center for Remote Sensing, has been chosen to receive the 2004 Nevada Medal from the Desert Research Institute (DRI) at ceremonies in March in Reno and Las Vegas. El-Baz, a veteran of NASA's Apollo Program, pioneered the use of satellite images to characterize arid landforms worldwide. His research defined the role of alternating wet and dry climate cycles in desert regions and identified the forces that control the accumulation of groundwater in these regions. Scientists in the Center for Remote Sensing use satellite images for research investigations in archaeology, geography and geology. . . . Technical Insights, a business unit of Frost & Sullivan, has released an analysis of optically based microfluidic devices. It examines current projects and considers possible challenges and benefits related to their development. For more information, visit: www.frost.com