The Adaptive Optics Summer School occurs annually on UCSC campus, usually during late July/early August.

The AO Summer School is designed to teach both the basics and advanced topics in adaptive optics, both for astronomical purposes and vision science. There are hands-on labs for both topics.

The topics include (but not limited to, and subject to change):

Intro to AO

Geometric Optics for AO

Wave Optics for AO

AO Control Theory

AO for the Eye

Wavefront Sensing & Reconstruction

AO System Design for Vision Science

AO System Design for Astronomy

AO Systems for Microscopes

AO Performance Measurements

Wavefront Correction

AO Modeling & Prototyping

AO Applications in Space (file is too big, ask Zack for it I guess...)

The labs are inquiry-based, and taught by grad students and professionals in the field. 

The labs include:

AO Demonstrator Lab - work with an actual AO setup, realign optics and have a practical application to theory

Wavefront Sensor Lab - develop a working Shack-Hartmann or pyramid wavefront sensor with a tabletop optical setup

Vision Science Lab - Measure and correct the aberration in your (yes you) eyes, and investigate variability of ocular quality across people

In 2018, we included a optional project to design an AO system from the conceptual level and present the conceptual design at the concluding sessions of the AO Summer School.

The cost for a local is $165 (have your advisor pay for it), and there even have been work-arounds to not pay anything.