Hudson Bos pursues ‘ultimate goal’ at Gallatin College MSU with international photonics scholarship

BOZEMAN - Hudson Bos' classroom experience growing up entailed rigorous homeschool lessons, often right after he spent sundown to sunrise in his grandfather's alfalfa, wheat and barley fields. At 12 years old, he placed irrigation lines, drove tractors and moved large rocks from the fields alongside his cousins in Bozeman.

In order to stay close to home, where he hopes to someday raise his own family, Bos began to search for a career that wouldn't disappear from Bozeman anytime soon. This led him to photonics and optics, the science of controlling light to enhance sensing and imaging in electronic products, and to Gallatin College Montana State University. Bos is now pursuing an associate's degree as a second-year photonics and laser technology student.

Situated in southwest Montana, the college belongs to a region with one of the highest concentrations of optics and photonics companies per capita in the nation, which foster careers in defense, manufacturing, communications and information technology. 

"I think it's important to figure out what your ultimate goal is," said Bos, who is 19. "I think it's good to have enjoyment with what you do, but I think it is also good to look into ways that you're able to support or achieve your goals and that your goals are well aligned with what's going to set you up for success in life."

Bos has already found success after less than two years in the program: He is one of three recipients in North America to receive the Eichenholz-SPIE Photonics Technician Scholarship, which awards $2,500 to students pursuing careers in photonics and optics.  Bos said the scholarship will allow him to pay for a heavier courseload this year, which he balances on top of his software engineering role at Aurora Innovation, Inc.

Located on MSU's Innovation Campus, Aurora specializes in lidar sensors that detect objects from hundreds of meters away, useful for self-driving vehicles. Aurora's trucks primarily haul commercial freight in the Sun Belt, the country's southern region stretching from California to Florida. Bos is an assistant to nearly all departments in the Bozeman office, often helping engineers test products and design digital models.

One of his designs used an air knife, a tool that uses air flow to blast liquids and debris from equipment, to prevent frost from forming on the surface of products during testing. One laser test requires technicians to drop the temperature of their lab while the air knife causes compressed, filtered air to sweep across the product being tested, keeping the surface clear of frost so the technology can work properly.

Bos said his work complements his college classes and vice versa, allowing him to succeed in both areas. Aurora hired Bos just before he began classes at Gallatin College MSU, but he believes a degree will be valuable should he choose to start his own business one day or pursue additional education in electrical or mechanical engineering. The photonics and laser technology degree is designed to set students up for MSU's engineering program or propel them toward the industry.

"For trying to get into industry very quickly, I think the Gallatin College program is great for teaching you what you need as efficiently as possible," Bos said.

Most Gallatin College MSU instructors have been or currently are involved in their industries. Stephanie Rabatin, who teaches Bos' electronics courses at Gallatin College MSU, is an electrical engineer for a California-based company that designs and renovates medical buildings. In her class this semester, Bos will put together a realistic circuit and code a robot that can follow a line on the floor. Students create the robots from 3D-printed components, sensors and laser-cut boards in the Bill Wurst Makerspace in MSU's Norm Asbjornson Hall.

Rabatin said Bos is "made for a major in the sciences" due to his curiosity. If a classmate next to him doesn't understand instructions in a lab, he will jump in and help them solve the problem.

"He blends in really well with any team with his reliability and continuous, deep thinking for everything," Rabatin said. "He has so much potential. I hope he realizes that because he's destined for great things."