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Egg White Nutrition Benefits the Skin, Heart, Muscles & More
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Article from Dr. Axe Food is Medicine From meringues to souffles, omelets and facial masks, egg whites jam a lot of nutrition in such a small package and may be the perfect food for skin care. They're quite popular in the ketogenic diet as part of a combination with a healthy fat, such as avocado, and they can make a great facial mask for a healthy collagen boost. That's not all when it comes to egg white nutrition. But do you know what egg whites actually are? Yes, they're the clear liquid of the inside of the egg. That liquid is also called albumen or the glair/glaire. The most common egg we experience is the chicken egg, and the egg white is formed around both fertilized and unfertilized egg yolks and has an important job of protecting the yolk. Of equal importance is the job of providing proper nutrition for the growth of the embryo once fertilized. Much like the human body, egg yolks contain mostly water with about 10 percent being proteins, specifically albumins, mucoproteins and globulins. While the egg yolk is high in healthy fats, the egg white is practically free of fat, and much like the health benefits of eggs, egg white nutrition can do a lot for your health.
Are Egg Whites Healthy? Egg White Nutrition Benefits
It's not uncommon for someone to order an egg white omelet. Historically, egg yolks have gotten a bad rap for causing problems with cholesterol. Because of this concern, the American Heart Association suggests keeping your egg cholesterol consumption to no more than 300 milligrams per day. To put that in perspective, a large egg contains about 213 milligrams. What happens if you just eat the egg white? Egg whites are very low in calories, have pretty much zero cholesterol, are high in protein and provide amino acids that our bodies cannot produce, making them a great choice for most anyone. At a glance, one large egg white has about 16 calories, 3.6 grams of protein, zero fat and a good bit of selenium. (1) So we have identified that egg whites are awesome, but what makes them so good? Not only can they taste delicious if properly prepared, but egg white nutrition is loaded with goodness. Let's dive in and learn why. 1. Reduces Risk of Arteriosclerotic Diseases If cholesterol is something your doctor has asked you to keep in check, then the egg white is for you. It contains no cholesterol but is still loaded with benefits. To put that in perspective, a whole eggs contains the full amount of cholesterol that's recommended for one day. So, as delicious as it may sound, having that three-egg omelet may not be the best choice. If you're battling health conditions like diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure, it's recommended that you keep your daily cholesterol consumption at 200 milligrams or less — one egg yolk contains 213. A study including 88 adult men consumed egg whites for a period of eight weeks. By collecting blood samples, it was determined that there was a significant decrease in cholesterol levels; therefore, consuming egg whites as opposed to whole eggs may be a great way to decrease the risks of arteriosclerotic diseases. (2) 2. Aids Healthy Pregnancy One egg white provides close to four grams of protein. Like the nutrition of the egg itself and how it nourishes a baby chick, human embryos also need the best nutrition in order to thrive during development and well after. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews shared its evaluation of a study that was conducted in order to understand the importance of proper nutrition for pregnant women. The study found that of those women who consumed more protein while pregnant, there were fewer babies born prematurely and with low birthweight and the women had more energy. Ultimately, a balanced diet, including egg white protein, may help provide this result. (3) 3. Promotes Satiety Studies were conducted to determine if having protein at breakfast time would help reduce obesity by reducing hunger and snacking. The goal of this particular study was to evaluate the effects of skipping breakfast — something common among adolescent girls. The study revealed that by having a high-protein breakfast, the teens felt far more satiated, resulting in less snacking and far better diet choices. (4) 4. Builds Muscles While eating more protein does not magically create stronger muscles, the right protein at the right time does. Here's how it works. The body requires essential amino acids to create a complete protein that can only be obtained through meats and dairy products, or a combination of plants sources, such as beans and rice. Glycine is one example, and one egg white contains 1,721 milligrams. When you consume the right protein at the right time, you gain strength because the muscles get what they need to repair and rebuild. For example, if you're athletic and performed a hard workout, that workout puts stress on your muscles. By consuming a complete protein within 30 minutes of that workout, you can help repair the muscle tissue far faster, resulting in stronger muscles that are ready for the next workout. For those who are more sedentary, you still need protein for general strength to carry out day-to-day functions without injury, build the immune system and maintain oxygen in your red blood cells. Eating a balance of healthy protein, such as egg whites, carbohydrates and fats, is the best choice for everyone. (5) 5. Acts as a Sugar Substitute Sugar has been a hot topic for awhile now. If watching your sugar intake is a part of your regimen, then adding egg whites to your diet may be a great choice. Too much sugar causes numerous problems from heart disease, liver disease, obesity, leaky gut syndrome, slow metabolism — the list is long. Egg whites may be the perfect choice to keep sugar overload in check since they contain no sugar. A study focused on obesity in children and determined that food choices played a significant role in obesity. Of course, that's no surprise, but making this change is often a challenge. Incorporating egg whites can help by reducing sugar intake, providing vitamins and minerals, helping you feel more satiated and providing a healthy source of protein, all of which can help reduce childhood and adult obesity. (6) 6. Supports Electrolyte Levels Potassium is similar to sodium in terms of helping ensure you have sufficient electrolytes in the body. This encourages normal muscle function, helps prevent strokes and keeps a healthy heart. Additionally, electrolytes protect the cells in the body by balancing the fluids that are around and within them, which helps your blood pressure stay in check, particularly in the case of too much sodium. So how does egg white nutrition play a role in electrolytes? Electrolytes come from potassium, and it just so happens that egg whites have a good bit of it — about 54 milligrams. Though you need far more than that and the typical American diet lacks potassium, egg whites are still a great choice. (7) 7. Improves Skin Health Eggs contain collagen in the membrane just outside of the egg white and just inside of the shell, which serves to protect the egg. If you separate the egg whites, this membrane comes along for the ride. Combined with the beneficial proteins found in egg white nutrition, that can make for an amazing facial mask. A study was conducted to evaluate the benefits of the effect of egg shell membrane hydrolysates on wrinkles, UV and moisture protection in cosmetics. The study took a look at the level of hyaluronic acid and collagen production. The results indicated that the collagen and protein found in egg white nutrition help reduce wrinkles caused by the sun. (8)
Egg White Nutrition Facts
One large egg white (33 grams) contains about: (9)
15.8 calories
0.2 gram carbohydrates
3.6 grams protein
0.1 gram fat
0.1 milligram riboflavin (9 percent DV)
6.6 micrograms selenium (9 percent DV)
53.8 milligrams potassium (2 percent DV)
0.1 milligram pantothenic acid (1 percent DV)
3.6 milligrams magnesium (1 percent DV)
Egg White Nutrition vs. Egg Yolk Nutrition
Let's now understand the differences in egg whites versus egg yolks. Of course, the color is the first obvious difference. Remember that the egg white has a job of protecting the yolk. The albumen is the official name for the egg white and is opalescent-like or cloudy. That cloudy appearance comes from carbon dioxide, and as the egg gets older, carbon dioxide escapes leaving the egg with more transparency. So the cloudier, the fresher. Where does the white come in? Well, that happens when the egg white is beaten or cooked. When you crack an egg into a frying pan, the egg white immediately turns from opalescent to white. To further detail the egg white, the albumen has four layers alternating with thick and thin consistencies. The inner thick is called chalaziferous white. Younger eggs maintain the thick layers, but the older eggs start to thin out. You can easily identify the fresher eggs when you crack them into your pan. Fresher eggs stand up a bit more than older ones, which flatten out more. Nutritionally, both egg whites and egg yolks get credit for the protein; however, the whites contain more the the yolks. One large egg white boasts 3.6 grams of protein while the egg yolks contains about 2.7 grams of protein as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database. Overall, the egg lays claim to an amazing amino acid profile, including histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine, plus nine more. In fact, it's so amazing, that the egg is often the guideline for the perfect protein structure, but if cholesterol is a concerns, going for egg whites may help and still allow you plenty of protein. Finally, according to the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score, whole egg scores exceed all other protein foods tested with a total score of 1.21 in the amino acid score rating system — more than the human body needs. Egg whites are a source of potassium, niacin, riboflavin, magnesium and sodium. The yolks are rich in vitamin A, phosphorus, iron, zinc and vitamin D. The yolk contains B6 and B12, folic acid, pantothenic acid and thiamine, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, D, E and K. You can also gain some calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc from the yolk. (10) And though you wouldn't know it was there, egg whites have even been popular in cocktails due to their frothy appearance and binding properties. (11)
How to Use Egg Whites + Egg White Recipes
Eggs whites may be different than egg yolks in terms of nutrition, but they're also way different in terms of their structure. You can't make a fluffy meringue out of the yolk. It has too much fat, and fat breaks the protein bonds. Egg whites are often referred to in a chef's kitchen as foam. This is due to the fact that egg whites have the ability to become the largest food foam when whipped — about eight times greater than in it's original state. To get a bit more technical, beating raw egg whites incorporates air bubbles into the water-protein egg white. When you do this or heat it up, it releases the egg proteins or amino acids. Because some amino acids like water and some do not, it creates a frothy or meringue-like juxtaposition, which is how it "stands up." It's like a blend of air bubbles and water that support each other by bonding and then expanding. If done right, it then solidifies when heated, which is how grandma made a gorgeous meringue pie or souffle that didn't fall. How to Separate Egg Whites from Egg Yolks
You need 3 bowls and a pair of clean hands.
Start by cracking an egg, then gently catch the yolk in your hand, allowing the egg white to slip through your fingers into your first small bowl.
Then, place the egg white into another bowl (the final egg white bowl where all egg whites will go) and repeat this step for each egg. Ultimately, you want avoid contaminating them with a broken yolk.
Once you have separated one, place the yolk into another bowl.
You can keep them in fridge in an airtight container for about three days and even freeze egg whites for a couple of months.
Egg White Recipes In order to enjoy all the benefits of egg white nutrition, here are a few of my favorite egg white recipes:
Aquafaba
Lemon Protein Bars
History of Egg Whites
Egg production has been around for a very long time, but according to the American Egg Board, about 300 million laying birds in the United States yield about 250 to 300 eggs annually. "In total, the U.S. produces about 75 billion eggs a year, about 10% of the world supply. About 60% of the eggs produced are used by consumers, about 9% are used by the foodservice industry. The rest are turned into egg products which are used mostly by foodservice operators (restaurants) and by food manufacturers to make foods like mayonnaise and cake mixes." (12) Historically, bakers and chefs used copper bowls to stabilize egg white foams. The copper in the bowl combines with the sulfur component of conalbumin. The bond created is extremely tight, as the sulfur molecules are prevented from reacting with any other material. Today, a more common approach to stabilizing egg white foam is to add cream of tartar, known chemically as potassium acid tartrate. This acidic salt lowers the pH of egg whites, which in turns increases the number of free-floating hydrogen ions and helps stabilize the foam, much like copper. (13)
Egg White Nutrition Precautions/Side Effects
For the most part, egg whites are safe, but there are few side effects you should know. Biotin, or B7, can be depleted due to too much of a good thing. Biotin deficiencies may cause skin disorders known as cradle cap in infants and seborrheic dermatitis in adults. If there's excessive loss, you could experience hair loss, seizures, loss of muscle coordination and muscle tone, and muscle cramps. See a doctor if you suspect you have these symptoms. Salmonella is a common concern in raw egg whites, but it's typically destroyed once cooked long enough, though soft-boiled eggs and the sunny-side up versions are still subject to live salmonella. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 million foodborne illnesses resulting from salmonella poisoning are treated in the United States, with about 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths. Note that there are various sources of salmonella poisoning from vegetables to livestock, not just raw eggs. (14) In some cases, eggs can cause allergies. When this happens, the body mistakes egg protein as a harmful substance. You may experience swelling, wheezing, runny nose, watery or red eyes, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting. Make sure to see a doctor right away if these symptoms occur.
Final Thoughts on Egg White Nutrition
Egg white nutrition actually provides more protein than the yolks, and egg whites are used in all types of recipes.
They're cholesterol-free and low-calorie, which is how egg white nutrition benefits the heart, pregnancy, muscles, electrolyte levels and skin.
Egg whites also promote satiety and act as a sugar substitute, helping prevent weight gain and fighting obesity.
red on April 9, 2019 at 11:31 pm
Awesome read! thank you 🙂
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The University of Michigan is an idea generator, with a mission to challenge the present and enrich the future in service to the public. This mission demands that we translate these ideas into value for human society. Our public impact is felt in the many ways by which ideas and creative works generated within our academic community are used to create value, broadly construed, for the public we serve.
At the University of Michigan, we therefore embrace entrepreneurship from all angles — from engineering and research, to art and design, health and social development, and everything in between.
Entrepreneurship is intrinsically an interdisciplinary activity and extends to every discipline at U-M. Through the entrepreneurial work of our students and faculty and in collaboration with partners in southeast Michigan and across the world, we seek to promote the economic, social and intellectual development of the society that supports us.
The University of Michigan has a vibrant and growing entrepreneurship ecosystem. The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Roundtable serves as a platform to convene groups throughout the ecosystem to share ideas, communicate opportunity, and disrupt barriers to collaboration. You can learn more about the university's interconnected network of programs here.
The Office of Technology Transfer provides support for U-M community members who seek to move ideas from the academy into the world through sustainable business or non-profit models. Our entrepreneurial work extends beyond the for-profit sector to social ventures as well, exemplified for example by Optimize and other programs across the U-M.

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RVs Are Going Mainstream — But Will the Boom Last?
After a boom in RV purchases during the pandemic, investors may still find ample opportunity in recreational vehicles
September 8, 2022 Meghan Daniels
RVs aren't just for retirees anymore.
Even before the pandemic hit the U.S. in March 2020, an increasing number of millennials and younger Americans had taken to the RV lifestyle. But as Middle Market Growth previously reported, lockdowns led to a surge in RV purchases. For new and existing customers alike, RV life helped counteract the claustrophobia of lockdown life, offering a responsible way to travel and take advantage of their newfound ability to work from home.
The trend persisted into 2021, which saw an all-time record year for shipments from manufacturers to dealerships at almost 600,240 units (up from 430,412 in 2020), according to the RV Industry Association.
"COVID was great for the RV industry," says Jon Ferrando, Founder and CEO of RV Retailer, a leading recreational vehicle company. "We saw a surge of younger, more diverse buyers — many of them new entrants to the industry — who will pay dividends for years to come."
But today, white-collar workers are returning to the office. Air travel is topping pre-pandemic levels. Gas prices are sky-high. Inflation is a growing concern, and planned discretionary spending is declining.
The question now is how the RV industry will fare now that lockdowns are a thing of the past, and economic headwinds are on the rise.
Undeterred by Headwinds
Investors and industry experts hope that those bitten by the RV bug won't be so easily deterred. While the year-over-year data trended downward, 65 million Americans still plan to go RV-ing this year, according to a Top motivations for RV travel include exploring the outdoors, wanting to travel and spend time with family, and taking advantage of increased flexibility for work or school.
Related content: Driving through the Night
Yet buyer behavior is likely to change. The cost of new RVs has risen considerably over the past couple years, thanks to a combination of increased demand and contracted supply. Invoices on new RVs have increased an average of 40 percent over the past year, according to Jerrod McGhee, CEO of RV dealer Fun Town RV, who spoke on the topic at the 2022 RV Industry Power Breakfast.
"During the pandemic, a shift happened in the RV market," says Nicole Schantz, Vice President of OEM & Strategic Initiatives at Trader Interactive, parent company of RV Trader. "The influx of new RV units declined for several reasons, including material shortages, while simultaneously a newer demographic of buyers flooded the industry, eager to have a safe vacationing option."
Used RVs have become a much more popular option as a result. "According to recent RV Trader data, 36% of used units listed were RVs made from 2019-2021 suggesting that new RVers tested out the lifestyle during the pandemic and are now reselling their units," says Schantz.
PPL Motor Homes, an RV dealership that specializes in consignment and is backed by investment firm Main Street Capital, has benefited from these conditions. "We're seeing strong interest from consumers who will travel multiple states to save money on a used RV," says Main Street president and chief investment officer David Magdol. "Used is the best value proposition in the market today, and that will continue to be true if the economy pulls back and fuel prices continue to rise."
Speaking of rising fuel prices, RV Industry Association data shows surprising resilience for the industry: Seventy-nine percent of RVers say that their travel plans are not impacted by gas prices. Anecdotally, however, those in the industry have seen RVers adapt their itineraries accordingly.
"Many RVers are traveling regionally to control fuel costs," says Juan Tejeda, PPL's CEO. "That said, families are still RV-ing and enjoying the lifestyle. Campgrounds are still very busy."
Electric-powered RVs may offer a longer-term solution to fluctuating fuel prices. Both Winnebago and Thor Industries recently introduced electric RV concept vehicles. The Winnebago e-RV would provide a 125-mile range, using a battery pack, while the Thor vehicle would have a 300-mile range, powered by a battery pack, hydrogen fuel cell, and a solar roof. While neither vehicle is currently in production, "it does show a glimpse into the innovation that is occurring in the RV industry, which is very exciting," says Tejeda.
Many RVers are traveling regionally to control fuel costs. That said, families are still RV-ing and enjoying the lifestyle. Campgrounds are still very busy.
Juan Tejeda
Opportunities for Investors and Acquirers
When Ferrando founded RV Retailer in 2018, he saw an opportunity to consolidate a highly fragmented industry and build an RV retail company around the customer experience. In 2021, RV Retailer acquired 52 stores; the company now boasts a total of 103 stores across 33 states.
There is still plenty of white space for investors and acquirers in the industry. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were more than 2,600 RV dealerships in the country as of 2017, the most recent year for which data is available.
Most of RV Retailer's deals have been proprietary, with families looking for an exit approaching them proactively about a transaction. According to Ferrando, investors may be overlooking the opportunity. "I don't see a lot of private equity presence in the space," he says.
Main Street Capital's Magdol notes that PE interest has primarily focused on OEM and parts rather than RV dealerships. But that's not to say dealership deals don't happen.
Prominent strategic acquirers in this market include Lazydays and Camping World, both public companies. Camping World acquired twelve RV dealerships in 2021 and three in 2020, according to its February 2022 earnings report, while LazyDays acquired four dealerships from July 2021 – July 2022, according to a company press release.
Related content: Value Shifts Shaping The Consumer Goods Sector
For private equity firms interested in entering the space, while the market may not be experiencing the RV-mania of 2020, opportunities remain for backers able to understand how consumer behavior is shifting amid fluctuations in the broader market environment.
"Clearly, there's been a shift in the medium-term outlook for the sector, but we believe the same drivers that led us to be interested in the industry in the first place will continue to accelerate growth in the long-term," says Magdol. "If you looked at the RV industry 20 years ago, it was a retirement lifestyle. Now, people are investing in vehicles for family vacations with young kids. It's a whole new market, with an entirely different universe of purchasers, many of whom will turn into lifetime purchasers."
Meghan Daniels is a freelance writer and editor based in Brooklyn.


I once declared my love while kissing in the warm rain in Santa Fe.
I remember thinking right then and there, that rain and I were going to have a long, love affair. That kiss was step 1. Step 2 and beyond would take some time.
You see…I grew up in Sunshine. I have long been in love with bare feet, warm brown skin, the smell of sunscreen, and even the feel of a bead of sweat as it slides down your back and dissipates. But the love of rain long eluded me.
By way of recommendation…one way to either cure or solidify your relationship with rain is to move to Seattle. Nine months of rain. Mold in the doorframes of your car. Finding yourself checking out other people's rain boots and raincoats. Discovering new places to hold your glasses while you walk from one place to another. Perfectly hemmed or cuffed pant legs to keep your legs from the upward creeping sog.
And…the smell of ocean, rain, and sunshine on those days in October when the rains return. The drip of rain down a glass window telling you to stay inside today and read. The permission to linger a little longer over that cup of coffee or glass of wine and stare into a lover's eyes before returning to the outdoors. Watching as the sky changes over and over off the western coast of Whidbey Island.
As I sit on the porch of this little beach shack watching the waves crash into the sands of Portugal, I'm asking the rain to hold off. Give me a few minutes. Let me write you this love poem.
I realized this morning while laying in a warm bed listening to the rain beat the house, that rain has been a character in the biggest changes in my life. Rain was with me on the days that I won and lost at Amazon. Rain poured as I made the hard decision around my last break up. Rain beat on the windowsills of my home as I crawled my way out of the worst depression of my life. Rain met me within hours of my arrival in Stockholm to greet me.
And today rain has joined me on this vacation. This moment in time where I am becoming a fatherless daughter. This season where freedom and loss wrestle for attention and victory. This moment where I try to look both over my shoulder and around the corner…and ultimately find myself right here. In the sprinkling rain. In this moment.
Last night I stood on a sand dune in the pouring rain and watched the surf argue with the sky. I felt the power. And as the drops hit my face, I smiled.


Catullo's Italian Restaurant is opening Thursday, February, 7, the year of our Lord 2019. You can find them in the Walmart Grocery shopping center on Atlantic and San Pablo.
Catullo's Italian Food Truck first hit the scene in Jax in 2016. They blew diners away with their scratch made pasta, roll ups, pizza, sangwiches, and specials. This is Italian like you've never had in Jacksonville. Carl and Dave Catullo make quite the culinary team and we are delighted to congratulate them on their opening. We fully intend to have a standing reservation.
Tagged Date Night, Dinner, Food Truck, foodie news, Italian Restaurants, new restaurant, pasta, romantic. Bookmark the permalink.
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Taxes|Doing the Right Thing by Paying the Nanny Tax
Doing the Right Thing by Paying the Nanny Tax
By RON LIEBER JAN. 23, 2009
The nanny tax issue simply won't go away.
Ever since Zoë Baird, President Bill Clinton's first nominee for attorney general, withdrew her name from consideration because she had broken rules relating to household employees, the issue has tripped up public figures every couple of years.
This week, it became part of the chatter around Caroline Kennedy's decision to pull out of contention for New York's vacant United States Senate seat. This month, Timothy F. Geithner's nomination for Treasury secretary hit a snag over, among other mistakes, an issue relating to a housekeeper.
Every time this happens, it leaves a little pit in the stomach of hundreds of thousands of people who are breaking the law themselves. Various estimates put the tax cheat rate at 80 to 95 percent of people who employ baby sitters, housekeepers and home health aides. In 1997, taxpayers filed 310,367 household employee tax payment forms with the Internal Revenue Service. By 2006, the latest year for which data are available, the number was down to 225,441.
Given the unease, why don't household employers pay the taxes and other costs that other larger employers do as a matter of course?
"The chances of getting caught are slim," said Arthur U. Ellis, president of the Nanny Tax Company in Chicago, which helps clients pay on time. "And why should I pay for something when the vast majority of people are not paying it?"
Some employers don't want to pay the extra 10 percent or so on top of the employee's salary to cover the taxes and other costs. The employees often balk, too, because they don't want taxes withheld from their paychecks. They may demand higher wages to make up for money that an employer takes out, raising employer costs even more.
Perhaps the most daunting part of all of this, however, is how much effort and paperwork it takes to do the right thing. Just how complicated is it to comply? Let us count the ways in the list below, which I derived in part from I.R.S. Publication 926, the "Household Employer's Tax Guide." What follows should serve as a good starting guide for anyone who's finally been scared straight by the news this month.
1. IMMIGRATION STATUS Employers must make sure an employee is eligible to work in the United States. Employees affirm this by filling out a form called the I-9. (I've linked to this form and others, which are often in PDF format, in the version of this column at nytimes.com/yourmoney.)
Mr. Geithner got this right, but in an unusual twist, his housekeeper's authorization to work in the United States expired while he employed her. There isn't a general obligation to regularly check up on an employee's eligibility, according to David Grunblatt, a lawyer who runs the immigration practice for Proskauer Rose. But employers who review a new employee's authorization document and know that the worker's eligibility will end must review the employee's status later.
2. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER You'll need one of these to put on tax forms you file for your household employee. It's not the same as a Social Security number. You can apply for one on the I.R.S. Web site.
3. FEDERAL TAXES If you pay $1,700 or more in 2009 to a household employee, then you need to withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. That amounts to 15.3 percent of the worker's salary, which is generally split equally between employer and employee. If you pay total cash wages of $1,000 or more in aggregate in any quarter of a calendar year, you must pay federal unemployment taxes of another 0.8 percent of wages up to $7,000 a year.
4. INCOME TAX ISSUES You aren't required to withhold money for federal, state and city income taxes from employees' paychecks, but they may ask you to do so. Figuring out how much to withhold isn't easy. The paycheck calculator at 4nannytaxes.com can help.
5. STATE UNEMPLOYMENT TAXES You will probably have to pay them. The I.R.S. keeps a list of state unemployment agencies that starts on page 13 of Publication 926. Look yours up and seek guidance on the rules.
The I.R.S. offers guidance for following the tax laws regarding household workers.
6. WORKERS' COMPENSATION COVERAGE Many states require you to have it, in case your employee is injured on the job. You can find a list of the states that do on the Web site of Breedlove & Associates in Austin, Tex., another company that helps people pay household employee taxes and handles payroll.
Getting this wrong can cost serious money. My wife and I struggled mightily to get our workers' comp account set up through the entity that the state of New York forces you to use. It didn't happen until weeks after our baby sitter started working. Not long after, the state hit us with a $1,500 fine for our short period of noncompliance, an amount that was more than three times the annual premium. We appealed and ultimately paid $250, which is still insulting given all of our failed attempts to get the agency to return phone calls and answer e-mail messages during the application process.
Kathleen Webb, co-founder of HomeWork Solutions in Sterling, Va., another service for household employers, said we were actually lucky. "I've seen penalties equal to the price of a small car," she said.
Your home insurance policy may offer some coverage for household employees, too, so it's worth a call to check.
7. FORMS AND PAYMENTS Depending on where you live and your other tax obligations, you may have to make quarterly filings and payments to your state for unemployment taxes, as well as quarterly filings and payments to the federal government. You'll also have to file Schedule H, the household employment tax form, with your federal tax return each April. Miss a deadline, and you could owe penalties and interest.
8. RECORDKEEPING Given the potential for getting any of this wrong, it's a good idea to keep copies of every employee pay stub, every form you file and proof of all payments from your bank. The I.R.S. suggests keeping records for at least four years after the due date of your tax return or the date you actually paid the taxes, whichever is later.
Exhausted yet? "All of the states and even the federal government make it fairly cumbersome for the average family," said Tom Breedlove, the director of marketing and business development at Breedlove. "These are extremely busy professionals, usually with small children, and they don't have an H.R. department and a law team to chase all of this paperwork around between 9 and 5 when the government offices are open."
Amen, brother. The fact that this is all so hard is a national embarrassment, one that infuriates those who labor mightily to comply and causes many more to throw up their hands in disgust and flout the tax laws. This costs various governments untold millions in lost revenue at a time when they desperately need it. Someone ought to step up and find a way to streamline it all.
Until that happens — and I'm not holding my breath — consider a couple of reasons it may be wise for people who are not paying their taxes to reconsider.
Let's say you have to fire your housekeeper or baby sitter, as an increasing number of financially distressed people are doing. The job-seeking nanny may try to file for unemployment benefits. If you haven't paid into the system, you'll be in for trouble when the nanny names the former employer. "The whole house of cards comes down," said Ms. Webb of HomeWork Solutions. "The I.R.S. and the state agencies talk to each other." That means that you could end up owing back taxes, interest and penalties to multiple parties.
Also, consider the human side of this. Household employees who spend their working years laboring for employers who don't pay Social Security or Medicare taxes won't be eligible for those benefits come retirement time. Is that any way to repay someone for years of service, especially if you're not paying them enough to put away much money on their own?
If you're ready to join the ranks of the tax compliant, it will take a dozen or so hours to get set up and then a couple dozen more annually to handle all of the paperwork and payroll duties. Or, you can hire companies like Breedlove, the Nanny Tax Company or HomeWork Solutions to do it for you. The cost ranges from roughly $400 to $1,300 a year, depending on the level of service. A company called NannyPay offers software for do-it-yourselfers for $97.95 a year.
Once you're paying on the books, you can use a flexible spending account through your employer to cover up to $5,000 in eligible child or elder care expenses each year. If you don't have access to such an account, you may also be eligible for the federal Dependent Care Tax Credit.
The tax savings probably won't make up for all the costs of following the many rules, especially when you factor in the value of your time. But the good feeling that comes from doing the right thing may soothe the financial sting.
Correction: March 11, 2009
The Your Money column on Jan. 24, about paying employmenttaxesfor nannies and other household workers, misstated the rule for paying federal unemployment taxes. You are liable for the tax if you pay total cash wages of $1,000 or more in aggregate in any quarter of a calendar year — not $1,000 per employee. (A reader pointed out the error recently, discovered while preparing her taxes.)
What hoops did you have to jump through to pay by the rules? Send e-mail to rlieber@nytimes.com or post a comment at nytimes.com/yourmoney.
A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: Doing the Right Thing by Paying the Nanny Tax. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
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A few weeks ago I showed you the farmhouse table I built for our dining room and a few days after that our fall decorating in that room. Although I was pretty excited about the table, I was not a fan of my autumn decor in that room. It was a little dark and drab looking. It might have been fine for November, but just seemed too dreary for September or early October, especially seeing how the weather is still so warm here. Last week I finally played around with it and am so much happier with how it looks. The first thing I did was build a bench for one side of the table. It took a little while but was relatively simple. I upholstered the top of it once I built the base and then added some nailhead trim to dress it up a bit. I took photos as I went and as soon as I have time to edit them will do a tutorial.
Sometimes I feel like things look better in photographs than they do in real life and sometimes I feel like a photograph just doesn't relay the feel of something. In this case, I was disappointed in the photos I took of the dining room and the bench. I think the fabric and trim on the bench add a nice little shine and dress the bench up which helps keep the room from getting too rustic but it's hard to really see in these pictures.
After I finished the bench I felt like the table needed a runner so Lillie and I made a new runner. It's basically the same as the one we had on our old table but a little bit narrower and quite a bit longer. The one from the last table didn't fit on this one. And then after that we added some fresh hydrangeas and white pumpkins to the table and sideboard. I like it so much better in here now!
I also wanted to let you know our Joy to the World pillow covers in Cranberry are now available!
A few weeks ago I took some photos of Lillie and Lola. I don't think I've taken any setup type photos of them together since last fall and they've grown so much since then. Lillie is wearing our Briar hat, made by my sister, Dana. We are hoping to have them available again later this fall.
Lola's hat was a gift from Jon's parents for Lillie when she was little. It's from a store in Indiana called Lola Rue. My mom made Lillie's plaid jumper. Lola's dress, little jacket and shoes were also Lillie's. I guess that's what happens when you are the second child. =) The dress is from Gap and her little jacket and shoes are from Joyfolie.
Our neighbors, Chloe and Bayley came along too and wore the Briar hats in gray.
Head on over to their website for a wide variety of vinyl decals at great prices!
I regularly show you photos of our back porch but almost never show you the front of our house because, well, there's not much to show. However, I am really excited about this wreath that Meagan of Custom Wreaths by Meagan sent me earlier this week! It was packaged wonderfully so it arrived in perfect condition and I was thrilled with the size of it! I loved it so much I was torn on where to put it. I played around with it in Lola's room (I will show photos I took yesterday with it in her room decorated with autumn touches next week) but ended up with it on our front door!
If you are interested in ordering a wreath, head on over to Meagan's facebook page and send her a message. And today we are giving away a wreath from Meagan to one lucky winner! (Please note: due to the time-consuming manner of the wheat wreath in these photos she is not taking any more orders for this particular wreath at this time).
The colored mums are thanks to Lillie and Lola. I always buy the cream colored ones but when you tell two little girls to "help pick out the prettiest mums they can find" these were naturally the ones they went right to! They aren't my favorite, but oh well. =) They had fun picking them out and really love watering them every day.
And here is the wreath she is giving away to one lucky winner! It is a lovely 18 by 18 square moss wreath. (Or if you would prefer another style she will give the winner a $55 credit towards any style she makes).
(or a $55 credit towards a wreath of your choice by Custom Wreaths by Meagan)?
For an extra entry simply "Like" Custom Wreaths by Meagan and come back here and comment that you did for another extra entry!
This giveaway runs through Monday.
Yesterday I finished making a bench to go with our farmhouse table. I am hoping to get it photographed later this week. I took photos as I went so I can do a tutorial, although it might be another week or so before I get to that. Today I thought I would show you the autumn changes we have made in our family room so far.
The wreath was from Pier 1 several years ago. The pumpkins were both from Hobby Lobby (I think) quite a few years ago. I purchased them after Halloween when they were just a dollar or two and then painted them. We finally have real pumpkins here in Williamsburg. We've bought a few for our front doorstep and I hope to get some more to add in here and replace these faux ones once the weather gets a little cooler. It's nice having the fake ones, though, while we are waiting for it to cool down a bit.
Better Homes and Gardens is Out!
The FIVE WINNERS from our Big Giveaway!


text:
DIGITAL SOCIETY BLOG
Making sense of our connected world
How Postmodern is 3D-Printing?
The progressive proliferation of 3D-printing services, models, and — most importantly — devices has encouraged me to draft a follow-up article on my previous blog entry on Marx, Engels, and 3D-printers. After addressing the potential implications of 3D-printing on the economic systems of capitalism and socialism, I will now turn to its relationship to and with the social system when observed through the lens of postmodernism — primarily because I assume that we are living in postmodern times, (2) the social system is even more important than the economic one, and (3) because I enjoy referring to Fredric Jameson's 1991 classic 'Postmodernism or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism'.
What is Postmodernism?
Put simply, postmodernism is what followed modernism after its last gasps in form of i.a. expressionism and existentialism. This societal transition — or epic rupture, depending on your inclination to the dramatic — happened sometime by "the end of the 1950s or the early 1960s" (Jameson, 1991:1). It is marked by ascribing 'ends' to dominant political systems, ideologies, art movement, etc., and giving rise to chaotic and heterogenous societal and cultural movements. All while nonchalantly describing the obliteration of the long-lasting semi-autonomy of culture from the "practical world of the existent" (Jameson, 1991:48) by late capitalism, putting an end to the notion of culture as an intangible, detached sovereign entity.
The Cultural Explosion
Proceeding on the assumption that the logic of late capitalism fundamentally changed culture's social function, but also culture as a whole in a way that it ceased to exist as an autonomous realm raises one question: did this process also lead to culture's disappearance?
"Quite on the contrary" Jameson returns; "we must go on to affirm that the dissolution of an autonomous sphere of culture is rather to be imagined in terms of an explosion" (1991:48). Culture is viewed to have diffused into every aspect of social life ranging "from economic value and state power to practices and to the very structure of the psyche itself" (Jameson, 1991:48), including the very tangible elements of the existent world. Postmodernism could be alleged to popularize or even commoditize the aesthetic, breaking with elitist modernist and pre-modernist ideas in which culture was still regarded separate form the economic and social sphere.
Endowed Individuals
Societies, political cultures, and first of all individuals had and have to find ways to cope with the ensuing complexity of our modern-day culture-soaked, borderless, and quickly changing postmodern world. But one could also regard postmodernity as an endowment — maybe even one that was earned. Individuals embracing it want to take part in the cultural explosion, making it omnipresent and tangible.
3D-Printing Postmodernity
3D-printers appear as the means every postmodernist was looking for to make culture accessible and tangible. They are tools to act out creativity by designing and printing physical objects, and to open up pop-cultural astethic contexts to virtually anyone. 3D-printers could, however, also be seen as a part or even the final stage of aesthetic commodity production. This notion describes what we observe today in seemingly endless waves of (feigned) new products, thrown on the global markets at ever-accelerating cycle times.
Are new means of commoditized production going to catalyze this — presumably unsustainable — high-speed production, turnover, and discard triad? Or are 3D-printers and other elements of the proclaimed hardware revolution assisting the cultural realm to ultimately and utterly diffuse into our social lives?
This post is part of a weekly series of articles by doctoral canditates of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. It does not necessarily represent the view of the Institute itself. For more information about the topics of these articles and asssociated research projects, please contact presse@hiig.de.
This post represents the view of the author and does not necessarily represent the view of the institute itself. For more information about the topics of these articles and associated research projects, please contact info@hiig.de.
Robin P. G. Tech
Former Project Manager: IoT & eGovernment
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Ditto. Douchebag. Our club recently did a survey and interestingly enough, there were several comments that the club was TOO "racetrack" oriented and left non-tracking members feeling abandon. I agree with DT, DE committee= track/DE people, general executive not so much.
Topic: LN Engr Spin-on oil filter adapter - anyone installed one themselves?
Re: LN Engr Spin-on oil filter adapter - anyone installed one themselves?
Seriously easy fit. You do need a 26mm deep socket though. Shallow doesn't get a goo enough bite.
I'm gonna remove the Christmas lights tonight (held on with electrical tape). Should be able to get that done in 3 hours and 6 beers (more or less).
Finally installed my Tarett monorail top mounts! I've had them sitting on the bench for months, but life keeps getting in the way. Good therapy a few hours in the garage, followed by a good dark rum over ice...good evening.


text:
OSA Publishing > Optics Express > Volume 20 > Issue 1 > Page 164
Compact cantilever couplers for low-loss fiber coupling to silicon photonic integrated circuits
Michael Wood, Peng Sun, and Ronald M. Reano
Michael Wood, Peng Sun, and Ronald M. Reano*
Electroscience Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43212, USA
*Corresponding author: reano@ece.osu.edu
M Wood
P Sun
R Reano
Michael Wood, Peng Sun, and Ronald M. Reano, "Compact cantilever couplers for low-loss fiber coupling to silicon photonic integrated circuits," Opt. Express 20, 164-172 (2012)
Cantilever couplers for intra-chip coupling to silicon photonic integrated circuits (OE)
Vertical chip-to-chip coupling between silicon photonic integrated circuits using cantilever couplers (OE)
Low-loss compact multilayer silicon nitride platform for 3D photonic integrated circuits (OE)
Integrated Optics
Grating couplers
Mode conversion
Single mode fibers
Tapered fibers
Integrated optics devices (130.3120)
Optical interconnects (200.4650)
Photonic integrated circuits (250.5300)
Original Manuscript: October 10, 2011
Revised Manuscript: November 28, 2011
Manuscript Accepted: December 8, 2011
3. Fabrication
4. Measurement and experimental results
We demonstrate coupling from tapered optical fibers to 450 nm by 250 nm silicon strip waveguides using compact cantilever couplers. The couplers consist of silicon inverse width tapers embedded within silicon dioxide cantilevers. Finite difference time domain simulations are used to design the length of the silicon inverse width taper to as short as 6.5 μm for a cantilever width of 2 μm. Modeling of various strip waveguide taper profiles shows reduced coupling losses for a quadratic taper profile. Infrared measurements of fabricated devices demonstrate average coupling losses of 0.62 dB per connection for the quasi-TE mode and 0.50 dB per connection for the quasi-TM mode across the optical telecommunications C band. In the wavelength range from 1477 nm to 1580 nm, coupling losses for both polarizations are less than 1 dB per connection. The compact, broadband, and low-loss coupling scheme enables direct access to photonic integrated circuits on an entire chip surface without the need for dicing or cleaving the chip.
©2011 Optical Society of America
Silicon photonics is a promising approach for chip-scale integrated optics [1]. A single-mode silicon strip waveguide designed for operation in the infrared has a typical submicron cross-section of 450 nm × 250 nm. Highly confined optical modes allow for high density integration and waveguide bends with micrometer scale radii of curvature. The high confinement, however, also produces major challenges when attempting to efficiently couple light between silicon strip waveguides and optical fibers. Mode conversion from a single-mode fiber, with mode field diameter equal to 10 micrometers, results in a coupling loss that is greater than 20 dB. Current methods designed to achieve efficient fiber-to-chip coupling generally involve edge coupling using inverse width tapered waveguides or surface coupling using grating couplers. Inverse width tapers enable low loss and broadband edge coupling [2–14] but require dicing or cleaving the chip. Coupling losses less than 0.25 dB per connection have been achieved using 200 to 300 μm long linear tapers and an index-matched SiOx cladding [13]. Alternatively, grating couplers enable light coupling via the surface of the chip without the need for cleaving. They require, however, a tradeoff between bandwidth and efficiency [15–21]. Coupling losses as low as 1.6 dB per connection within a 3 dB bandwidth of 80 nm have recently been reported [20]. In our prior work, we have demonstrated both fiber-to-chip and chip-to-chip light coupling employing cantilever couplers with inverse width silicon tapers [22, 23]. Cantilever couplers enable broadband and low loss light coupling to photonic integrated circuits on an entire chip surface without the need for dicing or cleaving the chip.
In this paper, we demonstrate reduced loss and more compact cantilever couplers. Measurements of fabricated devices demonstrate average coupling losses of 0.62 dB per connection for the quasi-TE mode and 0.50 dB per connection for the quasi-TM mode across the optical telecommunications C band (1530 nm – 1565 nm) using a silicon inverse width taper length of only 6.5 μm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the shortest fiber-to-strip waveguide coupler employing inverse width silicon tapers reported in the literature. In the wavelength range from 1477 nm to 1580 nm, coupling losses for both polarizations are measured to be less than 1 dB per connection.
The paper is organized as follows. Section two describes the design of the compact and low loss cantilever couplers. Section three conveys the fabrication details. Section four discusses the experimental setup and measurement results. Finally, concluding remarks are given in section five.
A diagram of a cantilever coupler is shown in Fig. 1 . The cantilever coupler consists of a silicon inverse width taper core embedded within a patterned oxide thin film bilayer cladding. The bilayer cladding consists of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) silicon dioxide and buried oxide (BOX). The length of the cantilever is denoted L1. The length of the silicon inverse width taper core is denoted L2. A cross-sectional schematic of the cantilever coupler is shown in Fig. 2 . The top bump on top of the cantilever coupler is a consequence of thin film deposition on top of the silicon core topography. Robust and efficient mode conversion between a butt coupled tapered optical fiber and the silicon strip waveguide is enabled by both the silicon inverse width taper and the localization provided by the oxide cladding which functions as a micro-fiber. The approach exploits the bandwidth and efficiency of inverse width tapers, avoids dicing or cleaving the chip, and allows light to be coupled anywhere on a chip surface.
Fig. 1 (Color online) Diagram of the cantilever coupler. In the diagram, the top cladding is made to be transparent in order to make visible the embedded inverse width taper silicon waveguide. Light from a tapered optical fiber is coupled into a 450 nm × 250 nm cross-section silicon strip waveguide via the cantilever coupler.
Fig. 2 (Color online) Cross-sectional schematic of the cantilever coupler. The width and height of the silicon inverse width taper core are denoted wt and ht, respectively. The width of the cantilever coupler is denoted wc, the width of the air gap is denoted wg, the width of the top bump is denoted wb, the height of the bottom cladding of the cantilever is denoted ho and the height of the top cladding is denoted hp.
The silicon inverse width taper may be viewed as a tapered impedance transformer. Analytical solutions of the transmission properties of tapered impedance transformers are based on the theory of small reflections [24]. The total reflection from a continuously tapered structure is estimated by integrating small reflections at infinitesimal slices along the waveguide taper. An analytical solution for the cantilever coupler would neglect width-dependent propagation velocity and the effect of the oxide micro-fiber. Therefore, three-dimensional finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations are conducted to model the coupling loss. The simulations account for reflection loss and mode conversion loss at the fiber/coupler interface, geometry-dependent propagation velocity, and the localization provided by the oxide cladding. The effect of sidewall surface roughness on all interfaces is neglected. The presence of the top bump on top of the cantilever is also neglected in the simulations by setting the height of the bump to zero.
The simulated coupling loss as a function of the length, L2, of a quadratic silicon inverse width taper is shown in Fig. 3 . The length of the cantilever, L1, is designed to be 1 μm greater than L2 in order to provide etch isolation during the fabrication process. The silicon inverse width taper begins with a taper width, wt,start, equal to 60 nm and ends with a taper width, wt,end, equal to 450 nm. The height of the silicon inverse width taper is fixed at ht equal to 250 nm throughout the taper. The width of the coupler, wc, is set to 2 μm, the height of the bottom cladding of the cantilever, ho, is set to 1 μm, and the height of the top cladding, hp, is set to 1.1 μm. The width of the air gap, wg, is set to 5 μm. The diameter of the tapered optical fiber is set to 1.5 μm. The input wavelength is set to 1.55 μm. After an initial regime of poor coupling for short taper lengths, the coupling loss oscillates near an optimal coupling value as the taper length increases. The oscillations of the coupling loss with taper length for lengths greater than 6 μm are due to the combined effect of partial reflections at infinitesimal slices along the tapered waveguide [24]. The locations of the local minima and maxima shift to longer taper lengths as the cantilever width increases.
Fig. 3 (Color online) FDTD modeling results of coupling loss versus quadratic inverse width taper length L2. A sharp reduction in coupling loss occurs for tapers longer than 6 μm. (L1 = L2 + 1 μm, wt,start = 60 nm, wt,end = 450 nm, ht = 250 nm, wc, = 2 μm, ho = 1 μm, hp = 1.1 μm, wg = 5 μm).
In order to minimize both the coupler footprint and loss, we choose the device length that falls in the first null of the quasi-TE mode coupling loss curve in Fig. 3. In particular, the quadratic-width taper exhibits a loss minimum equal to 0.29 dB per connection for the quasi-TE mode and 0.37 dB per connection for the quasi-TM mode at the taper length, L2, equal to 6.5 μm. The total cantilever length, L1, is therefore designed to be 7.5 μm.
The simulated coupling loss as a function of the cantilever width, wc, is shown in Fig. 4 for a cantilever length, L2, equal to 6.5 μm. Coupling losses are minimized when the cantilever width, wc, is approximately the same as the diameter of the tapered optical fiber (1.5 μm). Beginning with cantilever widths of 0.5 μm, coupling losses initially decrease as the cantilever width increases to approximately 0.75 μm due to decreasing reflections at the fiber/coupler interface. The coupling loss then remains relatively low for cantilever widths less than approximately 2.3 μm. As the cantilever width expands beyond 2.3 μm, the oxide cladding provides less localization, resulting in increased coupling losses. We choose a cantilever width, wc, greater than 1.5 μm to avoid the bump on top of the cantilever that manifests during fabrication.
Fig. 4 (Color online) FDTD modeling results of coupling loss versus cantilever width, wc, for a quadratic inverse width taper length, L2, equal to 6.5 μm. (L1 = L2 + 1 μm, wt,start = 60 nm, wt,end = 450 nm, ht = 250 nm, ho = 1 μm, hp = 1.1 μm, wg = 5 μm).
The simulated quasi-TE mode coupling loss using the profile of the inverse width taper as a parameter is shown in Fig. 5 for L2 equal to 6.5 μm and wc equal to 2 μm. The waveguide width for each taper profile is shown in Fig. 5(a) as a function of longitudinal coordinate along the direction of propagation (normalized to length L2). Coupling loss versus wavelength is shown in Fig. 5(b). The quadratic taper exhibits the lowest coupling loss [25], and weakest wavelength dependence.
Fig. 5 (Color online) FDTD modeling results of quasi-TE mode coupling loss using the profile of the inverse width taper as a parameter: (a) Waveguide width for each taper profile as a function of longitudinal coordinate along the direction of propagation (normalized to length L2); (b) Coupling loss versus wavelength for each taper profile. (L1 = L2 + 1 μm, L2 = 6.5 μm, wc = 2 μm, wt,start = 60 nm, wt,end = 450 nm, ht = 250 nm, ho = 1 μm, hp = 1.1 μm, wg = 5 μm).
The nominal design values for the cantilever coupler therefore features a 2 μm wide cantilever surrounding a 6.5 μm long silicon inverse width quadratic taper. Optical mode profiles from FDTD simulations using the nominal design values are shown in Fig. 6 to demonstrate the evolution of the x-y cross-section optical field within the cantilever coupler. Simulations of both the quasi-TE and quasi-TM modes for our nominal coupler design show coupling losses less than 0.5 dB per connection across a 120 nm band from 1460 nm to 1580 nm wavelength.
Fig. 6 (Color Online) FDTD modeling results of the evolving x-y cross-sectional mode profile for the dominant electric field component of the quasi-TE mode (top) and quasi-TM mode (bottom) within the cantilever coupler. Fields are calculated at positions given by coordinate z relative to the cantilever coupler facet. The dashed while lines represent oxide boundaries in the cantilever in (a)-(d) and at the end of the cantilever in (e). Solid white lines in (b)-(e) represent the cross-section of the silicon strip waveguide. (L1 = L2 + 1 μm, L2 = 6.5 μm, wc = 2 μm, wt,start = 60 nm, wt,end = 450 nm, ht = 250 nm, ho = 1 μm, hp = 1.1 μm, wg = 5 μm).
The cantilever couplers are fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. Cross-sectional diagrams of the fabrication process are given in Fig. 7 . The thickness of the silicon device layer is 250 nm and the thickness of the BOX is 1 μm.
Fig. 7 (Color online) Fabrication of cantilever couplers: (a) Silicon strip waveguides patterned on an SOI wafer using electron-beam lithography and plasma etching, (b) silicon dioxide top cladding deposited by PECVD, (c) evaporation of Ti/Ni etch mask, (d) FIB direct write of coupler geometry, (e) Plasma etch to release the cantilever coupler from the substrate, (f) wet etch to remove the Ti/Ni mask.
In the first step, the silicon waveguide core is defined in HSQ resist using electron-beam lithography and inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) using Cl2 chemistry. Back-to-back silicon inverse width tapers are joined by straight silicon strip waveguides with width equal to 450 nm and height equal to 250 nm. Next, approximately 1.1 μm of SiO2 cladding is deposited on top of the silicon core using PECVD. To define the cantilevers, a Ti/Ni etch mask is evaporated and patterned over the top cladding using focused ion beam (FIB) milling. A subsequent reactive ion etch using SF6 chemistry is used to release the cantilevers from the substrate by anisotropically etching the SiO2 and isotropically etching the Si substrate. The metal etch mask is removed by wet chemical etching. In order to ease butt coupling via tapered optical fiber, a 12 x 45 μm2 pit is etched in front of the cantilever at the same time that the cantilever is released from the substrate. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a fabricated cantilever coupler is shown in Fig. 8 .
Fig. 8 Main: Top-down SEM image of a fabricated cantilever coupler; Inset: angled view SEM image of the cantilever coupler showing that the coupler is fully released from the substrate.
Coupling and propagation losses of fabricated devices are measured in the laboratory using the setup shown in Fig. 9 . An infrared continuous-wave laser source is first connected to a polarization controller which outputs linearly polarized quasi-TE or quasi-TM light with cross-polarization rejection ratio of more than 17 dB. Two tapered optical fibers with tip diameters of ~1.5 μm are fabricated and mounted on 6-axis positioning stages [26]. The chip consists of back-to-back cantilever couplers interconnected by 450 nm × 250 nm silicon strip waveguides of varying lengths. Light from the output fiber is collected by a photodetector and measured by a power meter.
Fig. 9 Schematic of the measurement setup. The chip consists of back-to-back cantilever couplers interconnected by straight silicon waveguides of varying lengths.
The waveguides interconnecting the back-to-back cantilever couplers are fabricated with lengths between 250 μm and 2 mm, excluding the lengths of the input and output cantilever couplers. The three longest waveguides each include four 30 μm radius 90° bends to ensure that light is guided in the silicon waveguide core rather than in a slab mode. At 1550 nm wavelength, the measured insertion loss of back-to-back couplers as a function of interconnecting waveguide length is shown in Fig. 10 . The coupling loss per pair of couplers is determined from the y-intercept of a linear fit. The waveguide propagation loss is determined from the slope.
Fig. 10 (Color online) Measured insertion loss of back-to-back couplers versus interconnecting waveguide length at 1550 nm wavelength. The coupling loss is 0.956 dB per pair of couplers (0.48 dB per connection) for the quasi-TE mode and 0.789 dB per pair of couplers (0.39 dB per connection) for the quasi-TM mode.
The measured coupling loss is 0.956 dB per pair of couplers (0.48 dB per connection) for the quasi-TE mode and 0.789 dB per pair of couplers (0.39 dB per connection) for the quasi-TM mode at 1550 nm. The experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation results. We attribute the larger coupling loss measured in the laboratory to sidewall scattering, misalignment, and differences in dimensions between the fabricated devices and the nominal design. The measured propagation loss is 9.5 dB/cm for the quasi-TE mode and 11 dB/cm for the quasi-TM mode. We attribute the propagation loss to primarily the sidewall surface roughness of the silicon waveguide core.
The measured coupling loss versus wavelength is shown in Fig. 11 . Measured coupling losses are less than 1 dB per connection from 1477 to 1580 nm. The difference in coupling losses between the two polarizations is less than 0.75 dB across the measured band with a mean value of 0.18 dB.
Fig. 11 (Color online) Measured coupling loss versus wavelength. The average measured coupling loss values in the telecommunications C band are 0.62 dB per connection for the quasi-TE mode and 0.50 dB per connection for the quasi-TM mode.
In summary, we demonstrate coupling from tapered optical fibers to 450 nm × 250 nm silicon strip waveguides using compact and low loss cantilever couplers. FDTD simulations are used to design the length of the embedded silicon inverse width taper to as short as 6.5 μm for a cantilever width of 2 μm. Simulations comparing various tapered waveguide profiles show that the taper profile can impact the coupling loss by as much as 2 dB per connection. The quadratic taper exhibits the lowest coupling loss and weakest wavelength dependence. Measurements of fabricated cantilever couplers demonstrate coupling losses that are less than 1 dB per connection across the wavelength range from 1477 to 1580 nm. Future work involves reducing the size of the 12 × 45 μm2 pit that enables butt coupling to the cantilever coupler via a tapered optical fiber. We estimate that the length of the pit could be reduced to 20 μm without significantly increasing the challenge of fiber butt coupling, resulting in a 12 × 27.5 μm2 footprint. Reduction in footprint enables dense integration of the cantilever couplers for use in future silicon photonic integrated circuits. In addition, transitioning from the current cantilever fabrication process that involves FIB milling to an all-photolithography process would allow for high volume production of the compact cantilever couplers.
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
1. R. Soref, "The past, present, and future of silicon photonics," IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 12(6), 1678–1687 (2006). [CrossRef]
2. T. Shoji, T. Tsuchizawa, T. Watanabe, K. Yamada, and H. Morita, "Low loss mode size converter from 0.3 μm square Si wire waveguides to singlemode fibres," Electron. Lett. 38(25), 1669–1670 (2002). [CrossRef]
3. S. J. McNab, N. Moll, and Y. A. Vlasov, "Ultra-low loss photonic integrated circuit with membrane-type photonic crystal waveguides," Opt. Express 11(22), 2927–2939 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. V. R. Almeida, R. R. Panepucci, and M. Lipson, "Nanotaper for compact mode conversion," Opt. Lett. 28(15), 1302–1304 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. K. K. Lee, D. R. Lim, D. Pan, C. Hoepfner, W.-Y. Oh, K. Wada, L. C. Kimerling, K. P. Yap, and M. T. Doan, "Mode transformer for miniaturized optical circuits," Opt. Lett. 30(5), 498–500 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. G. Roelkens, P. Dumon, W. Bogaerts, D. Van Thourhout, and R. Baets, "Efficient silicon-on-insulator fiber coupler fabricated using 248-nm-deep UV lithography," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 17(12), 2613–2615 (2005). [CrossRef]
7. T. Tsuchizawa, K. Yamada, H. Fukuda, T. Watanabe, J. Takahashi, M. Takahashi, T. Shoji, E. Tamechika, S. Itabashi, and H. Morita, "Microphotonics devices based on silicon microfabrication technology," IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 11(1), 232–240 (2005). [CrossRef]
8. J. V. Galán, P. Sanchis, G. Sánchez, and J. Martí, "Polarization insensitive low-loss coupling technique between SOI waveguides and high mode field diameter single-mode fibers," Opt. Express 15(11), 7058–7065 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
9. H. Sun, A. Chen, A. Szep, and L. R. Dalton, "Efficient fiber coupler for vertical silicon slot waveguides," Opt. Express 17(25), 22571–22577 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
10. T. Wahlbrink, W. S. Tsai, M. Waldow, M. Först, J. Bolten, T. Mollenhauer, and H. Kurz, "Fabrication of high efficiency SOI taper structures," Microelectron. Eng. 86(4-6), 1117–1119 (2009). [CrossRef]
11. Q. Fang, T.-Y. Liow, J. F. Song, C. W. Tan, M. B. Yu, G. Q. Lo, and D.-L. Kwong, "Suspended optical fiber-to-waveguide mode size converter for silicon photonics," Opt. Express 18(8), 7763–7769 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. M. Pu, L. Liu, H. Ou, K. Yvind, and J. M. Hvam, "Ultra-low-loss inverted taper coupler for silicon-on-insulator ridge waveguide," Opt. Commun. 283(19), 3678–3682 (2010). [CrossRef]
13. B. Ben Bakir, A. V. de Gyves, R. Orobtchouk, P. Lyan, C. Porzier, A. Roman, and J.-M. Fedeli, "Low-loss (<1 dB) and polarization-insensitive edge fiber couplers fabricated on 200-mm silicon-on-insulator wafers," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 22(11), 739–741 (2010). [CrossRef]
14. L. Chen, C. R. Doerr, Y.-K. Chen, and T.-Y. Liow, "Low-loss and broadband cantilever couplers between standard cleaved fibers and high-index-contrast Si3N4 or Si waveguides," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 22(23), 1744–1746 (2010). [CrossRef]
15. D. Taillaert, W. Bogaerts, P. Bienstman, T. F. Krauss, P. Van Daele, I. Moerman, S. Verstuyft, K. De Mesel, and R. Baets, "An out-of-plane grating coupler for efficient butt-coupling between compact planar waveguides and single-mode fibers," IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 38(7), 949–955 (2002). [CrossRef]
16. G. Z. Masanovic, G. T. Reed, W. Headley, B. Timotijevic, V. M. N. Passaro, R. Atta, G. Ensell, and A. G. R. Evans, "A high efficiency input/output coupler for small silicon photonic devices," Opt. Express 13(19), 7374–7379 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
17. P. Cheben, S. Janz, D.-X. Xu, B. Lamontagne, A. Delâge, and S. Tanev, "A broad-band waveguide grating coupler with a subwavelength grating mirror," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 18(1), 13–15 (2006). [CrossRef]
18. L. Vivien, D. Pascal, S. Lardenois, D. Marris-Morini, E. Cassan, F. Grillot, S. Laval, J.-M. Fédéli, and L. El Melhaoui, "Light injection in SOI microwaveguides using high-efficiency grating couplers," J. Lightwave Technol. 24(10), 3810–3815 (2006). [CrossRef]
19. F. Van Laere, G. Roelkens, M. Ayre, J. Schrauwen, D. Taillaert, D. Van Thourhout, T. F. Krauss, and R. Baets, "Compact and highly efficient grating couplers between optical fiber and nanophotonic waveguides," J. Lightwave Technol. 25(1), 151–156 (2007). [CrossRef]
20. D. Vermeulen, S. Selvaraja, P. Verheyen, G. Lepage, W. Bogaerts, P. Absil, D. Van Thourhout, and G. Roelkens, "High-efficiency fiber-to-chip grating couplers realized using an advanced CMOS-compatible silicon-on-insulator platform," Opt. Express 18(17), 18278–18283 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
21. Y. Tang, Z. Wang, L. Wosinski, U. Westergren, and S. He, "Highly efficient nonuniform grating coupler for silicon-on-insulator nanophotonic circuits," Opt. Lett. 35(8), 1290–1292 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
22. P. Sun and R. M. Reano, "Cantilever couplers for intra-chip coupling to silicon photonic integrated circuits," Opt. Express 17(6), 4565–4574 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
23. P. Sun and R. M. Reano, "Vertical chip-to-chip coupling between silicon photonic integrated circuits using cantilever couplers," Opt. Express 19(5), 4722–4727 (2011). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
24. D. Pozar, Microwave Engineering (John Wiley & Sons, 2005).
25. O. Mitomi, K. Kasaya, and H. Miyazawa, "Design of a single-mode tapered waveguide for low-loss chip-to-fiber coupling," IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 30(8), 1787–1793 (1994). [CrossRef]
26. T. Alder, A. Stöhr, R. Heinzelmann, and D. Jäger, "High-efficiency fiber-to-chip coupling using low-loss tapered single-mode fiber," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 12(8), 1016–1018 (2000). [CrossRef]
R. Soref, "The past, present, and future of silicon photonics," IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 12(6), 1678–1687 (2006).
T. Shoji, T. Tsuchizawa, T. Watanabe, K. Yamada, and H. Morita, "Low loss mode size converter from 0.3 μm square Si wire waveguides to singlemode fibres," Electron. Lett. 38(25), 1669–1670 (2002).
S. J. McNab, N. Moll, and Y. A. Vlasov, "Ultra-low loss photonic integrated circuit with membrane-type photonic crystal waveguides," Opt. Express 11(22), 2927–2939 (2003).
V. R. Almeida, R. R. Panepucci, and M. Lipson, "Nanotaper for compact mode conversion," Opt. Lett. 28(15), 1302–1304 (2003).
K. K. Lee, D. R. Lim, D. Pan, C. Hoepfner, W.-Y. Oh, K. Wada, L. C. Kimerling, K. P. Yap, and M. T. Doan, "Mode transformer for miniaturized optical circuits," Opt. Lett. 30(5), 498–500 (2005).
G. Roelkens, P. Dumon, W. Bogaerts, D. Van Thourhout, and R. Baets, "Efficient silicon-on-insulator fiber coupler fabricated using 248-nm-deep UV lithography," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 17(12), 2613–2615 (2005).
T. Tsuchizawa, K. Yamada, H. Fukuda, T. Watanabe, J. Takahashi, M. Takahashi, T. Shoji, E. Tamechika, S. Itabashi, and H. Morita, "Microphotonics devices based on silicon microfabrication technology," IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 11(1), 232–240 (2005).
J. V. Galán, P. Sanchis, G. Sánchez, and J. Martí, "Polarization insensitive low-loss coupling technique between SOI waveguides and high mode field diameter single-mode fibers," Opt. Express 15(11), 7058–7065 (2007).
H. Sun, A. Chen, A. Szep, and L. R. Dalton, "Efficient fiber coupler for vertical silicon slot waveguides," Opt. Express 17(25), 22571–22577 (2009).
T. Wahlbrink, W. S. Tsai, M. Waldow, M. Först, J. Bolten, T. Mollenhauer, and H. Kurz, "Fabrication of high efficiency SOI taper structures," Microelectron. Eng. 86(4-6), 1117–1119 (2009).
Q. Fang, T.-Y. Liow, J. F. Song, C. W. Tan, M. B. Yu, G. Q. Lo, and D.-L. Kwong, "Suspended optical fiber-to-waveguide mode size converter for silicon photonics," Opt. Express 18(8), 7763–7769 (2010).
M. Pu, L. Liu, H. Ou, K. Yvind, and J. M. Hvam, "Ultra-low-loss inverted taper coupler for silicon-on-insulator ridge waveguide," Opt. Commun. 283(19), 3678–3682 (2010).
B. Ben Bakir, A. V. de Gyves, R. Orobtchouk, P. Lyan, C. Porzier, A. Roman, and J.-M. Fedeli, "Low-loss (<1 dB) and polarization-insensitive edge fiber couplers fabricated on 200-mm silicon-on-insulator wafers," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 22(11), 739–741 (2010).
L. Chen, C. R. Doerr, Y.-K. Chen, and T.-Y. Liow, "Low-loss and broadband cantilever couplers between standard cleaved fibers and high-index-contrast Si3N4 or Si waveguides," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 22(23), 1744–1746 (2010).
D. Taillaert, W. Bogaerts, P. Bienstman, T. F. Krauss, P. Van Daele, I. Moerman, S. Verstuyft, K. De Mesel, and R. Baets, "An out-of-plane grating coupler for efficient butt-coupling between compact planar waveguides and single-mode fibers," IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 38(7), 949–955 (2002).
G. Z. Masanovic, G. T. Reed, W. Headley, B. Timotijevic, V. M. N. Passaro, R. Atta, G. Ensell, and A. G. R. Evans, "A high efficiency input/output coupler for small silicon photonic devices," Opt. Express 13(19), 7374–7379 (2005).
P. Cheben, S. Janz, D.-X. Xu, B. Lamontagne, A. Delâge, and S. Tanev, "A broad-band waveguide grating coupler with a subwavelength grating mirror," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 18(1), 13–15 (2006).
L. Vivien, D. Pascal, S. Lardenois, D. Marris-Morini, E. Cassan, F. Grillot, S. Laval, J.-M. Fédéli, and L. El Melhaoui, "Light injection in SOI microwaveguides using high-efficiency grating couplers," J. Lightwave Technol. 24(10), 3810–3815 (2006).
F. Van Laere, G. Roelkens, M. Ayre, J. Schrauwen, D. Taillaert, D. Van Thourhout, T. F. Krauss, and R. Baets, "Compact and highly efficient grating couplers between optical fiber and nanophotonic waveguides," J. Lightwave Technol. 25(1), 151–156 (2007).
D. Vermeulen, S. Selvaraja, P. Verheyen, G. Lepage, W. Bogaerts, P. Absil, D. Van Thourhout, and G. Roelkens, "High-efficiency fiber-to-chip grating couplers realized using an advanced CMOS-compatible silicon-on-insulator platform," Opt. Express 18(17), 18278–18283 (2010).
Y. Tang, Z. Wang, L. Wosinski, U. Westergren, and S. He, "Highly efficient nonuniform grating coupler for silicon-on-insulator nanophotonic circuits," Opt. Lett. 35(8), 1290–1292 (2010).
P. Sun and R. M. Reano, "Cantilever couplers for intra-chip coupling to silicon photonic integrated circuits," Opt. Express 17(6), 4565–4574 (2009).
P. Sun and R. M. Reano, "Vertical chip-to-chip coupling between silicon photonic integrated circuits using cantilever couplers," Opt. Express 19(5), 4722–4727 (2011).
D. Pozar, Microwave Engineering (John Wiley & Sons, 2005).
O. Mitomi, K. Kasaya, and H. Miyazawa, "Design of a single-mode tapered waveguide for low-loss chip-to-fiber coupling," IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 30(8), 1787–1793 (1994).
T. Alder, A. Stöhr, R. Heinzelmann, and D. Jäger, "High-efficiency fiber-to-chip coupling using low-loss tapered single-mode fiber," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 12(8), 1016–1018 (2000).
Absil, P.
Alder, T.
Almeida, V. R.
Atta, R.
Ayre, M.
Baets, R.
Ben Bakir, B.
Bienstman, P.
Bogaerts, W.
Bolten, J.
Cassan, E.
Cheben, P.
Chen, A.
Chen, L.
Chen, Y.-K.
Dalton, L. R.
de Gyves, A. V.
De Mesel, K.
Delâge, A.
Doan, M. T.
Doerr, C. R.
Dumon, P.
El Melhaoui, L.
Ensell, G.
Evans, A. G. R.
Fang, Q.
Fedeli, J.-M.
Fédéli, J.-M.
Först, M.
Fukuda, H.
Galán, J. V.
Grillot, F.
He, S.
Headley, W.
Heinzelmann, R.
Hoepfner, C.
Hvam, J. M.
Itabashi, S.
Jäger, D.
Janz, S.
Kasaya, K.
Kimerling, L. C.
Krauss, T. F.
Kurz, H.
Kwong, D.-L.
Lamontagne, B.
Lardenois, S.
Laval, S.
Lee, K. K.
Lepage, G.
Lim, D. R.
Liow, T.-Y.
Lipson, M.
Liu, L.
Lo, G. Q.
Lyan, P.
Marris-Morini, D.
Martí, J.
Masanovic, G. Z.
McNab, S. J.
Mitomi, O.
Miyazawa, H.
Moerman, I.
Moll, N.
Mollenhauer, T.
Morita, H.
Oh, W.-Y.
Orobtchouk, R.
Ou, H.
Pan, D.
Panepucci, R. R.
Pascal, D.
Passaro, V. M. N.
Porzier, C.
Pu, M.
Reano, R. M.
Reed, G. T.
Roelkens, G.
Roman, A.
Sánchez, G.
Sanchis, P.
Schrauwen, J.
Selvaraja, S.
Shoji, T.
Song, J. F.
Soref, R.
Stöhr, A.
Sun, H.
Sun, P.
Szep, A.
Taillaert, D.
Takahashi, J.
Takahashi, M.
Tamechika, E.
Tan, C. W.
Tanev, S.
Tang, Y.
Timotijevic, B.
Tsai, W. S.
Tsuchizawa, T.
Van Daele, P.
Van Laere, F.
Van Thourhout, D.
Verheyen, P.
Vermeulen, D.
Verstuyft, S.
Vivien, L.
Vlasov, Y. A.
Wada, K.
Wahlbrink, T.
Waldow, M.
Watanabe, T.
Westergren, U.
Wosinski, L.
Xu, D.-X.
Yamada, K.
Yap, K. P.
Yu, M. B.
Yvind, K.
Electron. Lett. (1)
IEEE J. Quantum Electron. (2)
IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. (2)
IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. (5)
J. Lightwave Technol. (2)
Microelectron. Eng. (1)
Opt. Commun. (1)
Opt. Express (8)


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As far as party night's go, New Year's Eve is a marathon, not a sprint: You need makeup that will start strong and that you can touch up easily as the evening goes on (and on and on...) These palettes will help you create a soirée-ready look before you go out, and can be easily thrown in a clutch for later.
1. Bobbi Brown Denim & Rose Face Palette. Four shadows, one blush, two lip colors, and two glosses make this jean-inspired palette perfect for day or night. The deep, shimmery blue and glittery gray shadows are pretty when paired with a rosy pink gloss, while the hot pink gloss looks best when you line your eyes with the medium gray shade.
2. Benefit Scene Queen - The New Annie Collection. This mini makeup kit has everything you need to put together a look worthy of the biggest night of the year. The four shadows and black pencil liner can be layered for a smoldering, smoky eye. The coral-pink blush and gloss will warm up any complexion, and the brand's best-selling High Beam luminizer adds a touch of shine to your cheekbones and brow bone.
3. Dior Minaudière Eyeshadow and Lip Gloss Palette. This clutch is as elegant as the shades inside. Smoky eye essentials and two pink glosses help you to create a classic, refined look, and the compact is slim enough to slip into a full-sized version of the evening bag that inspired it.
4. Guerlain Écrin 6 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Champs-Élysées. What draws us to this palette is the bright pop of purple shadow in the center. Use it as an accent on your lash line or, for a truly dramatic look, cover your whole lid with it, then swipe one of the gray shades into the creases, and use the inky black to line your lashes.
5. Fresh Satin Lustre Face Palette. A compact with three creamy shadows (a white pearl, beige pearl, and pale rose) instantly brighten up any complexion and give skin an other-worldly glow. It works as a highlighter on your lids and even your lips. Before midnight, dab it lightly onto the apples of your cheeks and your collar bone—wherever the light will catch the shimmer.
Daily Beauty Reporter: Holiday Party Pic Tip: Look Down, Look Prettier!


text:
1万円以上国内送料無料
HOME › ARTISTS › Sage Sohier
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Sage Sohier has been photographing people in their environments for more than 30 years, after receiving her B.A. from Harvard University.
She has received fellowships from the No Strings Foundation, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation.
"Animals," Sohier's black and white pictures from the 80s and 90s of people and their companion animals, was recently published by Stanley/Barker. "Americans Seen," a series of environmental portraits from the 1980s, was published in 2017 by Nazraeli Press. "Witness to Beauty," her series about her ex-fashion-model mother, was published in 2017 by Kehrer Verlag. "At Home With Themselves: Same-Sex Couples in 1980s America," was published in October 2014 by Spotted Books. Other monographs include "About Face," published in December of 2012 by Columbia College Chicago Press, and "Perfectible Worlds," published by Photolucida in 2007.
She has had solo shows at Foley Gallery in New York, Robert Klein Gallery in Boston, Carroll and Sons Gallery in Boston, Joseph Bellows Gallery in San Diego, The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, and Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, OR. Her work has also been included in group shows at the Museum of Modern Art, NY, the International Center of Photography, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and many other venues.
Sohier's work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Portland Art Museum, the Davis Museum, Wellesley College, and the Brooklyn Museum, to name a few.
She has taught photography at Harvard University, Wellesley College, and the Massachusetts College of Art, and has done commissioned work for the George Gund Foundation in Cleveland, the Robert Rauschenberg Residency program in Captiva, FL, and the Photographic Resource Center in Boston, as well as editorial work for numerous publications.
She is represented by Foley Gallery in New York, Robert Klein Gallery in Boston, and Joseph Bellows Gallery in San Diego.
ANIMALS by Sage Sohier [SIGNED]
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text:
Reproductive Health Act passes House after emotional debate, narrow vote
Liberal overhaul of abortion law advances to Senate
Published by Capitol News Illinois on May 28, 2019
Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, makes her arguments in favor of the Reproductive Health Act she sponsored Tuesday during debate on the House floor of the Capitol in Springfield. (Credit: BlueRoomStream)
SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly approved a bill overhauling Illinois' abortion statute after more than two hours of debate that was passionate and, at times, emotional.
The Reproductive Health Act would replace the state's current law with one backers and detractors agree would be the most liberal reproductive health statute in the nation.
It creates access to contraception, pregnancy benefits, abortion procedures, diagnostic testing and other related health care as a fundamental right, banning government from impairing access to those things for women and men.
The bill now moves to the Senate. Melinda Bush, a Democratic senator from Grayslake and the act's sponsor in that chamber, said Monday she thinks it will succeed there. A committee hearing is expected soon.
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vowed to "make Illinois the most progressive state in the nation for access to reproductive health care." He said in a statement Tuesday he looks "forward to continuing my work as an ally by signing the Reproductive Health Act into law."
The legislation's passage comes as a hard-fought triumph for its sponsor, Chicago Democratic Rep. Kelly Cassidy. She said after months of working to advance this initiative down a path that at times has "not been very easy," she is "very pleased" at its success.
Cassidy said she is also feeling "relief, just relief that this step is over and that we are poised to affirm our support for reproductive freedom in Illinois and intentionally stand out from all these other states that are attacking women's rights."
The General Assembly's lack of action on the measure harmed Illinois women, she added.
"I think people have a false sense of security around these issues, when the reality is that women are in real danger in Illinois as the result of our inaction," Cassidy said at the beginning of the month.
The final vote was close — there were 64 Democrats voting in favor, 50 legislators from both parties voting no and four Democrats voting present. 60 votes were needed to pass the act successfully.
Advocates were trying to change minds and secure a favorable outcome right up until the vote. Several sources said Pritzker spoke to lawmakers Tuesday morning about why the tenets of the legislation were important to him.
Pritzker "did offer his support," his spokesperson said.
One member who was wavering was Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, a Democrat from Oswego. She ultimately voted yes.
"It did seem like a bill that did a lot, and we did need to make sure everything was correct. I believe abortion should be safe and legal, but I believe it should also be rare," Kifowit said. "My concern with the bill was with some of the language changes, and the legislative intent had to be there to make sure that it's crystal clear what we're doing."
Rep. Maurice West, a Rockford Democrat, described on the floor how he has received four death threats and was told his wife and future children will lead "cursed lives."
A preacher, he rose in support of the measure because, he said, he believes in the separation of church and state and the tenet of free will. Regulations passed in other states over the past few weeks have placed constraints on women, West said.
"My ancestors had physical chains and laws that governed their bodies. We fought a civil war because we wanted to keep black bodies chained and enslaved, and now you're asking me, a black man, to put policy chains on a woman's body, on reproductive health …," he said.
"But now we're living in a time where government is trying to take away basic freedoms, personal choice, and that worries me more than the threats to my life or the promised curses on my life — I'll handle those. I know how to pray against those," West continued. "At this time, I've decided to trust women to do what's best for themselves."
Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, questions Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, about the Reproductive Health Act during debate Tuesday at the Statehouse in Springfield. (Credit: BlueRoomStream)
Recent passage of abortion restriction laws in states such as Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Ohio spurred the measure to get a second life this session. Legislation in some of those states was advanced, in part, to challenge the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion procedures nationwide.
"This vote makes it clear that Illinois women will always have the right to make their own medical decisions – regardless of what [President] Donald Trump, his right-wing judges and extreme politicians in other states do," House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said in a statement.
During floor debate Tuesday, Cassidy had a scripted back-and-forth with Rep. Robyn Gabel, a Democrat from Evanston. It covered topics ranging from whether the Reproductive Health Act would allow abortions to occur at any point during a pregnancy for any reason — in short, no, Cassidy answered — to who can perform an abortion — only doctors can carry out a surgical one, but physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses can prescribe medications.
Cassidy said specifically in a few answers she was trying to establish what is known as legislative intent — if there is ever a legal challenge involving the bill and a judge finds the language to be unclear, he will turn to the General Assembly's meaning to help him decide the case.
She went on to answer questions from lawmakers from both parties for nearly two hours. There were two phrases she repeated frequently: the Reproductive Health Act "does not change the current standard of practice" and "doctors are required to adhere to accepted standards of clinical practice."
The bill mandates private insurance companies regulated by the state must cover abortion procedures if they also provide coverage for pregnancy benefits. One of the changes to this most recent version of the legislation allows companies to employ cost-sharing provisions, such as co-payments, but only if it does so for pregnancy-related coverage as well.
It also repeals several protections in current statute for health care professionals who have a moral, ethical or religious objection to abortion and refuse to participate in the procedure. It leaves one in place, the Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Through an amendment, proponents say that law would be strengthened.
A legal analysis prepared by the Thomas More Society, a conservative Chicago-based law firm, when the measure was first introduced pointed to a sentence — "A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the laws of this State" — that might unintentionally undermine statutory actions and aspects of Illinois' criminal code.
That is because that language "may call into question whether actions for prenatal injuries or wrongful death may be maintained," according to the memo.
"I think it would be a compelling argument to urge that a person should not be put in prison for decades for terminating the life of a thing that has no rights and whose humanity is denied by statute. Our laws up to this point had presumed the unborn are human and are of great value in that," Peter Breen, the law firm's vice president and senior counsel, said. "I'm not saying the argument works, but at some level, the punishment must fit the crime."
Proponents argue that is not the case, though.
In addition, the measure repeals several aspects of current law that courts have blocked, including criminal penalties for doctors and spousal consent.
"The bill empowers every person in Illinois to make the most personal medical decisions in consultation with their physician. Everyone deserves that right. The House recognized this and saw the urgency in protecting this basic health care," Colleen Connell, executive director of the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. She testified with Cassidy before a legislative panel Sunday night.
Rep. Avery Bourne, a Republican from Raymond, spent the most time Tuesday questioning Cassidy. She closed by pointing out the Reproductive Health Act does not need to become law for abortion to remain legal in Illinois — a bill signed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner allowing tax dollars to be spent on the procedure included language that achieved that.
"This is about a massive expansion that will impact viable babies, and that is wrong," Bourne, who is pregnant, said. Her voice wavered with emotion when discussing abortions that occur late in a woman's pregnancy.
The Catholic Conference of Illinois, a group that represents the state's six dioceses, said in a statement the bill is more than "cleanup" legislation as described by advocates.
"Illinois has previously distinguished itself by recognizing and upholding human dignity. It has welcomed and defended the rights of immigrants and refugees, and eliminated the death penalty," the statement read. "It is therefore incomprehensible to us that the General Assembly has prioritized denying protection to the most vulnerable among us by enacting some of the most liberal abortion access laws in the nation."
A Senate panel is expected to hear debate on the bill soon, as the scheduled end of session is Friday.
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