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Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of California
230 Physical Sciences Bldg.
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Phone: (831) 459-4002
Fax: (831) 459-2935
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Eugene Switkes Professor of Chemistry B.A., Oberlin College Ph.D., Harvard University Office: 156 PSB Phone: (831) 459-2000 Fax: (831) 459-2935 gene@chemistry.ucsc.edu

Department of Chemistry University of California 1156 High Street Santa Cruz, CA 95064 Office Hours Class Times & Locations Labs: 157 PSB, 9-2000

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Physical Chemistry, Theoretical Chemistry, Vision Sciences

Eugene Switkes is a theoretical chemist working in two diverse research areas: applications of basic quantum mechanical theory to problems in organic chemistry and biochemistry, and information processing by the visual system.

His current work in chemistry includes theoretical calculations of the electronic structure of large molecules and formal characterization of nonlinear systems. His research in the area of vision involves experminental and modeling studies of how the human visual system process spatial and chromatic information.

He received UCSC's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1986, the Excellence in Teaching Award from Phi Beta Kappa's Northern California Association in 1983, and the UCSC Committee on Teaching Excellence in Teaching Award in 2003. Switkes is also a member of the Vision Sciences group at UC Berkeley.

Current research areas:
In the human visual system, both chromatic and spatial information are processed by multiple, multi-stage, mechanisms. In addition, patterns defined by color and luminance are, at some levels, processed by differing mechanisms. Switkes's recent research investigates the nature of spatial and chromatic visual processing and the segregation and integration of information across stages and among mechanisms selective for various chromatic dimensions.

For example:
Contrast salience across three-dimensional chromoluminance space
(Vision Research, 2008)

and
Integration of spatial and chromatic information in
early and midlevel vision , (J. Opt. Soc Am., 2005)   (Vision Research, 2004)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

E. Switkes "Contrast salience across three-dimensional chromoluminance space" Vision Res 48, 1812-1819 (2008).

J. A. Wilson and E. Switkes. "Integration of differing chromaticities in early and midlevel spatial vision", J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, 22, 2161-2181, 2005.

J.A. Wilson, E. Switkes, and R. L. DeValois, "Glass pattern studies of local and global processing of contrast variations", Vision Res 44, 2629-2641, 2004.

E. Switkes and M. A. Crognale, "Comparison of Color and Luminance Contrast, Apples vs. Oranges?" Vision Res 39, 1823-1831, 1999.

M. E. Schneck, B. Fortune, E. Switkes, M. Crognale, and H.J. Adams, "Acute Effects of Blood Glucose on Chromatic Visually Evoked Potentials in Persons with Diabetes and in Normal Persons," Invest. Ophthalmol. and Vis. Science 38, 800-810, 1997.

M. A. Crognale, E. Switkes, and A. J. Adams, "Temporal Response Characteristics of the Spatiochromatic Visually Evoked Potentials: Non-Linearities and Departures from Psychophysics," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 10, 1-13, 1997.

R. L. De Valois, K. K. De Valois, E. Switkes, and L. Mahon, "Hue Scaling of Isoluminant and Cone-specific Lights," Vision Res. 37 885-897, 1997.

J. Rabin, E. Switkes, M. A. Crognale, M. E. Schneck, and A. J. Adams, "Visual Evoked Potentials in Three-Dimensional Color Space: Correlates of Spatio-Chromatic Processing," Vis. Res. 34, 2657, 1994.

M. A. Crognale, E. Switkes, J. Rabin, M. E. Schneck, G. Haegerstršm-Portnoy, and A. J. Adams, "Application of the Spatiochromatic Visual Evoked Potential to Detection of Congenital and Acquired Color-Vision Deficiencies," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A10, 1818, 1993.

M. A. Crognale, J. Rabin, E. Switkes, and A. J. Adams, "Selective Loss of S-pathway Sensitivity in Central Serous Choroidopathy Revealed by Spatio-chromatic Evoked Cortical Potentials (VECP)," in Colour Vision Deficiencies XI: Proceedings of the Eleventh Symposium of the International Research Group on Colour Vision Deficiencies, ed. by B. Drum (Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Netherlands, 1993), p. 229.

B. E. Schefrin, J. S. Werner, M. Plach, N. Utlaut, and E. Switkes, "Sites of Age-Related Sensitivity Loss in a Short-Wave Cone Pathway," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A9, 355, 1992.

M. A. Webster, K. K. De Valois, and E. Switkes, "Orientation and Spatial-Frequency Discrimination for Luminance and Chromatic Gratings," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A7, 1034, 1990.

E. Switkes, A. Bradley, and C. Schor, "Readily Visible Changes in Color Contrast Are Insufficient to Stimulate Accommodation," Vis. Res. 30, 1367, 1990.

R. B. H. Tootell, M. S. Silverman, S. L. Hamilton, E. Switkes, and R. L. De Valois, "Functional Anatomy of Macaque Striate Cortex. V. Spatial frequency," J. Neurosci. 8, 1610, 1988.

T. Carney, M. Shadlen, and E. Switkes, "Parallel Processing of Motion and Colour Information," Nature 328, 647, 1987.

R. A. Goldbeck and E. Switkes, "Localized Excitation Analysis of the Singlet Excited States of Polyenes and Diphenylpolyenes," J. Phys. Chem. 89, 2585, 1985.