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Celebrating distinguished achievements and contributions.
Award | News Release
Olga Kocharovskaya Named 2024 Herbert Walther Award Recipient
Optica (formerly OSA) and the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG) have named Olga Kocharovskaya, Texas A&M University (TAMU), USA, the recipient of the 2024 Herbert Walther Award. She is recognized for field-opening contributions to lasing without inversion and electromagnetically induced transparency and for theory and experiments that initiated the field of gamma-ray quantum optics.
A trailblazer in her field, Kocharovskaya was the first woman professor in the TAMU physics department, and she is the first woman to receive the Walther Award. A Fellow of Optica and the American Physical Society, she has received several additional honors, including the inaugural Willis Lamb Medal for Laser Physics and Quantum Electronics, the Association of Former Texas A&M Students Distinguished Achievement Award in Research and the Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor Award.
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Announcing the 2024 Optica Fellows Class
The Board of Directors of Optica (formerly OSA), recently elected 129 members from 26 countries to the Society’s 2024 Fellow Class. Optica Fellows are selected based on several factors, including outstanding contributions to research, business, education, engineering and service to Optica and our community.
“Congratulations to the 2024 class of Optica Fellows, ” said Michal Lipson 2023 Optica President. “It is a pleasure to honor these members who are advancing our field and society. We are grateful for their exceptional work and dedication.”
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Breylon named 2023 Optica Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award recipient
Brelyon, a company spun-off from the MIT Media Lab, took a new approach to displays, employing computational wavefront engineering designed to work with the physiology of the human eye. Optica (formerly OSA), recognizes Brelyon’s innovative engineering with the 2023 Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award. They were selected “For introducing the world's first headset-free virtual monitor using computational optics to program the wavefront of the light in large scale.”
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Stewart Wills named 2023 Optica Treasurer’s Award recipient
Pick up a copy of Optics and Photonics News, and Stewart Wills’ commitment to excellence is apparent. Well-researched, meticulously written and edited articles on cutting edge topics fill the pages of OPN, many of which are the direct contributions of Wills—and all are impacted by his example.
Optica is pleased to honor Wills with the 2023 Treasurer’s Award. Since Wills joined Optica in 2013 as Senior Editor and Content Developer for OPN, he has displayed the “long-term commitment to excellence in visual design, communication, and impact.” He was recognized during the Optica Awards Ceremony at FIO+LS.
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James C. Wyant Named Optica Honorary Member
James C. Wyant, Emeritus Professor and Founding Dean at the University of Arizona, Wyant College of Optical Sciences, USA, has been a leader in the classroom, lab and boardroom for over 30 years. His technical innovation and entrepreneurship changed the field of optical metrology and developed tools that enabled many disciplines of precision manufacturing. Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, announces that Wyant has been named an Optica Honorary Member.
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Optica announces Leonard Mandel Quantum Optics Award
Optica announces the creation of the Leonard Mandel Quantum Optics Award to recognize distinguished contributions to the foundations of statistical and quantum optics and applications in advanced technologies. Established through the Optica Foundation, this award honors Mandel’s legacy in the field of quantum optics.
“Dr. Mandel's work has influenced the evolution of the field of statistical and quantum optics, from the formative book Optical Coherence and Quantum Optics that he wrote with Emil Wolf to his role in furthering the efforts of the broader community,” said Michal Lipson, Optica 2023 President. “This award extends that legacy by fueling next-generation quantum advancements.”
This award joins other Optica initiatives that support the rapidly expanding fields of quantum optics and quantum-enabled technologies, including the Quantum 2.0 conference, Optica Quantum, a new journal dedicated to highly selective results in quantum information science and technology, and the Theodor W. Hänsch Prize in Quantum Optics, which focuses on early-career efforts and the applications of optics-enabled quantum technologies.
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Susana Marcos Awarded the Edwin H. Land Medal
Optica and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T) are pleased to announce that Susana Marcos, the David R. Williams Director of the Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, USA, has been awarded the Edwin H. Land Medal.
Marcos, a highly regarded researcher in the field of visual optics and ocular imaging, is a pioneer in the development of new techniques for the evaluation of the eye. Her work is aimed at understanding the interplay of structural, biomechanical and optical properties of the eye. Marcos studies the impact of those properties on retinal image quality, and the limits that optics impose on visual functions and perception, specifically with applications in myopia, presbyopia, cataract and corneal corrections.
Recognizing pioneering work empowered by scientific research to create inventions, technologies, and products, the Edwin H. Land Medal was established in 1992 to honor his unique career as a scientist, technologist, industrialist, humanist and public servant.
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Optica Names 17 Recipients for 2023 Awards and Medals
Optica is pleased to announce the recipients of several of its 2023 awards and medals. These awards celebrate those in our field who are making significant technical, research, education, business, leadership and service accomplishments.
"On behalf of the Optica Board and membership, I congratulate the 2023 Awardees for their innovative and pioneering contributions to our field and Society," said Michal Lipson, Optica's 2023 President. "I would also like to thank those who nominated candidates, submitted references and served on selection committees—your service and support of this program is valued and appreciated."
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Optica Awards Robert Boyd the 2023 Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Prize
Optica has named Robert Boyd, University of Ottawa, Canada and University of Rochester, USA, the 2023 Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Prize recipient.
Boyd is recognized for pioneering contributions to nonlinear optics, including slow light, quantum imaging, and the development of nanocomposite optical materials and metamaterials.
Recognizing overall distinction in optics, this is the highest award of the Society.
Award | Honorary Members
Robert Byer Named Optica Honorary Member
Optica names Bob Byer, Stanford University, USA, as an Optica Honorary Member.
He is recognized for his pioneering contributions to the scientific and technological foundations of lasers and nonlinear optics, his dedicated service to the optics community, and his leadership in academia and professional societies.
"Bob Byer has made extraordinary contributions to laser science and technology through his work as a researcher, educator, mentor, and leader. His exceptional contributions to our field and Society will have a lasting impact," said Michal Lipson, Optica's 2023 President. "It is a great pleasure to welcome Bob into this group of distinguished Optica Members."
Honorary Membership is the most distinguished of all Optica Member categories and is awarded by a unanimous vote of the Optica Board of Directors to individuals who have made seminal contributions to the field of optics. Their number is limited to two-thousandths (2/1000) of the total membership of the Society.
