20 Recipients of Prestigious OSA Awards for 2014
The winners include: Paul B. Corkum, Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus Quinn Prize; Shin-Tson Wu, Esther Hoffman Beller Medal; Costas Soukoulis, Max Born Award; Anthony J. Campillo, Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award; Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award; Juan Carlos Minaño, Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize; Wenshan Cai and Vladimir M. Shalaev, Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award; Ching Tang, Nick Holonyak, Jr. Award; Robert P. Breault, Robert E. Hopkins Leadership Award; Mathias Fink, Edwin H. Land Medal; Mario Garavaglia, Sang Soo Lee Award; Adam Kozma, Emmett N. Leith Medal; Andrei Tokmakoff, Ellis R. Lippincott Award; Alexander Szameit, Adolph Lomb Medal; François Biraben, William F. Meggers Award; Jannick P. Rolland, David Richardson Medal; Suzanne P. McKee, Edgar D. Tillyer Award; Masataka Nakazawa, Charles H. Townes Award; and Michael Bass, R.W. Wood Prize. These award winners—hailing from seven different countries—join an esteemed group of past recipients recognized for their sustained excellence in the field of optics.
“This year’s awardees have made incredible contributions to optics and photonics in everything from attosecond science to photonic crystals,” said OSA President Philip Bucksbaum. “They represent the very best and brightest in the field and OSA is proud to recognize these individuals for their unwavering commitment, innovation and leadership.”
Although the criterion for each award differs, the rigorous selection process is the same. A nomination form is submitted with a brief citation summarizing the nominee’s accomplishments with a particular emphasis on those that make him or her a candidate for the award, a one-page narrative on the most significant events in the candidate’s career, curriculum vitae and four letters of reference for the candidate. The OSA Board of Directors appoints a committee to oversee each award or medal selection process. The committee is responsible for the evaluation of each nominee and the selection of the individual or group that is most deserving of the award. Finally, the committee’s selection is presented to the OSA Awards Committee and Board of Directors for their review and final approval.
This year’s OSA Award winners are as follows:
Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus Quinn Prize
Recipient: Paul B. Corkum, University of Ottawa and National Research Council, Canada
The Frederic Ives Medal is the highest award conferred by OSA for overall distinction in optics. This award is being presented to Paul B. Corkum for outstanding contributions to the foundation of the fields of attosecond science, high-harmonic spectroscopy and molecular optics.
Esther Hoffman Beller Medal
Recipient: Shin-Tson Wu, University of Central Florida, USA
The Esther Hoffman Beller Medal recognizes outstanding contributions to optical science and engineering education. This year Shin-Tson Wu is being recognized for his broad and significant impact to academia and industry in photonics education through mentoring, textbooks, publications, seminars and onsite training courses.
Max Born Award
Recipient: Costas Soukoulis, Iowa State University, USA
The Max Born Award recognizes contributions to physical optics. Costas Soukoulis is being recognized for his creative and outstanding theoretical and experimental research in the fields of photonic crystals and left-handed metamaterials and for novel applications of these materials to manipulate electromagnetic radiation.
Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award
Recipient: Anthony J. Campillo, The Optical Society, USA
The Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who, over an extended period of time, have served OSA in an outstanding way, especially through volunteer participation in its management, operation or planning in such ways as editorship of a periodical, organization of meetings, or other service to the society. Anthony J. Campillo is being recognized for sustained leadership, vision and outstanding dedication to the quality and impact of OSA publications.
Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award
Recipient: Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Rice University, USA
The Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award recognizes individuals for their innovative and influential contributions to the field of biophotonics, regardless of their career stage. Rebecca Richards-Kortum is being recognized for exceptional contributions to advancing the applications of optics in disease diagnosis and inspiring work in disseminating low-cost health technologies to the developing world.
Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize
Recipient: Juan Carlos Miñano, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain
The Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize recognizes significant research accomplishments in the field of optical engineering. The award is presented to Juan Carlos Miñano for the discovery of exceptional new design methods and devices in both nonimaging and imaging optics over more than three decades, with special emphasis in freeform surface design.
Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award
Recipients: Wenshan Cai, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA and Vladimir M. Shalaev, Purdue University, USA
The Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award recognizes a recent and outstanding book in the field of optics and photonics that has contributed significantly to research, teaching, or the optics and photonics industry. Wenshan Cai and Vladimir M. Shalaev are being recognized for their book Optical Metamaterials: Fundamentals and Applications (Springer, 2010).
Nick Holonyak, Jr. Award
Recipient: Ching Tang, University of Rochester, USA
The Nick Holonyak, Jr. Award is given for contributions to optics based on semiconductor-based devices and optical materials, including basic science and technological applications. This year, Ching Tang is being recognized for his discovery of efficient thin-film organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which has led to novel display and lighting products.
Robert E. Hopkins Leadership Award
Recipient: Robert P. Breault, Breault Research Organization, Inc., USA
The Robert E. Hopkins Leadership Award recognizes an individual or group of optics professionals who has made a significant impact on the field of optics and/or made a significant contribution to society. Robert P. Breault is receiving this award for pioneering leadership in the formation of global optics industry clusters.
Edwin H. Land Medal
Recipient: Mathias Fink, École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielle de Paris, France
The Edwin H. Land Medal recognizes pioneering work empowered by scientific research to create inventions, technologies and products and is co-sponsored with the Society for Imaging Science and Technology. Mathias Fink is being presented this award for seminal investigations of time reversal of ultra-sonic waves with applications to imaging and therapy.
Sang Soo Lee Award
Recipient: Mario Garavaglia, Centro de Investigaciones Opticas, Argentina
OSA’s newest award, the Sang Soo Lee Award recognizes outstanding leadership in founding or growing the optics and photonics community locally. Mario Garavaglia is the inaugural winner of this award and is being recognized for his key role in the development of optics and photonics research and education in Argentina.
Emmett N. Leith Medal
Recipient: Adam Kozma, (1928-2014), USA
The Emmett N. Leith Medal recognizes seminal contributions to the field of optical information processing. Adam Kozma is being recognized posthumously for seminal contributions to optical information processing of radar data and holographic memories.
Ellis R. Lippincott Award
Recipient: Andrei Tokmakoff, University of Chicago, USA
The Ellis R. Lippincott Award is given for contributions to vibrational spectroscopy and is co-sponsored with the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. Andrei Tokmakoff is receiving the award for innovations in two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and its application to molecular structure and dynamics, especially in complex aqueous and biomolecular systems.
Adolph Lomb Medal
Recipient: Alexander Szameit, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany
The Adolph Lomb Medal recognizes noteworthy contributions made to optics before reaching the age of 35. Alexander Szameit is being honored for groundbreaking contributions to linear and nonlinear light evolution in photonic lattices, and photonic simulations of quantum, solid state and relativistic phenomena.
William F. Meggers Award
Recipient: François Biraben, Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, France
The William F. Meggers Award recognizes outstanding work in spectroscopy. François Biraben is being recognized for outstanding achievements in high resolution atomic spectroscopy and metrology of fundamental constants, leading to far-reaching tests of quantum electrodynamics.
David Richardson Medal
Recipient: Jannick P. Rolland, University of Rochester, USA
The David Richardson Medal is given for significant contributions to optical engineering, primarily in the commercial and industrial sector. Jannick P. Rolland is being recognized for visionary contributions and leadership in optical design and engineering, enabling noninvasive, optical biopsy.
Edgar D. Tillyer Award
Recipient: Suzanne P. McKee, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, USA
The Edgar D. Tillyer Award recognizes a person who has performed distinguished work in the field of vision, including, but not limited to, the optics, physiology, anatomy or psychology of the visual system. Suzanne P. McKee is being recognized for contributions to fundamental understanding of visual motion and of normal and abnormal human stereo vision, revealing the limits and character of brain mechanisms responsible for the perception of depth.
Charles H. Townes Award
Recipient: Masataka Nakazawa, Tohoku University, Japan
The Charles Hard Townes Award is given for contributions to quantum electronics. Masataka Nakazawa is receiving the award for seminal contributions to the science and applications of ultrafast optics and ultrastable narrow-linewidth lasers.
R.W. Wood Prize
Recipient: Michael Bass, University of Central Florida, USA
The R. W. Wood Prize is given for an outstanding discovery, scientific or technological achievement or invention. Michael Bass has received this recognition for the discovery of optical rectification, which led to the development of very wide band terahertz wave sources.
About OSA
Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional society for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-world applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership programs, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of professionals in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.