WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 – As of Feb. 1, 2007, Thomas G. Giallorenzi, Ph.D., will join OSA as senior director of science policy.  In this capacity, he will provide strategic direction on the Society’s scientific programming, leveraging his technical expertise to help expand OSA programs and activities, with a specific focus on the Society’s conventions and meetings portfolio.

Giallorenzi is a fellow of OSA, having provided volunteer support in numerous committees from meetings to publications and awards. Giallorenzi held many responsibilities on OFC and CLEO/QELS Steering Committees. Among other volunteer positions, Giallorenzi also played an integral part in both the R.W. Wood Prize and John Tyndall Award Selection Committees and was a member of the OSA Board of Editors.

“Tom has long been active in the optics and photonics community, in addition to his participation as a volunteer with OSA and our other sister societies,” says Elizabeth A. Rogan, OSA executive director. “I have grown to value his unique perspectives, technical and business expertise and enthusiasm. The Board and staff are looking forward to working with him.”

Giallorenzi has published over 90 professional journal articles, presented more than 115 talks at professional conferences and has given more than 1,000 seminars and technical presentations to university groups, sponsors or committees during the course of his esteemed career. He has been awarded over 25 patents with more than 20 still pending.

During his tenure at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, he was given the highest Naval award for scientific achievement, the Department of the Navy Distinguished Achievement in Science Award, for scientific innovations and contributions that have had a major impact on military systems. A recipient of numerous other accolades, he was awarded the IEEE/OSA Tyndall Award in 1990 for his role in the development of lightwave technology and was presented with the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Medal in 1986.

Giallorenzi is a graduate of Cornell University, having received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. from the university.

OSA’s director of science policy plays a central role in OSA’s mission of promoting the generation, application and archiving of knowledge in optics and photonics and disseminating this knowledge worldwide. Giallorenzi’s duties as senior scientific counsel will include strategic planning and direction, delivering technical information to the membership and the general public, assisting the meetings and conventions department in long-range planning and serving as a senior scientific advisor on all OSA scientific content.

About OSA

Uniting more than 70,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society of America (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.

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BERKELEY – The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) this week honored two University of California, Berkeley, physics professors for their undergraduate and public teaching.

Eugene Commins	Carlos Bustamante
(Photos courtesy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

Eugene Commins, professor emeritus of physics, received the Oersted Medal on Monday, Jan. 10, at the association's annual meeting in Albuquerque, N.M., for his contributions to the advancement of physics teaching. At the same session, Carlos Bustamante, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology, physics and chemistry, received the Richtmyer Award for conveying physics to public audiences.

Commins's research interests have ranged from electrons to astrophysics, and for 15 years he searched for the elusive "electric dipole moment" of the electron. At the award ceremony, Cummins spoke about the people who inspired him to teach and to learn.

Bustamante has worked on new methods of manipulating just one molecule at a time. He is the creator of optical tweezers, which use light to move objects as small as a single atom. A Fulbright scholar from his native Peru, he is now working on the mechanical power of twisted DNA. Bustamante spoke on "An Old Problem with a New Twist" – measuring how much DNA's rigid backbone can twist.

The AAPT is the largest association of physics teachers in the United States. Its most prestigious award, the Oersted Medal, is named after Hans Christian Oersted, a central figure in physics who in the 19th century discovered that electricity and magnetism are related. The award, which comes with a gift of $10,000, honors teachers of physics who contribute through lectures, textbooks, public activity and the like, to physics teaching. The Richtmyer Award, which includes a gift of $7,500, is named after Floyd K. Richtmyer, a distinguished physicist, teacher, and administrator who served the physics community in many ways.

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COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND, 5 January 2007 —Marcia Bartusiak, veteran science writer and a visiting professor at MIT, joins venerable physicists in receiving the American Institute of Physics' Gemant Award. The Gemant Award annually recognizes the accomplishments of a person who has made significant contributions to cultural, artistic, or humanistic dimension of physics.

Ms. Bartusiak is the author of numerous popular books on astronomy and cosmology, including "Einstein's Unfinished Symphony," "Thursday's Universe," "Through A Universe Darkly" and most recently, "Archives of the Universe."

The citation for her award reads, "The Andrew W. Gemant Award is presented to Marcia Bartusiak for a body of work that has won high praise from critics, scientists, and general audiences alike. Her books have been widely read, translated into four languages and have been especially successful in transmitting physics and astronomy to the public. Her reputation for detail and accuracy coupled with her clear writing and thorough understanding of the science and personalities behind the topic has made her an eloquent spokesman for what is important in science. "

Bartusiak will receive her award on Sunday, January 7, at this year's American Association of Physics Teachers and American Astronomical Association joint meeting, held in Seattle, Washington. She will deliver a public lecture there and receive a $5,000 cash award. She will also designate an academic institution to receive a grant of $3,000 to further the public communication of physics.

Bartisiak was honored in 1982 with the AIP's science writing award, the first woman to win the prize. She is a visiting professor with the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. More biographical details can be found on her website http://www.marciabartusiak.com/marcia_bartusiak.htm.

The award is made possible by a bequest of Andrew Gemant to the American Institute of Physics. The awardee is named by the AIP Governing Board during the annual spring meeting based on the recommendation of an outside Selection Committee appointed by the Institute's Board Chairman.

Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, the American Institute of Physics is a not-for-profit membership corporation chartered in New York State in 1931 for the purpose of promoting the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics and its application to human welfare.

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