The International Union of Materials Research Societies has awarded the 2007 Somiya Award to Prof. Y. Bruynseraede and Ivan K. Schuller for Awarded Research: "Structure and Physical Properties of Superconducting and Magnetic Nanostructures. Further information available at
http://www.iumrs.org/.
The award was given at the IUMRS-ICAM 2007 - 10th International Conference on Advanced Materials, Oct 8-13, 2007, Bangalore, India, Organized by MRS-India.
The talk is available at http://ischuller.ucsd.edu/movies/Somiya.php .
APS announces the recipients of the 2008 Prizes and Awards. Most of the following awards will be presented at the 2008 APS March or April Meeting. Biographical information about the recipients will be posted on the APS Prize and Awards website at http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/index.cfm
The recipients are:
Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics
Gerald Holton
Andrei Sakharov Prize
Liangying Xu
Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics
Gary S. Grest
Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science
James Bergquist
Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics
Mitchell Feigenbaum
David Adler Lectureship Award in the Field of Materials Physics
Karin Rabe
Davisson-Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface Physics
Horst Schmidt-Böcking
Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy
Steven G. Boxer
Edward A. Bouchet Award
Ronald E. Mickens
Excellence in Physics Education Award
University of Washington Physics Education Group
Frank Isakson Prize for Optical Effects in Solids
Joseph Orenstein
Zeev Valentine Vardeny
George E. Pake Prize
Julia M. Phillips
Hans A. Bethe Prize
Friedrich K. Thielemann
J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics
Stanislav Mikheyev
Alexei Smirnov
James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials
Jun Akimitsu
Robert C. Haddon
Arthur F. Hebard
John H. Dillon Medal
Kari Dalnoki-Veress
Joseph A. Burton Forum Award
Pierre Goldschmidt
Joseph F. Keithley Award For Advances in Measurement Science
Bjorn Wannberg
Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize
H. Eugene Stanley
Lars Onsager Prize
Tin-Lun Ho
Gordon Baym
Christopher Pethick
Leo Szilard Lectureship Award
Anatoli Diakov
Pavel Podvig
Maria Goeppert Mayer Award
Vassiliki Kalogera
Max Delbruck Prize in Biological Physics
Steven M. Block
Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize
Mildred Dresselhaus
Polymer Physics Prize
Kenneth S. Schweizer
Prize for a Faculty Member for Research in an Undergraduate Institution
Michael R. Brown
Robert R. Wilson Prize for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators
Lyndon R. Evans
Tom W. Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics
Arthur M. Poskanzer
W.K.H. Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics
George Cassiday
Pierre Sokolsky
Will Allis Prize for the Study of Ionized Gases
Kenneth Kulander
Nicholson Medal (2007)
David P. Landau
The Optical Society of America (OSA) debuted its first Corporate Member Pavilion at the Asia Optical Fiber Communication and Optoelectronic Exposition and Conference (AOE) in Shanghai, China this week. Six society corporate members are exhibiting in an 800-square-foot pavilion at the conference. Participants include Chroma Technology, Del Mar Photonics, Finisar Corporation, Gemfire Corporation, Luna Innovations and RSoft Design Group.
"Holding an OSA Corporate Member Pavilion at AOE was a natural fit," said Elizabeth Rogan, OSA executive director. "China is a critical market in the optics and photonics industry. AOE is a prominent trade show and is now supporting a high-quality technical program. While OFC/NFOEC [Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference] draws a strong showing of Chinese companies to the U.S., it’s equally strategic to make the personal connection with China-based customers in their home region. This is one of many benefits OSA provides for its corporate members."
The OSA Corporate Member Pavilion at AOE offers an opportunity for companies to increase their exposure with the Chinese market and stand out among more than 200 participating exhibitors at the event. In addition, many of the logistics of booth preparation were handled for companies participating in the pavilion, freeing up time for companies to focus on their sales strategies in preparing for the show. OSA is providing pavilion participants with a technically trained translator, travel and shipping assistance, as well as an exhibit package including carpet, furniture, lighting and electricity. In addition, there is a welcome center, stocked with refreshments and staffed by OSA representatives, that provides a meeting space for pavilion participants.
AOE is the premier event bridging the gap between companies and buyers from China and around the world. The show offers a marketplace to explore broadband and optical networking solutions, crucial for the future profit needs of network operators. AOE showcases the latest developments in optical networking technologies from the first mile access, metro and long haul communications, as well as all optoelectronics equipment and components required. The technical program is co-sponsored by OSA and IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS). More information on the technical conference and the exhibition is available at http://www.aoe-expo.com/.
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.
COLLEGE PARK, MD, Oct. 16 -- Dr. Toni Sauncy, Associate Professor of Physics and Society of Physics Students (SPS) Advisor at Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX, has been honored as the 2007 SPS Outstanding Chapter Advisor. The Award consists of a plaque and a $5,000 prize; with $3,000 going to Dr. Sauncy and $1,000 going to both the Angelo State physics department and the Angelo State SPS chapter.
The Board of Trustees of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) announces that Dr. Susan K. Avery has accepted the position of president and director of the institution. Avery becomes the ninth director in WHOI's 77-year history, and the first woman to hold the position.
Avery is an atmospheric physicist with extensive experience as a leader within scientific institutions. She comes to WHOI from the University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB), where she most recently served as interim dean of the graduate school and vice chancellor for research. From 1994-2004, Avery served as director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), a 550-member collaborative institute between UCB and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Avery was the first woman and first engineer to lead CIRES.
Avery will be formally introduced to WHOI staff and students on October 17. She will officially assume the office early in 2008, succeeding James R. Luyten, who has served as acting president and director since June 2006, and Robert B. Gagosian, who served from 1993-2006.
“Susan Avery is an atmospheric scientist and an engineer with a reputation as an effective leader and spokesperson for the geosciences,” said Newton Merrill, chairman of the WHOI Board of Trustees. “She understands and appreciates the rewards and challenges of fieldwork, and she appreciates the value of creative partnerships between scientists and engineers. She is renowned for her skill in bringing together researchers from different backgrounds to approach scientific problems in new ways. She possesses the right combination of scientific leadership, experience administering a large academic research organization, and strategic planning abilities to lead WHOI into the future.”
The selection of the president and director was made by the Executive Committee of the WHOI Board of Trustees, based on the recommendations of a search committee that included four members of the Board and four WHOI senior staff members.
Avery has been a member of the faculty of the University of Colorado at Boulder since 1982, most recently holding the academic rank of professor of electrical and computer engineering. Her research interests include studies of atmospheric circulation and precipitation, climate variability and water resources, and the development of new radar techniques and instruments for remote sensing. She also has a keen interest in scientific literacy and the role of science in public policy. She is the author or co-author of more than 80 peer-reviewed articles.
A fellow of CIRES since 1982, Avery became its director in 1994. In that role, she facilitated new interdisciplinary research efforts spanning the geosciences and including the social and biological sciences. She spearheaded a reorganization of the institute and helped establish a thriving K-12 outreach program and a Center for Science and Technology Policy Research—efforts to make CIRES research more applicable, understandable, and accessible to the public.
Avery has helped form an integrated science and assessment program that examines the impacts of climate variability on water in the American West. She also worked with NOAA and the Climate Change Science Program to help formulate a national strategic science plan for climate research. Recently she served on two National Research Council panels: One produced a decadal plan for earth science and applications from space, and the other provided strategic guidance for the atmospheric sciences at the National Science Foundation.
Avery is a fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and of the American Meteorological Society, for which she also served as president. She is a past chair of the board of trustees of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
Avery earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Michigan State University in 1972, a master's in physics from the University of Illinois in 1974, and a doctorate in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois in 1978.
“We look forward to working with Susan to advance ocean sciences and to continue the long tradition of innovation, excellence, and discovery that are the hallmarks of WHOI research and education,” Merrill said.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, independent organization in Falmouth, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the oceans and their interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment.
-- OSA Votes to Introduce Review Journal; 2008 Officers Announced --
SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 1 – Frontiers in Optics 2007 (FiO), the longest-standing meeting in optics and photonics, closed Sept. 20 after a week of top-quality research presentations, symposia and special events. Consisting of 157 sessions and nearly 800 technical presentations, talks honed in on some of the most innovative research in the field. More than 1,300 attendees convened during the meeting's keynote sessions, technical talks, exhibition and networking events.
With the leaders of the Optical Society of America (OSA) all in attendance, FiO always serves as a backdrop for a number of important announcements. One example: the OSA Publications Council approved the creation of an optics review journal. More information on this journal, including its launch date and the submission process will be available in January 2008.
"Thanks to the foresight of the OSA Publications Council, OSA will be able to act quickly to establish a new review journal," says Elizabeth A. Rogan, OSA executive director. "Our leadership agrees that as the publisher of the highest-impact optics and photonics journals, OSA’s review journal will surely capture the best research in the field. This new publication will be an important focus of our activities in 2008."
Another business announcement at the meeting identified OSA's next leaders. 2007 President Joseph Eberly reported that James Wyant of the University of Arizona was elected as the 2008 OSA vice president and Alexander Gaeta, Cornell University, USA; Masataka Nakazawa, Tohoku University, Japan; and David Welch, Infinera, USA were also elected as new directors-at-large.
As part of the FiO technical program, the conference keynote session featured two industry luminaries discussing timely topics. Eli Yablonovitch of the University of California, Berkeley gave a keynote talk on nanophotonics and the growing role plasmonics is playing in the field, calling it "the bridge from the micro to the nano world." He also challenged the audience by talking of the need for a light source in silicon, a laser that functions as well and as efficiently as what's been done in other mediums. Nobel Laureate John Hall with JILA and the University of Colorado, also gave a provocative plenary talk on the origins and future of the optical frequency comb. Citing important research for its development, Hall spoke about all those who helped to come up with the theories that lead to the comb, as well as the comb's potential in non-invasive diagnostics. He also made a passionate entreaty for his colleagues to get out in the community and work with children in 6th through 8th grade, emphasizing the importance of inspiring passion for scientific research in young minds.
OSA's own commitment to this topic of ongoing science education was emphasized in several events at the meeting. Held in conjunction with FiO, Educators' Day brought together nearly 100 middle- and high-school science teachers for hands-on experiment training. The event was designed to give teachers the resources to bring optics alive in their classrooms. At another event, a representative from the Girl Scouts of the USA attended student sessions to encourage them to become active with their own local troops. An OSA Foundation brunch emphasized the importance of preparing tomorrow's great minds and focused on the support the Foundation provides for student education.
On the technical side, the FiO program featured some exciting new research, including papers on an intraocular camera for retinal prostheses, a LIDAR system for planes, confocal polarimetry measurements of tissue infected with malaria, an ultrafast gigantic photo-response and a 21st century version of Young's experiment. The "Optics Overview" session on Sunday emphasized the most important developments in each sub-field of optics and photonics, providing a comprehensive look at the entire field. Post-deadline papers showcased the latest advances for the conference.
Complementing the contributed and invited technical talks in the program were the special symposia organized to reflect on some of the emerging and important developments in optics, both historical and recent. "Optics for Energy" captured interest with discussions focusing on the hot topic of energy efficiency. "Optics and the Second 'Magic Decade' of Quantum Mechanics" had a standing-room only audience as it looked at the historical evolution of the field. "(Guarded) Rational Exuberance: Renaissance after the Telecom Boom?!" drew many attendees and forecasted the future of optical communications and was a perfect topic for the location of this year's meeting.
Located in San Jose, this year's event took advantage of its Silicon Valley location to showcase innovations coming from organizations in the region. Almost 50 talks at the event featured research conducted by area academic institutions and corporations on such diverse topics as photonic crystals, fiber lasers and cellular imaging.
The exhibition further rounded out the programming at the conference, featuring 50 of the industry's leading companies. Newport, Optikos, Swamp Optics, Thorlabs and others were all on-site showcasing their latest products and generating sales.
"Three of OSA's honorary members, Emil Wolf, Charles Townes and John Hall, joined us at FiO this year," said Rogan. "Leaders in the field attend OSA's Annual Meeting because it served them as students and continues to serve their technical interests as seasoned professionals. It gives attendees an unparalleled opportunity to learn, network and connect not only with one another, but also with some of the field's most renowned scientists and engineers. I want to thank the conference chairs, Connie Chang-Hasnain and Greg Quarles, the technical program chairs and all of the volunteers for making FiO 2007 a resounding success."
Consistent with the strength of the FiO technical program, the annual meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Laser Science, collocated with FiO, was a strong feature of the week. The APS Arthur Schawlow Prize in Laser Science was awarded during the joint FiO/APS conference plenary session to Szymon Suckewer for pioneering contributions to the generation of ultra-short wavelength and femtosecond lasers and X-ray microscopy. Suckewer gave a short acceptance speech and a technical overview of his work at the meeting.
Next year’s conference will take place Oct. 19 – 23 in Rochester, N.Y. For more information throughout the year, visit www.frontiersinoptics.org.
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.
Contact:
Colleen Morrison
OSA
202.416.1437
cmorri@osa.org
Dr.Christopher Keane, DOE/NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrator for Inertial Confinement Fusion & the NIF Project, has left the agency and rejoined his previous employer, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Keane has accepted a position in the Physics Directorate at LLNL.
Col. Mike Donovan, Ph.D., the senior military officer in NNSA and a laser scientist, replaces Keane on an "acting" basis until a successor is named. Donovan will speak at Fusion Power Associates annual meeting and symposium, Fusion Energy: Preparing for the NIF and ITER Era, December 4-5 in Oak Ridge, TN.
The following awards were presented at the 2007 AAPM Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
William D. Coolidge Award was presented to: Arthur L. Boyer, PhD
Achievement in Medical Physics Award was presented to: Lawrence N. Rothenberg, PhD and Marilyn Stovall, PhD
AAPM Medical Physics Travel Grant was presented to: Sonja Dieterich, PhD
AAPM-IPEM Medical Physics Travel Grant was presented to: George A. Sandison, PhD
Honorary Membership was awarded to: Donn Brascho, MD
Sylvia Sorkin Greenfield Paper Award (non-dosimetry) was given for:
“SemiSPECT: A small-animal single-photon emission computed omography (SPECT) imager based on eight cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detector arrays”
by H. Kim, L. Furenlid, M. Crawford, D. Wilson, H. B. Barber, T. Peterson, W. J. Hunter, Z. Liu, J. Woolfenden, and H. Barrett.
Med. Phys. 33, Num. 12, 4590 (2006)
Farrington Daniels Paper Award (dosimetry) was given for:
“AnEGSnrc investigation of the PTP correction factor for ion chambers in kilovoltage x ray²”
by D. J. La Russa and D. W. O. Rogers.
Med. Phys. 33, Num. 2, 465 (2006)
The following are named Fellows in 2007 for their distinguished contributions to the AAPM:
Susan Brownie, MSc
Chee-Wai Cheng, PhD
Joanna Cygler, PhD
Bruce Faddegon, PhD
Steven Goetsch, PhD
John Humm, PhD
Mahadevappa Mahesh, PhD
Cynthia McCollough, PhD
Peter Munro, PhD
Adel Mustafa, PhD
William Roventine, MSc
Christopher Serago, PhD
Jan Seuntjens, PhD
George Sherouse, PhD
Thomas Shope, PhD
Ken Shortt, PhD
Timothy Solberg, PhD
Robin Stern, PhD
Cheng-Shie Wuu, PhD
Di Yan, DSc
Marco Zaider, PhD
Timothy Zhu, PhD
2007 John R. Cameron Young Investigator Competition Results
1st Place: Reed Selwyn of University of Wisconsin
“The Development and Validation of An Image-Based Dosimetry System for 90Y Microspheres Used to Treat Hepatic Tumors”
http://www.aapm.org/meetings/07AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=29&aid=6744
2nd Place: Antje-Christin Knopf of Massachusetts General Hospital
“Quantitative Assessment of the Accuracy of Proton Beam Range Verification with PET/CT”
http://www.aapm.org/meetings/07AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=29&aid=7414
3rd Place: Jonas Fontenot of University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
“Stray Radiation Exposure During Proton Radiotherapy of the Prostate: The Influence of the Patient On Scatter and Production “
http://www.aapm.org/meetings/07AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=29&aid=6983
Funding for Projects in Hazard Reduction and Patient Safety in Radiation Medicine.
A generous grant of $30,000 from the National Patient Safety Foundation has enabled the NPSF and the AAPM to partner in promoting research and development activities in the area of hazard reduction and patient safety in radiation medicine. The task of developing the criteria for funding and evaluating applications was delegated to the AAPM’s Working Group on the Prevention of Errors in Radiation Oncology. A committee comprising Peter Dunscombe (chair), Eric Hendee, William Hendee, Eric Klein and Bruce Thomadsen was formed to carry out these tasks with a deadline for the conclusion of the selection process of the 2007 Annual Meeting of the AAPM. A call for proposals was emailed to all AAPM members on 14th March with a deadline for submissions of 1st June 2007. By the deadline, 7 applications had been received. The five person committee evaluated each application by assigning numerical scores in the following categories: Compliance with the RFP, Background Preparation, Originality, Potential Impact, Applicants’ Productivity and Likelihood of Success. One member of the committee was in a potential conflict of interest with respect to one application and did not participate in the evaluation of that particular proposal. At a telephone conference held on 13th July, the committee met to reach its decision. The numerical scores, previously and independently assigned, were used to facilitate the discussion and not to determine a ranking.
The committee selected the following three projects (in alphabetical order of the PI) for funding:
• Mohammad Islam et al. Princess Margaret Hospital. “Improving patient safety during radiation therapy through human factors methods.”
• Sasa Mutic et al. Washington University. “An error reporting and tracking database tool for process improvement in radiation oncology.”
• Lee Myers et al. Johns Hopkins Hospital. “Assessment of suggested changes from failure modes and effects analysis of an external beam radiotherapy process map.”
Each project was funded at the requested amount.
All the applications were of a very high quality and the committee acknowledges the effort and commitment of all applicants to this important area of activity.
Through this initiative, the interest of all applicants and many others within our community, we can further enhance the already very high standards of safety in radiation therapy.
Peter Dunscombe
Tom Baker Cancer Centre
Cedric X.Yu, DSc, Professor & Director of Medical Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland Medical School and Hospital was recently awarded the Carl M.Mansfield, MD, Endowed Professorship in Radiation Oncology.
He was recognized for his valuable contributions in Research, Education and Patient Care and his leadership qualities as a Senior Faculty Member at the University over the last ten years. Cedric Yu is a FELLOW of the AAPM and an active member of several committees.
Dr.Carl Mansfield is the immediate Past-Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland Medical School and is a nationally and internationally recognized Radiation Oncologist who has done pioneering work in promoting Lumpectomy and Interstitial Brachytherapy for the treatment of early Breast Cancer.
Dr. Das was awarded fellowship in the American College of Radiology (ACR) in May 2007 for his exemplary work in the field of Medical Physics and his contributions to ACR programs and activities.
Dr. Das is a Professor of Radiation Oncology and the Chair of Clinical Physics for the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania and was the only medical physicist awarded ACR fellowship in 2007. He is a FELLOW of the AAPM and is a surveyor for ACR Radiation Oncology Accreditation Program and an examiner for the American Board of Radiology.
A University of Leicester Emeritus Professor is to join the ranks of some of the world’s best- known space pioneers and explorers when he receives the 2007 Planetary Award at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Association of Space Explorers in Edinburgh on 21st September.
Professor Ken Pounds, from the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, is to receive this prestigious award, which is traditionally presented to someone from the host country 'who has made a major contribution to international space research'.
Previous recipients include Yuri Gagarin, Isaac Asimov, Jacques Cousteau, Thomas Paine and Sir Hermann Bondi.
Professor Pounds has a long history in space science and is a UK pioneer in the subject. He was among the founders of the Space Programme at the University of Leicester, now among the biggest academic space research centres in Europe, and is a founder- trustee of
the National Space Centre.
Over a 50- year career Professor Pounds has played a major role in establishing the international standing of space science in the UK and Europe.
Professor Pounds remains active in research and five of his publications appear in the all- time 1000 most cited astronomy publications. In 1989 he received the Gold Medal of the Royal
Astronomical Society for his leadership in the development of space science.
Commenting on receiving the award, Professor Pounds said: “Previous winners include Yuri Gagarin, Hermann Bondi, Jacques Cousteau, Isaac Asimov and the Apollo- Soyuz fight crew - so you can imagine I feel quite overshadowed in that company.”
The Association of Space Explorers is a very elite group of over 300 individuals from over 30 countries who have all flown around the earth. The award which they present is very highly prized.
Notes to Editors: For more information on this please contact Emeritus Professor Kenneth Pounds, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, tel 0116 252 3509, email kap@star.le.ac.uk
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