FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Angela Stark
The Optical Society
202.416.1443
astark@osa.org
The Optical Society Applauds President Obama for Presidential Message Recognizing the 50th
Anniversary of the Laser
WASHINGTON, May 16The Optical Society (OSA) today commended President Barack Obama for
sending a Presidential Message to the founding partners of LaserFest, a year-long initiative created
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first working laser and educate the
broader public about the lasers benefits. The message recognizes the laser as
"one of the most important and versatile inventions of the 20th
century" and will be read today at a special LaserFest
Symposium taking place at the Conference on
Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (CLEO/QELS) in San Jose, Calif.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the demonstration of the first
working laser by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Labs on May 16, 1960.
In his message, President Obama recognized
the "intensely creative theoretical work," that led to the development of the
laser, "followed by innovative engineering, and a spectacular diversity of
applications that have brought economic benefits unimagined at the start of the
process." He went on to say he looks forward "with real excitement to further
advances in this field and new applications as yet undreamed of today."
"We are proud to have the support of
President Obama as the worldwide scientific community joins together today to
celebrate the laser anniversary," said Elizabeth Rogan, CEO of OSA, one of the
four scientific groups that founded LaserFest. "We thank the President for
recognizing the importance of the laser as a transformative and revolutionary
technology."
The Presidential Message will be displayed in
its entirety at todays symposium, as well as in the LaserFest
Pavilion on the exhibit floor at CLEO: Expo. It will also be read for
conference attendees at the CLEO/QELS Plenary Session on Wednesday, May 19.
A series of events commemorating the laser
anniversary are taking place this week at CLEO/QELS. Todays symposium, titled
"Retrospectives on the Invention of the Laser," features presentations by
several laser pioneers and experts, including Charles Townes, who won the Nobel
Prize in 1964 for conceptualizing the maser, the precursor to the laser, and
Kathleen Maiman, who will present a tribute to her late husband Theodore
Maiman. The LaserFest Pavilion features a display of more than 100 lasers from
the past 50 years, as well as live demonstrations of an early ruby laser. A
special concert titled LasersRock!
will feature musical entertainment by and for CLEO/QELS attendees.
The U.S. House of Representatives also
recently highlighted the importance of the laser with the passage of House Resolution 1310, "Recognizing the 50th
Anniversary of the Laser." The resolution, passed on May 5, honors early
contributions made to the development of the laser by Townes, James Gordon,
Herbert Zeiger, Nikolay Basov, Aleksandr Prokhorov and Maiman; acknowledges the
importance of the laser and laser innovation to society and the U.S. economy;
and recognizes LaserFest.
About LaserFest
LaserFest, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the laser, emphasizes the
laser's impact throughout history and highlights its potential for the future.
Through a series of events and programs, LaserFest showcases the prominence of
the laser in today's world. Founding Partners of LaserFest are the Optical
Society (OSA), the American Physical Society (APS), SPIE, and the IEEE
Photonics Society. For more information, visit www.LaserFest.org.
About OSA
Uniting more than 106,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society
(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.
About CLEO/QELS
With a distinguished history as the industrys
leading event on laser science, the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics
(CLEO) / Quantum Electronics Laser Science Conference (QELS) is where laser
technology was first introduced. In 2010, CLEO/QELS will unite the field of
lasers and electro-optics by bringing together all aspects of laser technology,
with content stemming from basic research to industry application. Sponsored by
the American Physical Societys (APS) Laser Science Division, the Institute of
Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Photonics Society and the Optical Society (OSA),
CLEO/QELS provides a holistic reflection of the critical developments in the
field, showcasing the most significant milestones from laboratory to
marketplace. With an unparalleled breadth and depth of coverage, CLEO/QELS
connects all of the critical vertical markets in lasers and electro-optics. For
more information, visit the conferences website at www.cleoconference.org.
###
