News Releases

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  Progressive Optics for Side Mirrors Ends Automobile Blind Spots without Distorting View

  28 January 2013
  A new optical prescription for automobile side-view mirrors may eliminate the dreaded "blind spot" in traffic without distorting the perceived distance of cars approaching from behind. As described in a paper published today in the Optical Society’s (OSA) journal Optics Letters, objects viewed in a mirror using the new design appear larger than in traditional side-view mirrors, so it’s easier to judge their following distance and speed.
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  Self-Assembling Silica Microwires May Herald New Generation of Integrated Optical Devices

  23 January 2013
  Silica microwires are the tiny and as-yet underutilized cousins of optical fibers. If precisely manufactured, however, these hair-like slivers of silica could enable applications and technology not currently possible with comparatively bulky optical fiber. By carefully controlling the shape of water droplets with an ultraviolet laser, a team of researchers from Australia and France has found a way to coax silica nanoparticles to self-assemble into much more highly uniform silica wires.
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  Fourth Quarter 2012 Industry News Summary

  11 January 2013
  OSA’s Corporate Associate Members closed out 2012 with exciting innovations, groundbreaking research and new partnerships. They even played a role in the U.S. presidential race (in true bipartisan fashion). We look forward to seeing the industry evolve in the coming year.
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  OSA Announces New Journal Editors, Unveils New Contemporary Cover Designs for 2013

  10 January 2013
  The Optical Society (OSA) today announced new editors-in-chief for two of its journals and revealed the new branding for of its highly-reputed subscription-based journals.
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  OSA Foundation Announces Success of Paul Bonenfant Scholarship Fundraising Campaign

  09 January 2013
  The OSA Foundation (OSAF) today announced the successful completion of the Paul A. Bonenfant Memorial Scholarship fundraising campaign, surpassing the total fundraising goal of $190,000. The need-based scholarship will enable undergraduate students enrolled in engineering or physical science programs to attend semester-abroad programs offered through their college or university.
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  Scientists Mimic Fireflies to Make Brighter LEDs

  08 January 2013
  The nighttime twinkling of fireflies has inspired scientists to modify a light-emitting diode (LED) so it is more than one and a half times as efficient as the original. Researchers from Belgium, France, and Canada studied the internal structure of firefly lanterns, the organs on the bioluminescent insects’ abdomens that flash to attract mates.
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  OSA Student Members Gather in Switzerland for IONS-13 Conference on Optics

  08 January 2013
  The International OSA Network of Students (IONSTM) will host the IONS-13 conference in Zurich and Lausanne, Switzerland Jan. 10-12. The conference, organized by OSA Student Chapters at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) and Lausanne (EPFL), will feature technical sessions and programming for students in the field of optics and photonics.
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  The Optical Society Mourns the Loss of Tingye Li

  03 January 2013
  Tingye Li, an OSA Past President and Fellow Emeritus renowned for his contributions to lightwave technology and optical fiber communications, died on 27 December 2012 - in Snowbird, Utah, USA. He was 81.
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  OSA Foundation to Provide 22 Student Travel Grants in 2013

  20 December 2012
  The OSA Foundation (OSAF) announced today its Student Travel Grant Program opportunities for 2013. The OSAF Student Travel Grant Program awards grants to students studying science in qualifying developing nations to attend OSA’s Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO), as well as OSA topical meetings and Optics and Photonics Congresses throughout the year.
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  New Dynamic Dual-Core Optical Fiber Enhances Data Routes on Information Superhighway

  19 December 2012
  Optical fibers –the backbone of the Internet–carry movies, messages, and music at the speed of light. But for all their speedy efficiency, these ultrathin strands of pristine glass must connect to sluggish signal switches, routers, and buffers in order to transmit data. Hoping to do away with these information speed bumps, a team of researchers has developed a new, dual-core optical fiber that can elegantly perform the same functions just by applying a miniscule amount of mechanical pressure.

OSA Members in the News