Fellows Nomination

The next deadline for nominations is June 15, 2008. More information is available from the OSA Awards Office (email awards@osa.org or telephone 1.202.416.1960).

Any regular OSA member who has served with distinction in the advancement of optics is eligible for transfer to the class of Fellow. The Fellow Members Committee recommends candidates to the Board of Directors, based on nominations from current fellow members. The number of Fellows is limited by the bylaws to 10% of the total membership.

Your participation in identifying worthy nominees is an essential part of the process for recognizing outstanding members. The committee considers the following criteria when evaluating nominations; no individual is expected to meet all of them:

• Record of significant publications related to optics
• Presentation of invited papers at OSA meetings
• Record of significant patents related to optics
• Substantial service to OSA
• An outstanding optics invention
• Remarkable achievements in optics
• Development of a new instrument of broadbase use to the optics community
• Use of creative reproduction and manufacturing approaches or development resulting in the widespread adoption of a specific instrument or measurement technique
• Distinguished record of consistent (but not necessarily breakthrough) engineering-oriented ideas or improvements
• Creation of outstanding software
• Outstanding management ability

Just fill out the nomination form online or download the PDF form. As far as possible, Fellows are encouraged to nominate colleagues from outside their own institution. In any case, the nominator should ensure broad consensus support for their nominee by soliciting letters of recommendation from outside the nominee's institution.

Nomination packets may not exceed 10 pages, single-sided, in legible type. The 10-page limit does not include the 3 to 5 reference letters.

Arrange for at least three (and no more than five) people familiar with the nominee's work to fill out Fellow Reference Forms. At least one of these references must be an OSA Fellow and only one should be from the same institution as the nominee.

Any nominee not selected will automatically be considered by the next two committees. If your candidate is not selected, you will need to provide updated material by the next year's deadline.

Only current OSA Fellows can submit a Fellow nomination.

A Fellow nomination form in MS Word format is available by sending a request to awards@osa.org.