Honorary Members

An individual who has made seminal, unparalleled contributions to the field of optics is eligible for election to honorary membership. The stature of this designation is evident when reviewing OSA's living honorary members: Nicolaas Bloembergen, Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, John L. Hall, Herwig Kogelnik, Willis Lamb, William D. Phillips, Charles H. Townes, and Emil Wolf.

The number of honorary members can not exceed two-thousandth (2 / 1000) of the total membership. Normally, no more than one (1) Honorary Member can be elected in a calendar year. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Board of Directors may exceed the normal yearly limitation. Election requires the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, based on the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee.

An OSA member may nominate someone to the status of honorary membership by sending a brief letter discussing the candidate, a vita, and list of publications to OSA headquarters (Attn: Presidential Advisory Committee). Arrange for at least two supporting letters from others familiar with the nominee's career.

Nomination deadline: June 15