OSA NEWS

OSA ELECTS 2004 VICE PRESIDENT, ERIC VAN STRYLAND

-- ELECTION SOLIDIFIES NEW VICE PRESIDENT AS 2006 PRESIDENT;
INSTITUTES THREE NEW DIRECTORS AT LARGE --

October 7, 2003 (Tucson, AZ) – The Optical Society of America (OSA) announced today that its membership has elected Eric W. Van Stryland, director of the School of Optics/Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, as its 2004 vice president. In this same vote, Julie E. Fouquet, Martin M. Fejer and Katherine L. Hall were also chosen to serve as new directors at large.

Van Stryland will begin his official term with OSA leadership on January 2, 2004. By accepting this role, he makes a three-year commitment to OSA’s board of directors. As vice president, Van Stryland automatically will become president elect in 2005, serving as the Society's president in 2006. Similarly, each of the directors at large will hold the position for three years.

“Eric Van Stryland has a long-standing history with OSA,” said Elizabeth Rogan, executive director. “He has been an active volunteer and has supported the Society in its initiatives on many levels. We’re thrilled to welcome him to this new position and look forward to working with him as our vice president, and ultimately, as our president.”

Van Stryland specifically has served as a former member of the board of directors, representing both the Society’s education council and its science and engineering council. He also has volunteered as a CLEO subcommittee chair and steering committee member, was co-chair of the 1999 OSA annual meeting and has been a supervisor of the Florida OSA local student chapter. Additionally, Van Stryland has held the positions of topical editor for Optics Letters and as associate editor for the Handbook of Optics.

Professionally, Van Stryland joined UCF as a professor of physics and electrical and computer engineering in 1987. He played an integral role in the founding of the School of Optics in 1998. Van Stryland received the University’s highest honor and was named “Pegasus Professor” in 2003. Most recently, he was the recipient of a $10 million grant from an initiative founded by the state’s governor to establish the Florida Photonics Cluster of Excellence within the School of Optics.

In his candidate’s statement, Van Stryland focused on furthering the Society’s commitment to education and international outreach. Van Stryland also will work with the board to determine new ways to encourage and expand OSA’s volunteer base, as well as embrace developing fields of optics and photonics, including biophotonics and nanotechnology.

Fouquet, Fejer and Hall will assume their new positions as directors at large on January 2 as well. They will replace three outgoing directors at large in spearheading various OSA initiatives.

“Our members are the driving forces behind everything we do,” said Rogan. “Each year, our elections serve as an opportunity for our members to voice their opinions and elect their leadership. The newly elected vice president and directors at large will bring innovative ideas to the table, reflecting the needs and interests of our community. We want to thank our new board members, all of the candidates and our collective membership for their enthusiasm for and continued support of OSA.”

About OSA
The Optical Society of America (OSA) brings together an international network of the industry’s preeminent optics and photonics scientists, engineers, educators, technicians and business leaders. Representing more than 15,000 members from approximately 100 different countries, OSA promotes the worldwide generation, application and dissemination of optics and photonics knowledge through its meetings, events and journals. Since its founding in 1916, OSA member benefits, programming, publications, products and services have set the industries standard of excellence. Additional information on OSA is available on the Society’s Web site at www.osa.org.