About
12 March 2012
OSA Local Section Established in Egypt
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Lyndsay Meyer
The Optical Society
+1.202.416.1435
lmeyer@osa.org
OSA Local Section Established in Egypt
The Cairo-based group will be the first Middle Eastern OSA Local Section
WASHINGTON, March 12 – The Optical Society (OSA) is pleased to announce the formation of a new Local Section in Egypt. The Alhazen Egyptian OSA Local Section was recently approved by the OSA Member and Education Services Council and will serve the Cairo area. Professor Mohamed Abdel Harith of the National Institute of Laser Enhanced Science at Cairo University will serve as president of this section, which is a self-governing organization with its own officers and bylaws.
The section’s name comes from the 11th century scientist Alhazen, an Iraq-born scientist who lived in Egypt and is considered by many to be the father of modern optics. The new OSA section will support the growing optics and photonics industry in Egypt and throughout the region. The organizers plan to provide networking events, career development, technical programming and youth education activities such as science fairs, lab tours and classroom demonstrations.
“I am very happy to be a part of the formation of this new OSA Local Section in Egypt,” said Professor Bahaa Saleh, Dean of CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida and OSA Fellow. “Egypt has an emerging and dedicated optics and photonics community, and we are glad to have the opportunity to support its growth. This local section provides a unique opportunity to promote the science and technology of light throughout the Middle East region.”
OSA Local Sections engage in a variety of activities, including providing networking events from local professionals, reaching out to teach young students about optics and participating in philanthropic deeds. OSA’s national organization supports sections through activity grants, awards, publications, guest lecturer programs, networking opportunities and leadership training. OSA has 24 Local Sections, including eight outside of the United States. Information on establishing a section is available on OSA’s website.
About OSA
Uniting more than 130,000 professionals from 175 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.
###
