OSA Fellow

The OSA Fellow, of the Optical Society of America, is a membership designation.^[1] The bylaws of this society only allow 10% of its membership to be designated as an OSA Fellow. The OSA Fellow is peer group nomination.

The nominee

An OSA member can only become an OSA Fellow when nominated by a peer group of other current, OSA Fellows. Review of the nomination is then passed to the OSA Fellow Members Committee. This committee then nominates the candidate to the Board of Directors on an annual basis. Finally, the purpose of this award is to designate a member as one who has "made significant contributions to the advancement of optics". ^[2][3]

The process

The process includes actively identifying possible candidates who might qualify for this award. Contributing factors for qualification are diverse within the optics community. These factors include significant or distinguishing scientific accomplishments, technical achievements, inventions, technical innovations, technical management, and demonstration of leadership. The fields of such achievement are significant instrument technique, and measurement technique (including original software). Other fields include distinguished sustained accomplishments in engineering, education, service to the global optics community (including photonics and the OSA). Other factors may also include a record of significant publications, patents, and invited review papers for the various levels of meetings related to the covered fields.

Letters of recommendation are solicited from outside the nominee's field of work. Finally references from at least three and no more than five people familiar with the nominee's work are required. ^[2][4][5][6]

References

1. ^ List of society membership categories in the OSA. "OSA Member Categories". The Optical Society of America. 2010. http://www.osa.org/membership/member_categories/default.aspx. Retrieved February 06, 2011. "OSA Membership includes the world's leading scientists, educators, engineers, technicians, students and business professionals with an interest in optics and photonics. The Society offers a variety of membership categories." 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Fellow Membership". Optical Society of America. 2010. http://www.osa.org/Membership/Member_Categories/Fellow/. Retrieved February 06, 2011. 
3. ^ Zhang is "recognized for the first ground-breaking demonstration of the Superlens and Hyperlens; seminal contributions to metamaterials science and nanophotonics; and your pioneering work in plasmonic lithography." "Xiang Zhang elected OSA Fellow". UC Berkeley. December 10, 2008. http://www.me.berkeley.edu/announcements/zhang_osa.html. Retrieved February 06, 2011. 
   • "From UC Berkeley page on Xiang Zhang". "The OSA Fellow designation is awarded to select OSA Regular Members who have made significant contributions to the advancement of optics. Candidates for Fellow Membership ar nominated by peers who are themselves OSA Fellows. The OSA Fellow Members Committee reviews each nomination and recommends candidates to the Board of Directors annually" .
4. ^ "Nilsen selected OSA fellow". Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dec 6, 2010. https://www.llnl.gov/news/aroundthelab/2010/Dec/ATL-120710_nilsen.html. Retrieved February 06, 2011. 
5. ^ "Fellows Nomination". The OSA. 2010. http://www.osa.org/Awards_and_Grants/Fellow_Members/Fellows_Nomination/default.aspx. Retrieved February 06, 2011. 
6. ^ "These awards recognise the outstanding achievements of these four new Fellows in their diverse areas in optical research and their potential for future discovery..." "Professor Harvey Rutt awarded OSA Fellowship". University of Southampton. 2011. http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/about/news/845. Retrieved February 06, 2011.