Optical Society of America

The Optical Society of America (OSA) is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of worldwide research, scientific publishing, conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and the education of new generations of scientists. The organization's members reside in over 100 nations and span many disciplines: physicists, biologists, medical researchers, electrical engineers, display component engineers, communications specialists, vision scientists, astronomers, meteorologists, materials scientists, technical specialists in imaging, and others. [Colleen Morrison, "Societies: the Optical Society of America," "The Industrial Physicist," Dec. 2003/Jan. 2004, pp. 29-30.]

Commonly known as OSA, the society exemplifies the self-governing, mutual-assistance professional associations that fostered development of science and technology through the 20th century to the present. Founded in 1916 by 30 optical scientists and instrument makers based in Rochester, New York, OSA soon began publication of its first journal of research results and established an annual meeting. [" [http://www.osa.org/aboutosa/History/PDF/10065-why1916.pdf Why 1916?] ," files of W. Lewis Hyde, "Optics & Photonics News," Vol. 17, No. 1, Jan. 2006, pp. 18-19.]

By 2006, OSA reported nearly 14,000 individuals members. During the year, the society published 33,000 pages of research in its journals and hosted 22,000 attendees at conferences and meetings. [Stephen D. Fantone, "OSA 2006 Audited Financial Report," "Optics & Photonics News," Vol. 18, No. 7/8, p. 58.]

Mission

The mission of the Optical Society of America is to promote the generation, application and archiving of knowledge in optics and photonics and to disseminate this knowledge worldwide. The purposes of the Society are scientific, technical and educational.

Founded by Perley G. Nutting in 1916, [ [http://www.colorpro.com/info/data/cie.html Observers, Illuminants, Light Sources for Color Difference Calculations] , William Reginald Dawes] OSA brings together optics and photonics scientists, engineers, educators, technicians and business leaders. OSA is dedicated to providing its members and the scientific community with educational resources that support technical and professional development. OSA publications, events and services help to advance the science of light by addressing the ongoing need for shared knowledge and innovation. The Society's commitment to excellence and long-term learning is the driving force behind all its initiatives.

cientific publishing

Scientific publishing, also known as scholarly or academic publishing, is a core activity of the Optical Society of America. Guided by this structured discipline, optics and photonics scientists and engineers submit their research results to OSA for peer review and publication in one of the society's journals. A majority of articles published in OSA journals are written by authors residing outside the United States. ["Optical Society of America 2007-2008 Member Guide," Washington, DC, p. 3.]

OSA's Member Guide states that "Manuscripts are evaluated on the basis of scientific content, novelty, presentation, and appropriateness. Submissions must be previously unpublished and not be under consideration for publication elsewhere." Submission and review are conducted through an Internet-based system. Authors are asked to select keywords for their papers from the Optics Classification and Indexing System (OCIS) to aid readers in the search process. ["Optical Society of America 2007-2008 Member Guide," Washington, DC, p. 29.]

"Access to OSA journals." All primary journals are published in online format and four in printed format (AO, JOSA A, JOSA B, OL). Many university and research libraries with optics and photonics interests maintain institutional subscriptions for their constituents. Readers should contact their organization's library to determine what journal holdings are available and how they may be accessed. Individual subscriptions are available through membership in the society.

"Access to individual journal articles." Optics InfoBase is the OSA online portal to past and current articles published in primary journals, co-published journals, and many conference digests. Optics InfoBase is structured as a search engine which uses the criteria of author, title keyword, abstract keyword, journal selection, and date range. Abstracts are freely viewable; full text is offered under various fee arrangements.

"Open access journal." The full text of all articles in Optics Express is freely available.

Primary journals

* Applied Optics (AO), 1962-present (print ISSN 0003-6935, online ISSN 1539-4522). Research on optical technology (fiber optics; optical testing and instrumentation; lens design; x-ray optics; radiometry and detectors; thin films), information processing (Fourier optics; holography; pattern recognition; machine vision; optical neural networks; statistical optics; speckle and optical signal processing), laser, photonics, and environmental optics (laser systems, materials, design and instrumentation; optoelectronics; atmospheric optics and propagation, LIDAR and remote sensing; meteorological and ocean optics), and biomedical optics (optical metrology; laser-based diagnostics and treatment; optical imagery; tissues spectroscopy, diagnostics, and bioinstrumentation; ultrasound-aided and coherence-based optical imagery). [Journal subject coverage from "Journals 2007: AIP, Its Member Societies & Publishing Partners," Melville, NY: American Institute of Physics, pp. 30-36.]

* Journal of Optical Networking (JON), 2002-present (ISSN 1539-5379, online only). Rapid publication of research on theory and application of fiber optics and optical communication networks, links and subsystems.

* Journal of the Optical Society of America A (JOSA A), 1984-present (print ISSN 1084-7529, online ISSN 1520-8532). Research on optics, image science and vision (specifically atmospheric optics, image processing, scattering and coherence theory, machine vision, physiological optics, statistical optics, gratings, polarization, thin films, color vision, design, and diffraction).

* Journal of the Optical Society of America B (JOSA B), 1984-present (print ISSN 0740-3224, online ISSN 1520-8540). Research on optical physics (specifically ultrafast phenomena; optical coherent transients; multiphoton processes; effects of laser radiation; ultraviolet and x-ray physics; atomic, molecular and laser spectroscopy; nonlinear optical materials, science, and technology).

* Optics Express (OpEx), 1997-present (ISSN 1094-4087, online only). Open access, rapid publication of short, peer-reviewed papers in all fields of optical science and technology. Multimedia content available.

* Optics Letters (OL), 1977-present (print ISSN 0146-9592, online ISSN 1539-4794). Concise, rapid publication on all areas of optics including measurements, components and devices, processing, storage, holography, optoelectronics, lasers, ultrafast phenomena, nonlinear optics, fiber optics, integrated optics, quantum optics and spectroscopy, and optics in biology and medicine.

* Virtual Journal for Biomedical Optics (VJBO), 2006-present (ISSN 1931-1532). Compilation of all biomedical articles published in OSA's peer-reviewed journals.

Co-published journals

* Applied Spectroscopy (AS), 1951-present (ISSN 0003-7028). Jointly published by OSA and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. Full-length articles, notes and spectroscopic techniques.

* Chinese Optics Letters (COL), 2006-present (ISSN 1671-7694). Published by Science Press of China, distributed by OSA. Novel experimental and theoretical results from all fields of optics.

* Journal of Display Technology (JDT), 2006-present (ISSN 1551-319X). Jointly published by OSA and IEEE. Studies on all aspects of display technologies, spanning many disciplines.

* Journal of Lightwave Technology (JLT), 1998-present (ISSN 0733-8724). Jointly published by OSA and IEEE. Studies on fiber and cable technology, active and guided-wave components, integrated optics and optoelectronics, systems and subsystems, networks and switching.

* Journal of Optical Technology (JOT), 1999-present (ISSN 1070-9762). English translation of Opticheskii Zhurnal (S. I. Vavilov State Optical Institute and D. S. Rozhdestvensky Optical Society, St. Petersburg, Russia). Design of optical instruments and computational optics.

Magazine

Optics & Photonics News (OPN), 1989-present (ISSN 1047-6938, online ISSN 1541-3721). Distributed to all OSA members. Broad selection of research and industry trends on all topics, OSA news, book reviews, employment and commercial advertising. Articles solicited under guidance of an editorial advisory committee.

Conferences and exhibitions

Scientific conferences provide a forum for researchers to present their results in person and to learn about the work of colleagues. OSA sponsors small and large meetings consisting of a technical program and an industrial exhibition appropriate to the subject matter and number of attendees. Large conferences often include professional education courses and workshops addressing the state of emerging technology and industry.

OSA conferences are announced with a "Call for Papers," the solicitation of scientists to submit papers related to the meeting topics. Submitted papers are reviewed by the program committee; accepted papers are then scheduled for oral presentation or group poster presentation. Invited papers by recognized experts and submitted papers are organized into highly specific symposia topics.

The collected presentations are distributed to meeting attendees in the form of a technical digest on CD-ROM. Afterward, OSA makes conference papers available through Optics InfoBase.

Contemporary OSA meetings include:

* Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) – Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (QELS). Co-located with the Conference on Photonic Applications, Systems and Technologies (PhAST). Held annually. Cosponsored by OSA, American Physical Society, and IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society. Managed by OSA.
At CLEO/QELS 2006, 2,180 papers were presented in over 200 technical symposia. During the five-day event, 5,200 individuals attended the technical program, education sessions, and an exhibition by 310 companies and organizations. Speakers at the press briefing highlighted advances in ultra-high-resolution optical coherence tomography (applicable to disease detection), high-speed time-domain terahertz imaging techniques, and tunable quantum cascade lasers (applicable to breath analysis, glucose monitoring, and explosives detection). [Hassaun Jones-Bey, Kathy Kincade, Gail Overton, "CLEO/QELS conference delivers the right mix," "Laser Focus World," July 2006.]

* Frontiers in Optics (FiO), OSA’s annual meeting, is co-located with Laser Science, the annual meeting of APS's Division of Laser Science. Managed by OSA.
At FiO 2006, 975 scientists and engineers presented recent research spanning the field of optics. One published report took special note of the symposia on micro- and nano-optics (metamaterials, plasmon-resonance structures, and photonic crystals). In the plenary session, Nobel laureate Steven Chu explored how photonics can contribute to world energy sustainability and Lee Goldstein (Harvard Medical School) showed optical approaches to detection and monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease. [John Wallace, “Frontiers in Optics highlights the cutting edge,” "Optoelectronics Report," Nov. 2006.]

* Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC) – National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (NFOEC). Held annually. Cosponsored by OSA, IEEE Communications Society, and IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society. Managed by OSA.
In 2006, OFC/NFOEC participants addressed the theme of FTTX. X stood for the multiplicity of potential architectures and products that can enable optimum communication through FTTP (optical fiber to the premises), FTTH (...to the Home), and FTTC/FTTN (...to the Cabinet/...to the Node). Advances in reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADMs) and wave division multiplexing passive optical networks (WDM PONs) drew press attention. Optical communications researchers and engineers presented over 700 papers to the 3,000 technical program registrants. Overall conference attendance totaled 13,000; some 600 companies showcased their products and services at the exposition. ["OFC/NFOEC 2006 "Resounding Success," photonics.com, Apr. 4, 2006 [http://www.photonics.com/content/tradeshows/2006/April/4/81930.aspx] .] [Gail Overton, "Keeping pace with optical communications at OFC/NFOEC 2006," "Laser Focus World" Online, Dec. 21, 2005.]

* Topical Meetings address topics of specialized interest; attendance is usually measured in the hundreds. OSA has sponsored recent topical meetings on adaptive optics, advanced solid-state photonics, biomedical optics, coherent optics, Fourier transform spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging and sounding of the environment, nanophotonics, nonlinear optics, optical amplifiers, optical data storage, optical fiber sensors, photonic metamaterials, slow light and fast light, and ultrafast phenomena.

Professional community

Beyond publishing and conferences, OSA nurtures the professional community of optics and photonics scientists and engineers through the structures of technical groups, local sections, student chapters, corporate associate membership, and career networking. Members' voluntary involvement in the programs of the society create the energy of the community. Unique professional accomplishments are recognized by presentation of OSA awards and honors.

Membership is open to any professional or student working or interested in optics or a related field. To facilitate focused communication within the broad field of optics, new members select "technical groups" matching their individual interests.

OSA technical groups categorized by division are: ["Optical Society of America 2007-2008 Member Guide," Washington, DC, p. 17-23.]

OSA "local sections" and "student chapters" are encouraged and supported by the umbrella organization but operate independently. Their activities may include guest speakers, educational outreach, and content from other scientific societies. In January 2007, 32 local sections were affiliated with OSA (23 in the U.S. and 9 non-U.S.); over 100 student chapters were affiliated with OSA (63 from non-U.S. universities and 40 within the U.S.).

OSA Foundation

The OSA Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting programs that:

*Advance youth science education
*Support optics and photonics education in developing nations
*Provide education and resources to underserved populations
*Support the OSA's Awards and Honors program

Since its establishment in 2002, the Foundation has provided support to more than 70 programs. Funded activities include: student travel grants, special resources for university students studying optics, and classroom and extracurricular youth science education programs.

ee also

*American Institute of Physics
*American Physical Society
*International Commission for Optics
*IEEE, IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, IEEE Communications Society
*OSA-UCS
*Society for Imaging Science and Technology
*SPIE

References

External links

* [http://www.osa.org/ OSA primary web site]

OSA publications sites

* [http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ Optics InfoBase] – Search engine for OSA journals, magazine, and conference papers.
* [http://www.osa-jon.org/Issue.cfm JON Online]
* [http://www.osa-opn.org/ "Optics & Photonics News" web site]
* [http://www.opticsexpress.org/Issue.cfm Optics Express]

OSA conferences and exhibitions sites

* [http://www.cleoconference.org/ CLEO/QELS Conference]
* [http://www.osa.org/meetings/annual/default.aspx/ Frontiers in Optics]
* [http://www.ofcnfoec.org/ OFC/NFOEC Conference]
* [http://www.phastconference.org/ PhAST Conference]

OSA education sites

* [http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ Optics Education Directory] – A searchable international directory of degree programs in optics. Cosponsored by OSA and SPIE.
* [http://www.opticsforkids.com/ Optics for Kids] – Introduction to optics with games and experiments for children; includes a guide for parents and teachers. See link on homepage to Spanish version.
* [http://www.opticsforteens.org/ Optics for Teens] – Introduction to optics with lab experiments, everyday optics, career ideas, and resources for teenagers; includes a guide for parents and teachers.
* [http://www.hands-on-optics.org/home/ Hands on Optics]
* [http://www.osa.org/aboutosa/foundation/ OSA Foundation] – Associated charitable organization that promotes optics education.

OSA career services site

* [http://www.workinoptics.com/ Work in Optics] – Services for employers and job seekers.

Affiliated Organizations

* [http://www.oida.org OIDA (Optoelectronics Industry Development Association)] - A Washington DC-based, non-profit association that promotes the optoelectronics industry.
* [http://spie.org SPIE]