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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.^[1]

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. By 2008, OSA reported 15,100 individuals members. During the year, the society published 41,000 pages of research in its journals and hosted 22,000 attendees at conferences and meetings.^[2]

History

OSA was founded in 1916, under the leadership of Perley G. Nutting,^[3] with 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.^[4]

OSA has a rich and brilliant history some of which is summarized in a series of excellent articles by John N. Howard^[5] who was the founding editor of Applied Optics.

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.

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.

Scientific 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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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

• Advances in Optics and Photonics (AOP), 2009-present (online ISSN 1943-8206). A review journal of long, invited articles, designed to capture the most significant advances in optics and photonics.

• 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).^[8]

• 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.

Partnered journals

• Applied Spectroscopy (AS), 1951-present (ISSN 0003-7028). Published by the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS). Distribution to institutions by OSA and SAS; distribution to individuals by SAS only. 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 Optical Communications and Networking (JOCN), 2009-present (ISSN 1943-0620, online only). Jointly published by OSA and IEEE. Advances in the state-of-the-art of optical communications and networks: both theoretical contributions (including new techniques, concepts, and analyses) and practical contributions (including system experiments and prototypes, and new applications). Published from 2002-2009 as Journal of Optical Networking (JON), ISSN 1539-5379.

• 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.

Recognitions

The Optical Society of America recognizes distinguished achievement in the field of optics through the presentation of awards and honors. OSA’s awards and medals program is endowed through the OSA Foundation (OSAF). The Foundation support OSA’s awards and medals program and recognize outstanding contributions in optics and photonics. Categories of recognition include: OSA Awards, Senior Members, OSA Fellows and Honorary Members.

Awards:

• Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Endowment. The highest award of the Society, the Ives Medal recognizes overall distinction in optics.

• Esther Hoffman Beller Medal, recognizes outstanding contributions to optical science and engineering education.

• Max Born Award, recognizes contributions to physical optics.

• Distinguished Service Award, recognizes service to the optical community.

• Paul F. Forman Engineering Excellence Award, recognizes technical achievements in optical engineering.

• Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize, recognizes accomplishments in optical engineering.

• The Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award, recognizes authorship of an outstanding book in the field of optics and photonics, published in the last six years, that has contributed significantly to research, teaching, or the optics and photonics industry (co-sponsored with SPIE).

• Nick Holonyak Jr. Award, recognizes contributions to optics based on semiconductor-based devices and optical materials, including basic science and technological applications.

• Edwin H. Land Medal, recognizes pioneering work empowered by scientific research to create inventions, technologies, and products (co-sponsored with the Society for Imaging Science and Technology).

• OSA Leadership Award-New Focus/Bookham Prize, recognizes an individual or group of optic professionals who has made a significant impact on the field of optics and/or made a significant contribution to society.

• Emmett N. Leith Medal, recognizes seminal contributions to the field of optical information processing.

• Ellis R. Lippincott Award, recognizes contributions to vibrational spectroscopy (co-sponsored with the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy).

• Adolph Lomb Medal, recognizes noteworthy contributions made to optics before reaching the age of 35.

• C.E.K. Mees Medal, recognizes interdisciplinary and international contributions.

• William F. Meggers Award, recognizes outstanding work in spectroscopy.

• David Richardson Medal, recognizes contributions to optical engineering.

• Edgar D. Tillyer Award, recognizes distinguished work in the field of vision.

• Charles Hard Townes Award, recognizes contributions to quantum electronics.

• John Tyndall Award, recognizes contributions to fiber optic technology (co-sponsored with the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society).

• Herbert Walther Award, established in 2007 by OSA and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG), the award recognizes distinguished contributions in quantum optics and atomic physics as well as leadership in the international scientific community.

• R. W. Wood Prize, recognizes an outstanding discovery, scientific or technological achievement or invention.

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).^[9]

• 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. ^[10]

• 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.^[11][12]

• 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:^[13]

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.

Past Presidents of the OSA

2008 Rod C. Alferness
2007 Joseph H. Eberly
2006 Eric Van Stryland
2005 Susan Houde-Walter
2004 Peter L. Knight
2003 G. Michael Morris
2002 Anthony M. Johnson
2001 Richard C. Powell
2000 Erich P. Ippen
1999 Anthony E. Siegman
1998 Gary C. Bjorklund
1997 Janet S. Fender
1996 Duncan T. Moore
1995 Tingye Li
1994 Robert L. Byer
1993 Elsa M. Garmire
1992 Joseph W. Goodman
1991 John N. Howard
1990 Richard L. Abrams
1989 Herwig Kogelnik
1988 William B. Bridges
1987 Robert G. Greenler
1986 Jean M. Bennett
1985 Robert R. Shannon
1984 Donald R. Herriott
1983 Kenneth M. Baird
1982 Robert P. Madden
1981 Anthony J. DeMaria
1980 Warren J. Smith
1979 Dudley Williams (physicist)
1978 Emil Wolf
1977 Peter Franken
1976 [[Boris P. Stoicheff]
] 1975 Arthur L. Schawlow
1974 F. Dow Smith
1973 Robert E. Hopkins
1972 Aden B. Meinel
1971 Bruce H. Billings
1970 W. Lewis Hyde
1969 Karl G. Kessler
1968 Arthur F. Turner
1967 John A. Sanderson
1966 Van Zandt Williams
1965 Seibert Q. Duntley
1964 Richard c. lord
1963 Stanley S. Ballard
1962 David MacAdam
1961 Wallace R. Brode
1960 James G. Baker
1959 John D. Strong
1958 Irving C. Gardner
1955-1957 [[Ralph A. Sawyer]
] 1953-1954 Deane B. Judd
1951-1952 Brian O'Brien
1949-1950 William F. Meggers
1947-1948 Rudolf Kingslake
1945-1946 George R. Harrison
1943-1944 August H. Pfund
1941-1942 Archie G. Worthing
1939-1940 Kasson S. Gibson
1937-1938 Roswell Clifton Gibbs
1935-1936 Arthur C. Hardy
1933-1934 Wilbur B. Rayton
1932 Eugene C. Crittenden
1930-1931 Loyd A. Jones
1928-1929 Irwin G. Priest
1926-1927 William E. Forsythe
1924-1925 Herbert E. Ives
1922-1923 Leonard T. Troland
1921 James P. C. Southall
1920 Floyd K. Richtmyer
1918-1919 Frederick Eugene Wright
1916-1917 Perley G. Nutting

See also

• American Institute of Physics
• American Physical Society
• European Photonics Industry Consortium
• International Commission for Optics
• IEEE, IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, IEEE Communications Society
• Optics Classification and Indexing Scheme (OCIS)
• OSA-UCS
• Society for Imaging Science and Technology
• SPIE

References

External links

• OSA primary web site

OSA publications sites

• Optics InfoBase – Search engine for OSA journals, magazine, and conference papers.
• JOCN — a new IEEE/OSA publication
• Optics & Photonics News web site
• Optics Express

OSA conferences and exhibitions sites

• CLEO/QELS Conference
• Frontiers in Optics
• OFC/NFOEC Conference
• PhAST Conference

OSA education sites

• Optics Education Directory – A searchable international directory of degree programs in optics. Cosponsored by OSA and SPIE.
• 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.
• Optics for Teens – Introduction to optics with lab experiments, everyday optics, career ideas, and resources for teenagers; includes a guide for parents and teachers.
• Hands on Optics
• OSA Foundation – Associated charitable organization that promotes optics education.

OSA career services site

• Work in Optics – Services for employers and job seekers.

Affiliated Organizations

• OIDA (Optoelectronics Industry Development Association) - A Washington DC-based, non-profit association that promotes the optoelectronics industry.
• SPIE