Bioeffects Researcher Wins LIA Award

The 2011 George M. Wilkening Award has been presented to Dr. Benjamin Rockwell by the Laser Institute of America (LIA) for his exceptional contributions to laser bioeffects research. Rockwell is a principal research physicist in the Air Force Research Laboratory in San Antonio.

Established in 1997, the award is named after the first ANSI Z136 Standards Committee chairman George M. Wilkening. The award recognizes individuals who have made extensive contributions to laser safety in science, medicine, industry or education.

“The research done by Dr. Rockwell and his team on retinal damage for pulses shorter than one nanosecond has allowed, for the first time, the development of standards covering this regime,” said Peter Baker, executive director of LIA.

Rockwell has performed significant service to the national laser safety (ASC Z136) committee and currently chairs the subcommittee responsible for publishing the ANSI Z136.1 Standard For Safe Use of Lasers. He is a major contributor to the US international laser safety committee (IEC/TC 76), most notably serving as the general chair of the International Laser Safety Conference in 2007, 2009 and 2011.

He has served on the LIA board of directors and is an LIA fellow. He also was recently recognized as an Air Force Research Laboratory fellow. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in physics and earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1991. Rockwell has authored numerous publications and conference papers.

For more information, visit: www.lia.org