OSA Elects 2015 Vice President

Professor Dr. Eric Mazur of Harvard University has been named the 2015 vice president of The Optical Society (OSA).

Mazur’s appointment to this position enlists him into future roles within the organization’s board of directors. He will serve as president-elect in 2016 and president in 2017.

He has been active in the organization since 2008, when he became an OSA fellow “for pioneering contributions to optical waveguiding at the nanoscale level and to understanding the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with materials.” He also served as a director-at-large on the OSA board from 2011 to 2013.

Mazur is the Balkanski professor of physics and applied physics, as well as the area dean of applied physics, at Harvard. He is also the founder of SiOnyx, whose semiconductor products involve black silicon technology, and Learning Catalytics, a company recently acquired by Pearson that uses data analysis to improve classroom learning.

Throughout his decades-long career, Mazur has made significant contributions in the areas of spectroscopy, light scattering, the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with materials and nanophotonics, and science education.

“(Mazur’s) contributions to optics and science education are internationally recognized,” said OSA CEO Elizabeth Rogan. “His experience spans three key areas — academic research, science education and industry. This expertise will be a valuable asset to the OSA membership.”

In addition to Mazur’s appointment, OSA has named three new directors at large: Jay Eastman of the University of Rochester, Amy Eskilson of Inrad Optics and Juerg Leuthold of ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

For more information, visit www.osa.org.