The Optical Society (OSA) has named Ulrike Fuchs of asphericon GmbH, Germany, as the first recipient of the Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award. Fuchs is recognized for interlinking aspects of optical design, tolerancing, metrology, and manufacturing for aspherics to enable their usage as a reasonable choice in optical systems. The Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award was established in 2017 to honor Kevin P. 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