OSA Celebrates 100th Anniversary

The Optical Society of America is celebrating its centennial in 2016. The Optical Society of America (OSA) was established in 1916. OSA is one of the founding Member Societies of the American Institute of Physics (founded in 1932).

At the inaugural meeting of the Rochester Association for the Advancement of Applied Optics, physicist Perley Nutting spoke about the importance of creating communities focused on the emerging field of optics. Nutting would go on to serve as the founder and first president of OSA from 1916-1917. Nutting and his peers proved to be correct in their predictions. Many physicists and innovations have emerged from the field of optics.

In 1926, Katharine Burr Blodgett was the first woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Cambridge. She was hired by General Electric where she invented low-reflectance invisible glass.

Charles H. Townes is known for his work on the theory and application of the MASER, which is now used in atomic clocks, microwave amplifiers, and radio telescopes. He was one of the three recipients of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Arthur Schawlow’s primary research focus was optics. This 1975 OSA President advanced the field of laser spectroscopy, leading to a 1981 Nobel Prize.

OSA appointed its first female president, Jean M. Bennett, in 1986. She was a dedicated member of OSA for 37 years, focusing on optical surface quality meteorology. She spent the majority of her career at the Naval Air Warfare Center.

Please enjoy this featured selection of notable physicists and members of OSA from our historical photo archives. To see more images like the ones we’ve selected, type the name of the physicist in the search engine.

For more OSA featured photos and history, visit http://www.osa.org/en-us/100/osa100/ .