Washington, DC--A new sponsorship agreement between The OSA Foundation (OSAF; www.osa-foundation.org) and the International Commission for Optics (ICO; www.ico-optics.org) aims to support optics education. The agreement will allow charitable donations made to the OSA Foundation to be earmarked for ICO outreach activities. Under the agreement, donations that are designated to the OSAF's "International Programming Fund" will support international education, professional development, and recognition programs currently conducted through a grant to the ICO.

"OSA Foundation and ICO activities share a common vision and purpose--to increase optics education throughout the world," said OSA Foundation chair G. Michael Morris. "This new partnership will provide a worthwhile option to our donors and we look forward to seeing what will be accomplished as a result of the agreement."

The ICO, established in 1947, is an international organization designed to support the progress and diffusion of knowledge in the field of optics. It is an Affiliated Commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), and a Scientific Associate of the International Council for Science (ICSU). ICO activities include hosting a number of international topical meetings, a traveling lecturer program and publishing a series of books titled Trends in Optics.

Through this fiscal sponsorship agreement, the OSAF will support the following ICO programs: (1) Travel grants for students and scientists from underdeveloped countries to attend technical meetings and conferences including: Optics Within the Life Sciences, Information Photonics, ETOP, ICO Bureau meetings, and Optics and Lasers in Science and Technology for Sustainable Development; and (2) Traveling Lecturer grants to enable senior scientists and engineers to give lectures on topics in optics and photonics.

The OSA Foundation, created in 2002, is dedicated to supporting programs that advance youth science education, provide optics education and resources to underserved populations, and provide career and professional development resources. Contributions to the Foundation, a tax-exempt organization, are deductible as provided by law. All donors receive special recognition and acknowledgements, unless they request to be anonymous. Donations to the OSA Foundation are matched dollar-for-dollar by the Optical Society.

SOURCE: OSA Foundation; www.osa.org/About_Osa/Newsroom/News_Releases/Releases/05.2011/OSAFandICODonationPartnership.aspx