OSA, Optical Society of Korea establish award in honor of optics trailblazer

Washington, DC--The Optical Society (OSA) and the Optical Society of Korea (OSK) have established a new award in honor of the late Sang Soo Lee for his pioneering role as the “Father of Optics” in South Korea. The award, jointly sponsored by OSK and OSA, will be presented biennially starting in 2014.

The Sang Soo Lee Award will recognize those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in founding or growing the optics and photonics community at a local or regional level. The award will honor eminent individuals who played a key role in a specific region, through research and/or education in optics or photonics, by introducing a new field of study within optics or photonics, or initiating an optics and photonics industry.

Lee, who passed away in 2010, laid the foundation for optical science and engineering in South Korea. With a career spanning more than four decades, Lee was active as an educator, researcher, and author. He played a central role in establishing OSK in 1989 and served as its first president. He also served as the first president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the country's first graduate school specializing in science and engineering research and education.

Nominations for the award will be solicited from the global optics and photonics community starting in 2013. The award is endowed by OSK, the OSA Foundation, and the family of Sang Soo Lee, and the OSA Foundation is currently raising funds to permanently endow the award. For more information, please visit www.osa-foundation.org.

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