Optical Society of Southern California wins OSA Excellence Award

Fullerton, CA--On October 25, 2010 the Optical Society of Southern California (OSSC) received a local section Excellence Award from the Optical Society of America (OSA; Washington, DC). The award was announced during the plenary session at the OSA Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics 2010, held in Rochester, NY.

The Excellence Award is an annual recognition by the OSA for outstanding sections in the areas of advocacy, youth education, and professional development programming. In addition to the prestigious award certificate, the OSSC received $1,000 to further promote awareness of the organization.

"It is a great honor for the OSSC to be recognized and to receive this award in the academic year when we are celebrating the OSSC's 60 years of service to the optical community," said Valentina Doushkina, current 2010-11 OSSC President. "The greatest task of the OSSC is to provide a growing array of services that furthers our vision of increasing and disseminating the knowledge of optics, optical systems, and science to a wide audience. This award, a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of prior years’ members, allows the current Board and volunteers to continue to fund these avenues to the local optics community and help elevate the OSSC to a new level."

The OSSC is one of the most active local sections of the OSA, and operates through an elected board of volunteers that are passionate about educating others about optics. Donn Silberman, OSSC Fellow, past president, and current Outreach Chair added, "In addition to all the wonderful professional speakers and monthly meetings the OSSC hosts throughout the year, we have been providing educational outreach opportunities for members to engage with the public (of all ages and technical backgrounds) and share our passion for optics related science and engineering. This OSA Local Section Excellence Award is another testament to the strength, breadth and depth of our members and their dedication to bringing a greater awareness to the general public about the use of optics in everyday life as well as research."

Some of the educational and outreach programs organized and promoted by the OSSC include Family Day at the UC Irvine Beall Center for Art + Technology, Optricks & Lasers Extravaganza at the Discovery Science Center, Color Your Spinning Wheels at the Astounding Inventions event at Irvine Valley College and the new Optical Engineering & Instrument Design Certificate programs through UC Irvine Extension. Family attendance, individual participation, and volunteers are always welcome and encouraged.

The Optical Society of Southern California (OSSC) is a local section of the Optical Society of America, founded in 1951 to increase and disseminate the knowledge of optics, optical systems, and science.

SOURCE: Optical Society of Southern California; www.ossc.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=239344&item_id=14963

Posted by:Gail Overton

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