WASHINGTON-The Optical Society (OSA) has named Dr. Elsa M. Garmire, Sydney E. Junkins 1887 Professor Emeritus of Engineering at Dartmouth College, U.S.A., its 2019 Honorary Member. Honorary Membership is the most distinguished of all OSA Member categories and is awarded to individuals who have made seminal contributions to the field of optics.
Garmire is honored for her contributions to nonlinear optics and optoelectronics, leadership in linking science and public policy, and for service to OSA.
Caption: Dr. Elsa Garmine, OSA 2019 Honorary Member
Credit: OSA
"The contributions of Dr. Garmire to both the field of optics and OSA are exemplary of the high level of service that characterize Honorary Members," said 2019 OSA President Ursula Gibson. "It is an honor to recognize her many achievements."
Honorary Members are elected by unanimous vote of the OSA Board of Directors upon nomination by the OSA Presidential Advisory Committee and a unanimous vote by the OSA Awards Council.
"This honor is especially important to me because it recognizes that pioneering contributions can be made in many different ways," said Garmire. "While some follow a single passion throughout their career, I chose to direct my energy to those areas where I saw the greatest need. I'm very pleased that OSA appreciates the value of broad service to our field and community."
Garmire received a bachelor's degree from Radcliffe College at Harvard University, U.S.A, and a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), U.S.A., both in physics. After post-doctoral work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), U.S.A., she spent 20 years at the University of Southern California, U.S.A., where she was named the William Hogue Professor of Electrical Engineering and director of the Center for Laser Studies. Garmire joined the faculty at Dartmouth College in 1995, where she served two years as dean of the Thayer School of Engineering. She retired in 2016.
