Three Optica members are honored for the creation and development of LED lighting
Caption: Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura
WASHINGTON - Optica, the society advancing optics and photonics worldwide, celebrates the achievements of three members who have been awarded the 2021 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize). Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura and Optica Fellows Nick Holonyak Jr. and Russell Dupuis, are among the winners of the QEPrize for the creation and development of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Their contributions to this technology have had wide-ranging effects, laying the foundation for solid-state lighting technology and reducing global energy consumption to address climate change.
"The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is an incredible honor for any researcher to receive. It highlights the global impacts of innovative engineering," said Elizabeth Rogan, CEO of Optica. "On behalf of Optica, I congratulate Drs. Nakamura, Holonyak and Dupuis as well as the other 2021 QEPrize winners. Their work in developing LEDs has transformed the lighting and electronics industries and has contributed to a more sustainable society."
Caption: Optica Fellow Nick Holonyak Jr.
"I am honored and humbled by the recognition that has been bestowed on me with this award," said Dupuis. "I want to thank Her Majesty The Queen for recognizing the importance of our work and, more generally, the importance of engineering to society by establishing this award. It is especially important to me that this is a 'team award' that I get to enjoy with my close friends and colleagues, especially with my PhD advisor, Prof. Nick Holonyak, Jr.
The QEPrize is awarded biannually for "ground-breaking innovation in engineering which has been a global benefit of humanity." Nakamura, Holonkyak and Dupuis share the 2021 QEPrize with Isamu Akasaki and M. George Craford. Previous winners include the inventors of the global positioning system and digital imaging sensors.
Caption: Optica Fellow Russell Dupuis
