President's Message 2024
Gerd Leuchs, Director Emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen and Senior Professor at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, has been elected President for 2024 by the members of Optica, the world's leading society for optics and photonics. Leuchs has already been in the presidential chain since 2022 and succeeds Michal Lipson.
Founded in 1916, the Optica Scientific Society (formerly OSA, Optical Society of America) is dedicated to promoting the generation, application, documentation and dissemination of knowledge in optics and photonics worldwide. Today, the society is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business people, students and others interested in the science of light. Optica's renowned publications, conferences, online resources and other activities foster discovery, shape real-world applications, and accelerate scientific, technical and educational achievements.
The monthly messages of the President of Optica 2024 can be found in the following section as well as on the external web site of Optics & Photonics News.
February
Connecting Sectors
"In academia and industry alike, one common thread is that to make something work in the lab, you have to be innovative."
March
How Do We Assess Research?
"For companies, [...] an assessment is relatively easy—you can look at the profit-and-loss column. In academic research, measures of success are more complex; ..."
April
The Dream of Fusion Energy
"Interestingly, the recent progress in laser fusion has triggered dozens of startup companies worldwide [...]. I find this remarkable, because for laser fusion, as with magnetic-confinement fusion, the path ahead is still a long one."
May
Looking Ahead—and Back
"I commend Optica for maintaining its archive of Optics & Photonics News!"
