2009 Prism Award Judges
The Prism Awards are judged by invited members of SPIE and/or the Photonics Spectra advisory board. This
independent panel of experts review and rank the applications. Judges are recused when a conflict of
interest exists.
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Michael
Bove
MIT Media Lab,
USA
V. Michael Bove, Jr. holds an S.B.E.E., an S.M. in Visual Studies, and a Ph.D. in Media Technology, all from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is currently head of the Object-Based Media Group at the Media
Laboratory and directs the consumer electronics program CELab. He is co-author with the late Stephen A. Benton of
the book Holographic Imaging (Wiley, 2008), a fellow of SPIE, a founder of and technical advisor to WatchPoint
Media, Inc. (now a part of Tandberg Television), and technical advisor to One Laptop Per Child.
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Walter
Burgess
Power Technology, Inc.,
USA
Walter Burgess is the vice president of sales and engineering at Power Technology, Inc., one of the oldest
laser companies in the world. He has authored articles in industry publications and has been in the photonics
industry for 12 years. In his current role at Power Technology, he oversees the development of lasers from a
customer's concept to completion as an OEM product.
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Brian
Culshaw
University of Strathclyde,
UK
Brian Culshaw has just completed a five year term as Head of Department of Electronic & Electrical
Engineering at Strathclyde University which he joined in 1983 after working in Cornell University, Bell
Northern Research, University College London and Stanford. He graduated with a BSc in Physics and a PhD
in Electrical Engineering from UCL in 1966 and 1970 respectively. He has had a long interest in fibre
optic technology evolving more recently into smart structures and opto mechanical systems. He has
published five textbooks on fibre sensors and one on smart structures. He has worked in most areas of
fibre sensor technology at the research level and taken several through to practical product, some via
OptoSci Ltd which he co-founded in 1994. He is a former director of SPIE, and was the founding editor
of the International Journal of Optoelectronics. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of Applied
Optics and has worked as Special Issue Editor and Editorial Board Member on numerous other journals.
He has also chaired or co-chaired numerous conferences in fibre sensors and smart structures.
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Timothy
Day
Daylight Solutions,
USA
Timothy Day is CEO, CTO and chairman of the board of directors of Daylight Solutions (DLS), a molecular
detection and imaging company that develops and produces components and subsystems in the mid- and long-wave
IR. Prior to DLS, he was one of the four founders of New Focus Inc. and served as CTO and senior vice president.
He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in physics from San Diego State University and a Ph.D.
in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
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Marta
de la Fuente
Indra Sistemas SA,
Spain
Marta C. de la Fuente is the Group Manager of the Optical Design Group at Indra Sistemas. She is currently
working with the Research Center for Energy and Environment (CIEMAT) to define optical diagnostic tools for
fusion reactors within the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) which is an international
research and development project to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power. Marta has worked with many
small and medium companies to help them innovate their processes and products and become more viable in the
optical community. She is a member of the European Technology Platform PHOTONICS 21 and is a current
Director of SPIE.
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Anthony
DeMaria
Coherent,
USA
Anthony J. DeMaria retired as Assistance Director of Research of Photonics and Microelectronics from United
Technologies Research Center in 1994 after 33 years of service. While at UTRC he performed research on
acousto-optical devices (1960 to 1964) applied to lasers, on pico-second laser pulses (1965 to 1970), high power
lasers (1970 to 1985), coherent CO2 laser radars (1975-1988), and fiber-optics sensors (1985 -1990). For his
research he was elected president of OSA (1981) and of SPIE (2003) and elected to membership of NAE and NAS. In
1994 he co-founded DeMaria ElectroOptics Systems, LLC(DEOS) that manufactured CO2 wave-guide lasers for
material processing applications. In 2001, DEOS was sold to Coherent, Inc of Santa Clara, CA. He now serves a
Chief Scientist of the Coherent CO2 operation in Bloomfield, CT. He also is employed part time as
Professor-in-Residence in the ECE Dept of the University of Connecticut.
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Donal
Denvir
Andor Technology,
N. Ireland
Donal Denvir is one of the original founders of Andor Technology, where he has been technical director since
November 1990. Prior to that, he was a lecturer in Informatics/Computer Science at the University of Ulster,
Coleraine. Holding a Master of Science in optoelectronics and a Ph.D. in physics from Queens University, Denvir
has a wide knowledge of optical-based measurement techniques as well as software and electronic design of
scientific digital cameras. He has achieved worldwide recognition and acknowledgement for his technical
developments in these products. At Andor, Denvir is chiefly responsible for new product developments and helping
set the future technical direction of the company.
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Judy
Fennelly
Air Force Research Lab,
USA
Judy Fennelly holds a PhD and Master Degree in Atmospheric Science and Master and Bachelor Degree in Physics
from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Dr. Fennelly is a General Research Engineer with AFRL, and she is
currently responsible for the development and acquisition of five space weather sensors to be flown on the DSX
Mission in 2010. Dr. Fennelly is a science and engineering professional with over 20 years experience in both
research and operational space-based remote sensing systems. Currently as part of the leadership of SPIE, she
serves as the chairperson of the Awards Committee.
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Joseph
Gortych
Opticus,
USA
Joseph E. Gortych is President of Opticus IP Law PLLC, a intellectual property (IP) law firm based in Sarasota,
Florida specializing in optics, photonics and semiconductor technologies. He received his B.S. in physics from
Rutgers University, his M.S. in optics from the University of Rochester's Institute of Optics, and his J.D. from
Vermont Law School. Mr. Gortych is a registered Patent Attorney and is an active member of SPIE as well as the ABA,
OSA and IEEE. Mr. Gortych writes, lectures and provides legal counsel on IP matters relating to high-tech business
in the U.S. and abroad.
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Randy
Heyler
InnovaConnect Partners,
USA
Randy Heyler is President/Managing Partner of InnovaConnect Partners an interim Executive and Management services
firm. He has over 28 years of product development, manufacturing, marketing, mentoring and executive leadership
in the high-technology sector, focused on laser/photonics-based applications and markets. Prior to his move to
InnovaConnect, Randy was the senior director of strategic marketing for Newport Corp. He was with Newport for
17 years, first as director of the Instruments Products Group and then as founder and vice president of the
Photonics Packaging and Advanced Automation Div., which pioneered the first commercial optical assembly automation
solutions for the fiber optic component industry. Prior to Newport, Heyler spent 10 years with Spectra-Physics (now
a division of Newport) in various roles in product development, operations and marketing management. He holds a B.S.
in mechanical engineering and a Master of Science in engineering management from Stanford University, and is active
in the IEEE and SPIE technical committees.
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Marc
Himel
Tessera,
USA
Marc D. Himel received his BS degree in Physics from the California Polytechnic State University in 1984, his PhD
in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona in 1988, and an MBA from the University of Connecticut in 1998.
Following his PhD, Dr. Himel worked as a Post Doctoral Research Associate at the Center for Research in
Electro-Optics and Lasers at the University of Central Florida performing research on the characterization of
thin film coatings. For 14 years, he worked in the design and development of advanced lithography systems starting
with three years at AT&T Bell Laboratories working on the development of Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography, followed
by five years at SVG Lithography Systems working on excimer laser based illumination systems, and seven years as a
Product Manager at Tessera North America (formerly Digital Optics Corporation) where he concentrated his efforts
on the application of diffractive micro-optics for advanced lithography and inspection. Dr. Himel is currently a
Senior Principal Engineer at Tessera North America. His research and development activity has resulted in over 35
published papers and one pending patent.
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Robert
Huang
Wavelength Technology Singapore Pte Ltd,
Singapore
Robert Huang is founder and CEO of Singapore Wavelength Technology Pte Ltd, a company engaged in Laser Optics
coating and Infrared Imaging Lens assembly. He is also founder of WaveLab Scientific Pte Ltd which distributes
optical design software and training across Asia. He actively serves as vice-chair of Singapore Optics &
Photonics Society. Prior to that, Robert was General Manager of a laser system integration company. Robert holds
an optical engineering degree from Zhejiang University of China and MBA from South Australia University. He is
member of SPIE Corporate & Exhibition Committee. Robert has over 20 years experience in the optical industry.
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Ray
Johnson
Lockheed Martin,
USA
Ray O. Johnson is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Dr.
Johnson guides the Corporation’s technology vision and provides corporate leadership in the strategic areas of
Technology and Engineering, which include more than 70,000 people working on more than 4,000 programs. Dr. Johnson
also leads the Corporation’s Advanced Concepts Organization and the Center for Innovation, a world-class laboratory
for collaborative experimentation and analysis involving Lockheed Martin, its customers, and industry partners.
Before joining Lockheed Martin, Dr. Johnson was the Chief Operating Officer for Modern Technology Solutions, Inc.
(MTSI), of Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to that, he held a variety of increasingly responsible executive positions
with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), including Senior Vice President and General Manager of
the Advanced Concepts Business Unit. Dr. Johnson currently serves as a member of the Sandia Corporation and SPIE
Boards of Directors and as a member of the Project Lead the Way Advisory Board.
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Ken
Kaufman
Hamamatsu,
USA
Kenneth Kaufmann has been with Hamamatsu Corp. for 23 years and is currently vice president of marketing. He
received a Bachelor of Science from City College of New York and a Ph.D. from MIT in physical chemistry.
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Robert
Lieberman
Intelligent Optical Systems Inc,
USA
Robert Lieberman received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Michigan with an emphasis on solid-state
physics and biophysics. After working at AT&T Bell Laboratories for 10 years, Dr. Lieberman joined Physical
Optics Corporation (POC), where he became V.P. & General Manager of Research and Development. In 1998, he
founded Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS), Inc., and since then he has been a co-founder or senior executive of 5
other companies. During this time, Dr. Lieberman has also served as the Principal Investigator on optical sensor
projects with the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the U.S. Departments
of Energy and Defense. Dr. Lieberman holds 31 U.S. patents, is the author of numerous scientific articles on optical
sensor technology, and has chaired numerous conferences and symposia on biological, physical, and chemical sensors.
He is the Chairman of ASTM Subcommittee E13.09 on Fiber Optics, Waveguides, and Optical Sensors, a Fellow of SPIE,
and a Senior Member of IEEE.
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Brian
Lula
PI (Physik Instrumente) LP,
USA
Brian Lula has led PI USA as president for 14 years. PI is the world leader in piezo nanopositioning products
serving diverse technologies and markets ranging from microscopy and high energy physics to aerospace and medical.
Prior to PI, Brian was a Director of Operations at Newport Corporation and has served SPIE in numerous
committees for the last 12 years. Recognized internationally as an expert in the aesthetic CCD imaging of
astronomical objects and being a mechanical engineer Brian has designed and built two sophisticated astronomical
observatories to support this work.
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Gabriel
Marcu
Apple Computer,
USA
Gabriel Marcu is Senior Scientist at Apple, where he is responsible for color calibration/characterization of
Apple display based products. His interests are in color reproduction on displays/printers,
characterization/calibration, halftoning, gamut mapping, ICC profiling, RAW color processing and he holds several
patens in these areas. He taught courses at various IS&T, SPIE and SID conferences. Dr. Marcu was Co-Chair of the
Electronic Imaging (EI) Symposium in 2006 and he is Co-Chair of the EI Conference on Color Imaging: Processing,
Hardcopy, and Applications since 1998. He serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of SID and for the IEEE Trans
on Image Processing Journal. He is an SPIE Fellow and is also a fellow of IS&T.
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Paul
McManamon
Exciting Technology LLC,
USA
Paul McManamon recently retired as chief scientist of the Sensors Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory,
AFRL. The Sensors Directorate develops new sensor technology for the Air Force. He was 2006 President of SPIE.
He was on the SPIE board of directors for 7 years and on the SPIE Executive Committee 4 years. He serves on the
executive committee for the Military Sensing Symposia, MSS. He received the WRG Baker award from the IEEE in
1998 for the best paper in ANY refereed IEEE journal. He is a Fellow of SPIE and OSA, AFRL, and MSS.
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Kazuhiko
Oka
Hokkaido Univ,
Japan
Kazuhiko Oka is an associate professor at division of applied physics, Hokkaido University, and is working in
optical polarization physics and engineering. He received the B.E. and M.E. degrees from the University of Tokyo
in 1985 and 1987, respectively, and Doctor of Engineering from Hokkaido University in 1992. He received G. G.
Stokes Award from SPIE in 2006 and is a fellow of SPIE.
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Jim
Pearson
College of Optics & Photonics, Univ of Central Florida,
USA
James Pearson received his PhD in Electrical Engineering & Physics from the California Institute of
Technology. Dr. Pearson is currently the Director of Research & Administration at CREOL, The College of
Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida (UCF). At UCF, he is responsible for establishing
research partnerships with individuals and organizations in areas of interest to the UCF faculty. Prior to
joining UCF, he was Executive Director of ISA – The Instrumentation, Systems, & Automation Society (1999-2004),
Executive Director of SPIE – The International Society for Optical Engineering (1993-1999), and held several
positions within United Technologies Corporation (1976-1993), including Chief Scientist at the Research Center,
and President of UT Optical Systems. He is a Fellow of SPIE and OSA, and a Senior Member of IEEE.
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Bill
Plummer
WTP Optics,
USA
Bill Plummer received his A.B. and Ph.D. in physics from Johns Hopkins University, where he worked with
Prof. John Strong in infrared planetary astronomy. At Polaroid he worked closely with Edwin Land and Jim Baker
on the SX-70 camera and other commercial products, and was Director of Optical Engineering for more than 20
years. He has published 40 papers and given invited talks around the world. He has 97 US patents for optical,
mechanical, electronic and chemical inventions. Plummer received the David Richardson Medal, the Joseph
Fraunhofer Award and the Robert M. Burley Prize from the Optical Society of America, as well as the Steve
Benton Memorial Award from the NES/OSA. He is a fellow of OSA and of SPIE, an elected member of the National
Academy of Engineering, and a senior lecturer with the Mechanical Engineering Department at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. A consultant since 2001, he is founder and president of WTP Optics, Inc.
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Richard
Powell
College of Optical Sciences, Univ of Arizona,
USA
Richard C. Powell is emeritus vice president for research and graduate studies and professor of optical science
at the University of Arizona. He received a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy, and a Master of Science
and Ph.D. in physics from Arizona State University. He has held positions as a staff scientist at Air Force
Cambridge Research Laboratories and Sandia National Laboratory, and has held academic positions as a professor at
Oklahoma State University and the University of Arizona. Powell's professional work is in the area of solid-state
spectroscopy and the development of solid-state lasers. He has authored two textbooks and more than 260 scientific
articles. He is an elected fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America and has
served as president of OSA. He is currently Co-Director of the Science Foundation Arizona Solar Technology Institute.
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Ryszard
Romaniuk
Warsaw Univ of Technology,
Poland
Ryszard S.Romaniuk is a professor of electronics engineering at Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) in
Poland. He is research director of the Institute of Electronic Systems at WUT; a fellow of SPIE; an Eisenhower
fellow; a member of board in Photonics Society of Poland; a member of IEEE, OSA and EOS; and a member of the
editorial boards of professional journals, including Photonics Spectra. He also is scientific secretary of the
Committee of Electronics and Telecommunications, Polish Academy of Sciences. Romaniuk has authored several
manuals on optoelectronics, more than 300 papers on optical fiber technology and photonic/electronic systems for
high-energy physics experiments. He also is the editor of 20 volumes of SPIE proceedings and a member of the
development team for the European X-FEL.
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Ferechteh
Teherani
Nanovation,
France
Dr Ferechteh H. Teherani has been involved with the development of novel oxide materials and devices
for over 20 years. After receiving her PhD from the University of Paris, Dr Teherani was a researcher
at Thales (France), NTT, ETL (Japan) and Northwestern University (USA) before becoming technical
director of a start-up. In 2001, she went on to found a startup, Nanovation, of which she is currently
CEO. Nanovation develops and commercialises ZnO thin films and nanostructures for optoelectronic. Dr.
Teherani also has an MBA, been an Eshbach Scholar at Northwestern University and is an expert for the
European Commission.
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Andreas
Tünnermann
Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik,
Germany
Andreas Tuennermann received the diploma (1988) and Ph.D. degree (1992) in physics from the University of
Hannover. In 1997 he worked on the development of ultra stable light sources for interferometric gravitational
wave detectors. He was head of the department of development at the Laser Zentrum Hannover from 1992 to 1997. In
1998 he joined the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany as a Professor and Director of the Institute of
Applied Physics and became the Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering
(Jena) in 2003. His main research interests include scientific and technical aspects associated with the generation
and mastering of light. His work on high power diode pumped fiber and waveguide lasers and novel micro- and
nanooptical photonic devices is widely recognized.
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Cole
Van Nice
Chart Venture Partners,
USA
Cole Van Nice joined Chart Venture Partners in 2006 and currently focuses on investments in photonics, imaging,
geospatial, and CBRNE detection (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive) technologies. Prior
to joining CVP, Cole was a Vice President of Darby Overseas Investments, an international mezzanine, private
equity, and venture capital investment firm founded by the former U.S. Secretary of Treasury Nicholas Brady
and eventually acquired by Franklin Templeton. At Darby, Cole contributed to the firm’s growth in assets under
management from $250 million to over $1.2 billion. He co-founded the firm’s venture capital business and was
involved in various capacities with eighteen private equity and venture capital investments. While at Darby,
he served on the Boards of Spring Wireless, CertiSign, Jackbe, and Inova Technologies. Cole holds a B.A. from
Washington & Lee University, is a CFA charter holder, and a member of the CFA Institute and Washington DC
Society of Investment Analysts.
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