Rochester

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Rochester, New York -- Michael Bechtold, co-founder and president of OptiPro Systems, received the Paul F. Forman Engineering Excellence Award in recognition of his work revolutionizing the process of optical fabrication by producing the first affordable CNC (computer numeric controlled) machine designed for the optical industry. Bechtold co-founded OptiPro Systems in 1981, which evolved into a company designing and building CNC machine tools for the metalworking and manufacturing sector. The Engineering Excellence Award is given annually by OSA and recognizes technical achievements in optical engineering by individual(s) or teams.

Katie Hasman, a master’s student at the University of Rochester, was named the winner of the first annual Harvey M. Pollicove Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, which honors optics manufacturing pioneer Harvey Pollicove, is given to an outstanding student pursuing a degree in the field of precision optics manufacturing. The H.M. Pollicove Memorial Fund, established by APOMA and its members, is managed by the OSA Foundation.

Emil Wolf, Wilson Professor of Optical Physics at the University of Rochester, was presented with the 2008 Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award. The biennial award, cosponsored by OSA and SPIE, recognizes Wolf’s book, Introduction to the Theory of Coherence and Polarization of Light. Published in October 2007 by Cambridge University Press, Wolf’s book is the first to provide a unified treatment of the phenomena of coherence and polarization.