Academy Award winner
Bala S. Manian earned a PhD in engineering optics in 1971. He pursued a remarkable entrepreneurial journey in Silicon Valley, where he founded several groundbreaking medical technology companies, including ReaMetrix, Digital Optics Corporation, and Quantum Dot Corporation. One of Manian's notable achievements was founding Digital Optics, which developed the first three-color laser film reader/writer system. Additionally, in 1983, he co-created a pioneering technology called Industrial Light and Magic, which played a crucial role in the production of numerous blockbuster movies, such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Return of the Jedi. Manian's innovative contributions to the film industry were recognized with an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences technical award for special effects advances in 1999. Purdue honored Manian with a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 2000.