Xianfan Xu, the James J. and Carol Shuttleworth Professor of Mechanical Engineering

This honor was awarded to 101 OSA members for their significant contributions to the advancement of optics and photonics. Xu was confirmed by the Board of Directors at its September meeting.

“I have been involved in OSA for many years, including organizing conferences, reviewing papers for OSA journals, and I currently am an Associate Editor of an OSA journal, Optics Express,” Xu said.

OSA was founded in 1916 as The Optical Society of America, and since 2008, has been known as The Optical Society. The organization prides itself on being the world’s leading champion for optics and photonics, uniting and educating scientists, engineers, educators, technicians and business leaders.

Based on the science of light, optics and photonics are specialized fields of physics and engineering. These technologies are prevalent in almost every aspect of day-to-day life, ranging from the computer screen to the cell phone to the headlights on a car. These technologies also are utilized in numerous medical devices, telecommunications, and Homeland Security.

Xu said fellow status is “very important, as my research is in the field of optics and optical engineering.”