SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Janice Hudgings, assistant professor of physics at Mount Holyoke College, has been awarded this year’s "Esther Hoffman Beller Award" by the Optical Society of America (OSA). The award, recognizing outstanding contributions to optical science and engineering education, was awarded to Hudgings for innovative teaching methods and for her involvement in guiding undergraduate physics and engineering students in original, state-of-the-art, publishable research in optics and solid state physics. This award is endowed by the estate of Esther Hoffman Beller.

“OSA awards recognize exceptional accomplishments in the field. This year’s recipients have been dedicated, creative, and innovative in their advancement of the science of light,” said Elizabeth Rogan, executive director. “Winning such a prestigious award is a highlight in the winners' outstanding careers.”

OSA bestows seventeen awards annually and this year there were a total of twenty award recipients. The selection process for each of the awards is stringent, with all nominees evaluated by a selection committee. While the criteria differ for each award, the judging process remains the same. A nomination form is submitted, along with a brief citation of the nominee’s accomplishments, emphasizing those that make him/her a candidate for the particular award, a one-page narrative description touching on the most significant events in the candidate’s career, a curriculum vitae, and a minimum of four letters of reference for the candidate. The OSA Board of Directors appoints a committee to oversee each selection process. The committee is then responsible for evaluating each applicant and choosing the person most deserving of the award. Finally, the committee’s recommendations are presented to the OSA Board of Directors for final review and approval.

“The OSA Board of Directors is proud to bestow awards on this year’s recipients,” said OSA president, Peter Knight. “The winners have advanced the science of optics and the entire industry through their persistence and ingenuity.”

The awards will be formally presented at a ceremony taking place the morning of October 12, 2004 during the Society’s annual meeting, Frontiers in Optics, which this year occurs October 10-14 in Rochester, NY. More information about OSA awards program, previous award winners, and the annual meeting can be found on OSA's Web site at www.osa.org.

About OSA
The Optical Society of America (OSA) brings together an international network of the industry’s preeminent optics and photonics scientists, engineers, educators, technicians, and business leaders. Representing more than 15,000 members from approximately 100 different countries, OSA promotes the worldwide generation, application and dissemination of optics and photonics knowledge through its meetings, events, and journals. Since its founding in 1916, OSA member benefits, programming, publications, products, and services have set the industry's standard of excellence. Additional information on OSA is available on the society’s Web site at www.osa.org.