Optical engineering and the Optical Society of America

Jay M. Eastman

The role of the Optical Society of America in the changing field of optical engineering is discussed by thevice-chairman of the Technical Council of OSA in an introduction to a group of papers that constitutes a rep-resentative sampling of optical engineering in the early Eighties.

Optical engineering is becoming a field of increasingimportance and visibility in today's world. Tradi-tionally the optical engineer has been viewed as a spe-cialist, skilled in an area such as lens design, opticalcoating, or optical fabrication and testing. In the futurethe optical engineer will become more involved in sys-tems engineering and will require a strong multidisci-plinary background in optical system design and anal-ysis.

Changing technology, both within and outside thefield of optics, will force this change in the optical en-gineer. Optical systems that utilize microprocessors,lasers, fiber optics, detector arrays, and video displayshave found widespread use in military aerospace ap-plications. Sophisticated electrooptical systems areavailable for industrial use to gauge part dimensions,identify manufacturing defects, monitor inventory, andto assure product quality. Complex optical systems arealso entering the consumer market. The video disk andthe digital audio disk will place an unprecedented levelof optical technology in millions of homes around theworld.

The Optical Society of America is structuring itsmeetings and programs to assist optical engineers inbroadening their background and exposure to opticalengineering and optical systems. To encourage bettercommunications among the appropriate technical

The author is with University of Rochester, Laboratory for LaserEnergetics, Rochester, New York 14623.

Received 6 October 1982.0003-6935/82/223997-01$01.00/0.©) 1982 Optical Society of America.

groups in the Society a Coordinating Committee onApplied Optics is being organized. The proposedCommittee will have representatives from the followingtechnical groups:

Astronomical, Aeronautical and Space Optics;Optical Design;Optical Materials and Thin Films;Optical Fabrication and Testing.

The Committee will provide the forum for discussionof the needs of optical engineers and will propose pro-grams that the Optical Society can sponsor to satisfythose needs. The Committee will have a representativeon the Executive Committee of the Society's TechnicalCouncil.

The Society is also structuring its meetings and shortcourses to better satisfy the needs of optical engineers.For example, short courses, symposia and contrib-uted-paper sessions related to optical engineering willbe sponsored at the 1984 Spring Conference on AppliedOptics. Thus, at a single meeting, the optical engineerwill be able to attend specific short courses and sessionsrelevant to his or her profession. In addition, a jointsymposium will allow the optical engineer to becomeaware of the broad areas of activity in optical engi-neering.

The Spring Conference on Applied Optics will becontinued after 1984. It will maintain its organizationas a collection of topical meetings and will serve as aforum for the exchange of ideas among optical engi-neers.

Finally, the Society is considering reorganization ofits journals. An important factor in these deliberationsis consideration of the need for a topical journal on op-tical engineering and applied optics.

Further suggestions regarding steps the Society cantake to better serve its engineering oriented membersare welcome. Please direct your comments to Jay M.Eastman, 25 Arlington Drive, Pittsford, N.Y. 14534.

15 November 1982 / Vol. 21, No. 22 / APPLIED OPTICS 3997