Foundation
Kaminow Outstanding Early-Career Professional Prize
Be recognized for leadership and service to the community.
Application Dates
01 Apr 2024 - 13 May 2024Program Prize
Funding to attend FiO+LS, ability to advance to the interview round of the Ambassador Program and a $2000 grant.
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Established in 2012, this prize honors Ivan Kaminow for his many contributions to the field of optics and photonics, as well as his dedication to mentoring and inspiring early career researchers.
Each year, one early career member is selected to acknowledge their volunteer efforts with both Optica and the community. We seek emerging leaders who dedicate their time to activities, such as student chapters, youth outreach, community service, meetings and publication service.
Recipient will be invited to attend an Optica Leadership meeting or Frontier in Optics (FIO), the recipients can network with 120+ leaders of Optica and learn more about the society’s strategic priorities. Additionally, the recipient receives funding a $2000 grant to attend an Optica topical meeting focused on their research. This prize offers a unique combination of volunteerism through Optica engagement and the enhancement of professional skills. Lastly, the Kaminow recipient will be automatically placed as a finalist for the Optica Ambassadors program.
Application Information
How To Apply
Applications will be available at apply.optica.org
Important Dates
Opens 01 April 2024
Closes 13 May 2024
Applicant Requirements
- Be a current early career professional member or recent graduate member
- Active individual members may apply as long as they have achieved their highest degree in the last seven years
Application Requirements
- Short answer questions
- CV/resume
- Two reference letters
Recipients
Guillermo Ezequiel Sánchez Guerrero
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, México
for his dedication to fostering a global community of optics researchers through impactful local science education and outreach.
Justus C. Ndukaife
Vanderbilt University, USA
for unwavering commitment to teaching, mentoring and community service by fostering the growth and development of students within his local community and in Africa.
Sejeong Kim
University of Melbourne, Australia
for her dedication to the Nanophotonics Technical Group and youth outreach in Australia and South Korea.
Brandon Buscaino
Infinera Corporation, USA
for his ongoing support for Optica student chapters and public policy initiatives as well as his commitment to advancing the impact of Optica Foundation opportunities.
Chaitanya Kumar Suddapalli
ICFO and Radiantis, Spain
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Robert Woodward
Macquarie University, Australia
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Amol Choudhary
University of Sydney, Australia
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Adam J. Fleisher
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Rocio Barrega-Varillas
Politecnico di Milano, Italy
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Alvaro Casas-Bedoya
University of Sydney, Australia
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Antigone Marino
Italian National Research Council, Italy
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Arlene Smith
University of Michigan, USA
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Arti Agrawal
City University, London, United Kingdom
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Giovanni Volpe
Bilkent University, Turkey
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Laura Waller
University of California Berkeley, USA
for outstanding contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community as a whole.
Contributors
This fund is sponsored by the Kaminow family, Intel Corporation and personal donations from the community.
About the Endowment
Ivan P. Kaminow was a pioneer who helped revolutionize the telecommunications industry. A Member for 48 years, Ivan received many awards over his career, including the Charles Hard Townes Award, John Tyndall Award and Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Endowment. Ivan was respected among his peers and known for influencing and guiding future innovators in the field of optics and photonics.
More information on Ivan’s accomplishments can be found here.
2024 Selection Committee
| Name | Affiliation | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Isinsu Baylam | California Polytechnic State University | UNITED STATES |
| Brandon Buscaino | Ciena Corporation | UNITED STATES |
| Alessandra Marie Carmichael Martins | Univ Hospital Bonn Dept of Ophthalmology | GERMANY |
| Alvaro Casas-Bedoya | University of Sydney | AUSTRALIA |
| Tatevik Chalyan | Vrije Universiteit Brussel | BELGIUM |
| Mitchell Arij Cox | University of the Witwatersrand | SOUTH AFRICA |
| Margaret Zoila Dominguez | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | UNITED STATES |
| Sejeong Kim | University of Melbourne | AUSTRALIA |
| Carlos Lopez-Mariscal | Underwater Photonics | MEXICO |
| Antigone Marino | Italian National Research Council | ITALY |
| Kseniia Minakova | NTU KhPI | UKRAINE |
| Matthew Posner | OPTONIQUE | CANADA |
| Manish Tiwari | Manipal University Jaipur | INDIA |
| Robert Ian Woodward | Toshiba Europe Ltd. | UNITED KINGDOM |
