Two SPIE Fellows Honored for Contributions
SPIE awards for SPIE Fellows Michael T. Eismann and R. Rox Anderson pay tribute to their valuable contributions and service to the Society. The SPIE President’s Award was presented to Eismann by SPIE President Eustace Dereniak at SPIE Optics + Photonics in August. The Directors’ Award will be presented to Anderson at SPIE Photonics West in February 2013.
The Directors’ Award is presented to an individual who, according to the Board of Directors, has rendered a significant service of outstanding benefit to the Society.
Anderson, director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, received the Directors’ Award for his many years of exceptional guidance and oversight of SPIE’s biomedical events. He has chaired 12 conferences on lasers in dermatology, taught several courses, and contributed to the Journal of Biomedical Optics.
Perhaps Anderson’s most visible contribution to SPIE has been his leadership of the BiOS conference at SPIE Photonics West. Over the 12 years he has served as symposium chair, BiOS has more than doubled in size.
“His breadth of knowledge, both scientific and medical, is an invaluable resource for staff and his presence at our events is very influential,” Dereniak says. “If there is a question or a discussion, Rox doesn’t hesitate to provide guidance. He is open to new subject matter, is an advocate for trying new topics, and is clearly highly respected by the BiOS community.”
Anderson’s research in dermatology has helped advance the fundamental knowledge of human skin photobiology, drug photosensitization mechanisms, tissue optics, and laser-tissue interactions.
His research has included diagnostic tissue imaging and spectroscopy, photodynamic therapy, mechanism of selective laser-tissue interactions, adipose tissue biology, and novel therapy for skin disorders.
His special focus on the skin ailments of children led him to open a clinic in Vietnam that has been instrumental in helping hundreds of children who might otherwise have gone untreated.
Throughout his career, Anderson has been awarded more than 60 national and international patents and has co-authored more than 250 scientific books and papers.
SPIE BiOS 2013 will be held 2–7 February in San Francisco.
The SPIE President’s Award is given to an individual who, in the opinion of the president and the board of directors, has rendered unique and meritorious service of outstanding benefit to SPIE.
Eismann, technical advisor for the Electro-Optics Sensor Technology Division of the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), received the 2012 SPIE President’s Award for his years of prolific service to SPIE. For SPIE Defense, Security and Sensing (DSS), he has served as a member of the conference program and symposium committees and as conference and symposium chair.
“Eismann’s ongoing guidance and commitment to DSS is an inspiration to SPIE staff and volunteers, ensuring the health and growth of this meeting in the future,” Dereniak says.
Eismann is also an author and an associate editor for the SPIE journal Optical Engineering. His latest book, Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, recently published by SPIE Press, takes a holistic approach to hyperspectral remote sensing to capture the field’s multidisciplinary nature. The content focuses on the physical principles of hyperspectral remote sensing as opposed to applications of hyperspectral technology.
While working with electro-optical and infrared sensing technology at AFRL, Eismann has come to recognize the important role SPIE plays in providing a forum for collaboration between government, industry, and academia while enhancing the quality of research in each of these areas.
“I have benefitted significantly from SPIE as an avenue to enhance my career through participation in SPIE-sponsored conferences, journals, and other opportunities facilitating technical engagement with peer researchers,” Eismann says.
Eismann will also be serving a one-year term on the SPIE Board of Directors beginning in January.
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