The Feld
Award, which will be given out annually along with OSA’s 18 other awards and recognitions, will recognize individuals for
innovative and influential contributions to the field of biophotonics,
regardless of their career stage. The scope of the award encompasses all
areas of biophotonics, ranging from fundamental optics discoveries in biology
to the development of new theoretical frameworks and novel instrumentation to
clinical translational research for biomedicine. A substantial and growing
number of OSA members select a technical group in the Biomedical Optics Division
as their first choice.
“Professor
Feld was a true visionary in the field of biophotonics and it is only fitting
we honor his legacy with this award,” said Philip Bucksbaum, OSA vice president.
“Many members of our field are engaged in ground breaking and important
research in the area of biomedical optics and I am delighted OSA now has this
ability to formally recognize their accomplishments.”
Feld, who
passed away in 2010, founded the Laser Biomedical Research Center at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) in 1985 with the support of the U.S. National Institutes of
Health. His research in Raman spectroscopy to diagnose tissues and image
diseases via endoscopy and optical tomography led to numerous accomplishments
and pioneering work in the field, including diagnosing atherosclerosis and
detecting breast cancer; non-invasive glucose measurements; detecting
precancerous changes in the colon, esophagus, oral cavity and cervix; detecting
neural activity; 3-D imaging of cells; and detecting malaria. In addition, Feld
strongly valued an ethnically diverse scientific environment and actively
sought to achieve this goal.
Nominations
for the inaugural award, to be given in 2013, are now being accepted. Nominations are initiated by OSA
members and reviewed by a committee of topical experts whose recommendations
are submitted to the OSA Awards Committee.
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