OSA Foundation Partners with Harvey M. Pollicove Memorial Fund

Foundation to administer scholarship program

The Optical Society of America (OSA) Foundation is pleased to honor the work of Harvey Pollicove by supporting the Harvey M. Pollicove Memorial Scholarship, awarded to a student who is pursuing a degree in the field of precision optics manufacturing. The first scholarship will be given this fall.

The H.M. Pollicove Memorial Fund was originally established in 2005 through contributions from Harvey Pollicove’s friends and colleagues to recognize his work in the field of precision optics manufacturing. Pollicove began his career in 1964 as a lens grinder at Eastman Kodak Company. Throughout his working life he remained in manufacturing, eventually leading the team that created the first high-volume manufacturing processes for both plastic and glass molded aspheric optics. He went on to become co-founder and director of the Center for Optics Manufacturing (COM) at the University of Rochester. The center researchers design methods to produce lenses and other optical components that are traditionally difficult or impossible to create. He was also a two-time recipient of the Department of Defense’s Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award and a co-recipient of the R&D 100 Award. On the occasion of his 40th anniversary in the optics industry, he was honored with the Photonics Spectra Distinction in Photonics Award.

Precision manufacturing is a critical piece of the optics industry, and we want to encourage students to pursue this field,” said Gary Bjorklund, OSA Foundation chair. “This scholarship helps to raise visibility of an important segment of our industry, provides needed support for students and honors the great work of Harvey Pollicove. The Foundation is proud to support this program, and we look forward to issuing the first award this year.”

To learn more about the Pollicove Scholarship Program and application requirements, or to contribute toward its endowment, please contact foundation@osa.org. About the OSA Foundation

The OSA Foundation was established in 2002 to support philanthropic activities that help further the Optical Society of America’s mission by concentrating its efforts on programs that advance youth science education, provide optics education and resources to underserved populations, provide career and professional development resources and support OSA’s Awards and Honors program. The grants funded by the OSA Foundation are made possible by the generous donations of its supporters as well as the dollar-for-dollar match by OSA. The Foundation is exempt from US federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is a public charity. To learn more about the OSA Foundation or to find out how to donate, please visit www.osa-foundation.org or email foundation@osa.org.

About OSA

Uniting more than 70,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society of America (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.