> Laser inventor remembered
Laser inventor remembered
Contact:
- Andrew Rawicz, 604.291.3819, andrew_rawicz@sfu.ca
- Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 604.291.4323
May 10, 2007
Simon Fraser University will mark May 16 - the anniversary of the invention of the world's first laser - with a quiet remembrance of physics pioneer and inventor Theodore Maiman, who passed away last week.
A tribute will be held in SFU's IRMACS presentation studio at 4 p.m. "He was a great man, friend and a mentor to me," says SFU engineering science professor Andrew Rawicz.
A three-time Nobel Prize nominee, Maiman was associated with SFU as an adjunct professor for many years and helped establish a curriculum in biophotonics engineering at SFU - now part of the new biomedical engineering program.
Rawicz says efforts are underway to establish a foundation to secure Maiman's collection, which includes the first laser and documentation of Maiman's progress in its development.
Maiman invented the laser and demonstrated its operation in 1960. The invention caused an avalanche of new lasers and applications, from supermarket scanners to surgical procedures.
The California-born scientist moved to Vancouver in 1999 and received an honorary degree from SFU in 2002.
Rawicz says his own research has been greatly influenced by Maiman's thinking. Among Rawicz’s health-related research contributions is his role in the creation of a laser positioning system, which provides surgeons with improved knowledge of where and how to aim laser tools during eye surgery.
A tribute will be held in SFU's IRMACS presentation studio at 4 p.m. "He was a great man, friend and a mentor to me," says SFU engineering science professor Andrew Rawicz.
A three-time Nobel Prize nominee, Maiman was associated with SFU as an adjunct professor for many years and helped establish a curriculum in biophotonics engineering at SFU - now part of the new biomedical engineering program.
Rawicz says efforts are underway to establish a foundation to secure Maiman's collection, which includes the first laser and documentation of Maiman's progress in its development.
Maiman invented the laser and demonstrated its operation in 1960. The invention caused an avalanche of new lasers and applications, from supermarket scanners to surgical procedures.
The California-born scientist moved to Vancouver in 1999 and received an honorary degree from SFU in 2002.
Rawicz says his own research has been greatly influenced by Maiman's thinking. Among Rawicz’s health-related research contributions is his role in the creation of a laser positioning system, which provides surgeons with improved knowledge of where and how to aim laser tools during eye surgery.