Professor Nabeel Agha Riza Wins Prestigious OSA & IS&T 2019 Edwin H. Land Medal

April 7, 2019. Cork, Ireland.

The International Optical Society (OSA) and the International Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T) have jointly announced that Professor Nabeel Agha Riza of University College Cork (UCC), Ireland is the 2019 Edwin H. Land Medal winner. Previous famed winners include the CCD camera inventors G. Smith and W. Boyle who were awarded a Physics Nobel Prize. The Land Medal is generally considered the world’s highest prize in imaging science and technology.

The Edwin H. Land Medal recognizes pioneering work empowered by scientific research to create inventions, technologies and products. It honors Edwin H. Land for his unique career as scientist, technologist, industrialist, humanist and public servant. Edwin H. Land is the famed inventor of the Polaroid camera and the plastic sheet polarizer and founder of The Polaroid Corporation. This prestigious medal is jointly awarded by OSA and IS&T.

The OSA and IS&T press releases state that Prof. Riza is recognized for inventing and commercializing pioneering macro- and micro-scale imaging techniques across RF and optical wavelengths, as well as the education and mentoring of distinguished scientists and engineers. 2019 OSA President Ursula Gibson states: “Nabeel Riza is both a prolific inventor of imaging methodology and a gifted educator. The Edwin H. Land Medal is proper acknowledgment of his many contributions to the field of applied optics and to the education and development of new generations of researchers and inventors in this field.”

The OSA Press Release also states: “For 30 years, Riza has made pioneering innovations in applied optics with several of his inventions deployed worldwide. These include the CAOS (Coded Access Optical Sensor) camera; the camceiver; on-chip embedded controls liquid crystal lens; multiplexed optical scanner technology; self-aligning acousto-optic interferometry & RF signal processors; low-noise liquid crystal switches and all-digital attenuators. He also invented a photonically controlled ultrasonic imaging probe, fault-tolerant digital MEMS fiber-optic signal controls, agile indoor optical wireless, electronic or e-lens-based vision testing, microscopy, and 3-D imaging; self-imaging freespace-fiber-optic coupling model; analog-digital fiber-optic RF phased array antenna imaging; agile pixel MEMS imager and e-lens laser beam propagation analyzer and interferometry-pyrometry silicon carbide extreme temperature thermometry.”

About The Society for Imaging Science and Technology

IS&T is an international professional non-profit dedicated to keeping members and other imaging professionals apprised of the latest developments in the field through conferences, educational programs, publications, and its website. IS&T programs encompass all aspects of the imaging workflow, which moves from capture (sensors, cameras) through image processing (image quality, color, and materialization) to hard and soft copy output (printing, displays, image permanence), and includes aspects related to human vision, such as image quality and color. The Society also focuses on a wide range of image-related applications, including security, virtual reality, machine vision, and data analysis. For more information, visit imaging.org.

About The Optical Society

Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and entrepreneurs who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org.

Full Press Release at: https://www.osa.org/enus/about_osa/newsroom/news_releases/2019/osa_and_is_t_name_nabeel_agha_riza_2019_edwin_h_la/