The John Tyndall Award is given to the "individual who has made pioneering, highly significant, or continuing technical or leadership contributions to fiber optics

Optical fiber

An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...

 technology". The award is named after John Tyndall

John Tyndall

John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...

 (1820-1893), who demonstrated for the first time internal reflection.

This award is sponsored and presented by both the IEEE Photonics Society

IEEE Photonics Society

The IEEE Photonics Society, formerly the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society , is a society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers , focused on the scientific and engineering knowledge about the field of quantum electronics.In the hierarchy of IEEE, the Photonics Society is one...

 (formerly called IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society) and the Optical Society of America

Optical Society of America

The Optical Society is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of publishing, organizing conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and education. The organization has members in more than 100 countries...

 (OSA).

Recipients of this award will receive a special crystal

Crystal

A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...

 sculpture

Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

 that represents the concept of total internal reflection

Total internal reflection

Total internal reflection is an optical phenomenon that happens when a ray of light strikes a medium boundary at an angle larger than a particular critical angle with respect to the normal to the surface. If the refractive index is lower on the other side of the boundary and the incident angle is...

 (from Corning, Inc.), a scroll

Scroll

A scroll is a roll of parchment, papyrus, or paper, which has been drawn or written upon.Scroll may also refer to:*Scroll , the decoratively curved end of the pegbox of string instruments such as violins...

, and an honorarium.

Recipients

Following people received the John Tyndall Award:

• 2012: John E. Bowers
• 2011: David F. Welch
• 2010: C. Randy Giles
• 2009: Joe C. Campbell
• 2008: Robert W. Tkach
• 2007: Emmanuel Desurvire
• 2006: Donald R. Scifres
• 2005: Roger Stolen
• 2004: Larry A. Coldren
• 2003: Andrew Chraplyvy
• 2002: Neal S. Bergano
• 2001: Tatsuo Izawa
• 2000: Stewart Personick
• 1999: John B. MacChesney
  John B. MacChesney
  Dr. John B. MacChesney is a Bell Labs pioneer in optical communication, best known for his 1974 invention of the modified chemical vapor deposition process with colleague P.B. O'Connor, and for co-inventing high-purity "sol-gel" overcladding for optical fiber in the early 1980s...
  
  
• 1998: Kenichi Iga
• 1997: Ivan P. Kaminow
• 1996: Kenneth O. Hill
  Kenneth O. Hill
  Dr. Kenneth O. Hill is a physicist who specializes in the field of photonics. In the late 1970s, he discovered the phenomena of photosensitivity in optical fiber and has worked extensively in its applications. He first demonstrated Fiber Bragg gratings and their applications in optical...
  
  
• 1995: Tingye Li
  Tingye Li
  Dr. Tingye Li is a world-renowned scientist in the fields of microwaves, lasers and optical communications. His innovational work at AT&T, which pioneered the research and application of lightwave communication, has had a far-reaching impact on information technology for over four...
  
  
• 1994: Yasuharu Suematsu
• 1992: Donald B. Keck
• 1991: David N. Payne
• 1990: Thomas G. Giallorenzi
• 1989: S. E. Miller
• 1988: Michael K. Barnoski
• 1987: Robert D. Maurer
  Robert D. Maurer
  Dr. Robert D. Maurer is an American industrial physicist noted for his leadership in the invention of optical fiber.-Early life:...