Yongfeng Lu Named LIA’s 2016 Schawlow Award Winner


Laser Institute of America (LIA) Fellow, 2014 LIA President and 2016 ICALEO® Nanomanufacturing Conference Chair Dr. Yongfeng Lu has been selected as the 2016 Arthur L. Schawlow Award recipient recognizing his longstanding record of laser industry innovation and his significant contributions to basic and applied research in the fields of laser science and electrical engineering.

With more than 20 years of experience in the processing and characterization of microstructured and nanostructured materials and over 300 journal papers and 350 conference papers published, the Lott Distinguished Professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) will receive the honor at this year’s International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO), to be held from Oct. 16-20, 2016, at the Sheraton® San Diego in San Diego, CA.

Lu, whose nanoengineering research has led to a number of compelling commercialization and product developments, received his bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University (China) in 1984 and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Osaka University (Japan) in 1988 and 1991, all in electrical engineering. His numerous professional accolades include election as SPIE Fellow, OSA Fellow and serving as Chair and General Chair for major international conferences in the field, including the Congress General Chair for ICALEO in 2007 and 2008, and general co-chair for LASE at Photonics West 2014 and 2015.

“I’ve worked throughout my professional career to test the boundaries, and help other engineers test the boundaries, in future-forward areas like nanoelectronics and laser-assisted nanomanufacturing,” Lu said. “I could not be more proud of my work, and my research team’s work. I am also absolutely honored to be the recipient of the distinguished Schawlow award, which I hope will continue to help me initiate breakthroughs in areas such as nanophotonics, Nano-Raman spectroscopy and 3D nanomanufacturing.”

Professor Lu established the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Laser Assisted Nano Engineering group in 2002, and has led several research projects for the university, funded by NSF, AFOSR, ONR, DTRA, DOE, DOT, NCESR, NRI, private companies and other foundations in Japan.

“Another one of my constant missions is to contribute to the international collaborations between LIA and sister societies in other countries,” Lu added.

LIA presented the first award in 1982 to Arthur L. Schawlow, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1981. Schawlow was co-recipient of the 1960 patent for the maser with Charles Townes, inventor of the laser. Past recipients have included Keming Du (2015), founder of EdgeWave, Reinhart Poprawe (2014), managing director of Fraunhofer ILT and LIA president for 2012, and Ursula Keller (2013), inventor of the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror, or SESAM, and the first female Schawlow award winner.

Lu will receive his Schawlow Award on Oct. 20 during the 2016 ICALEO awards luncheon. You can join the celebration and attend other ICALEO sessions by registering for ICALEO 2016 at www.icaleo.org.

About LIA

The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the professional society for laser applications and safety serving the industrial, educational, medical, research and government communities throughout the world since 1968. www.lia.org, 13501 Ingenuity Drive, Ste 128, Orlando, FL 32826, +1.407.380.1553.