SPIE Announces Newly-Elected 2009 Officers and Directors


BELLINGHAM, WA--(Marketwire - August 20, 2008) - SPIE 2008 President Kevin Harding announced the recent election results at the Annual General Meeting of the Society, 12 August, 2008, in San Diego, California. Terms begin January 1, 2009.

The 2009 Society Officers:

Maria J. Yzuel was elected by SPIE members to serve as the 2009 President. Yzuel is a professor with the Department of Physics, Group of Optics, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain. She received her Ph. D. in Physics from the Universidad of Zaragoza, Spain. An SPIE Fellow, she lists some of her technical interests as diffraction image theory, image quality evaluation, apodization, applications to photolithography optical pattern recognition, color information in correlators, design of filters and liquid crystal devices. Yzuel has published more than 200 scientific papers and presented about 20 invited papers and more than 200 regular contributions in scientific conferences. She has supervised more than 20 Ph.D. theses.

Ralph B. James was elected by SPIE members to serve as the 2009 President Elect. James is Program Manager and Senior Scientist for the Brookhaven National Laboratory. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology. An SPIE Fellow, he lists his technical interests as photonic and electro-optical instrumentation, sensors, imaging, lasers, laser processing of materials, nanotechnology, nonlinear optics, semiconductor detectors, and biomedical imaging. James has published over 400 journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters and invited review papers, has 10 patents granted, and is the editor of 13 books on sensors, spectroscopy and imaging.

Katarina Svanberg was elected by SPIE members to serve as the 2009 Vice President. Svanberg is Professor of Oncology and Chief Physician in Oncology at Lund University, Lund, Sweden. She received her M.D. and Ph.D. in Medical Science from Lund University. Svanberg is an SPIE Fellow, a recipient of the SKAPA Innovation Prize, and has given invited talks at 85 international conferences and 30 foreign universities. She lists some of her technical interests as clinical oncology for the abatement of human malignant diseases and optical spectroscopy for detection and treatment of malignant tumors. She has supervised activities for a large number of Ph.D. students in biomedical optics.

Brian A. Lula was elected by SPIE members to serve as the 2009 Secretary/Treasurer. Lula is the president and CEO of PI Physik Instrumente LP. He graduated in mechanical engineering from Centennial College, Ontario, Canada, and completed advanced engineering courses at the University of Michigan. His technical interests include micro and nanopositioning technologies, telescope mechanical/optical system design and fabrication, astronomical imaging, optical manufacturing and testing. Lula is a world class CCD astronomical imager/educator with published photos in popular astronomy magazines such as Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, CBS National and local TV news, NASA's Astrophoto of the Day (APOD) and was featured in a personal exhibit at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington DC.

The newly elected Society Directors; three-year terms, 2009-2011:

Jennifer K. Barton; associate professor/tissue optics lab director, University of Arizona.

Bahram Javidi; distinguished professor, University of Connecticut.

Upendra N. Singh; chief technologist, NASA Langley Research Center.

Hugo Thienpont; director of research, Vrije University Brussel.


Appointed Director; one-year term, 2009-2011:

Donis G. Flagello; ASML Fellow, ASML US, Inc.


About SPIE

SPIE is an international optics and photonics society founded in 1955 advancing light-based technologies. Serving the interests of its more than 188,000 active constituents representing 138 different countries, SPIE acts as a catalyst for collaboration among technical disciplines for information exchange, continuing education, publishing opportunities, patent precedent, and career and professional growth. As the organizer and sponsor of approximately 25 major conferences and education programs annually in North America, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific, SPIE provides publishing, speaking, and learning opportunities on emerging technologies. For more information, visit http://SPIE.org.

Contact Information: Contact: Stacey L. Crockett Media Relations Coordinator SPIE Tel: +1 360 676 3290 Fax: +1 360 647 1445