Dear OSA Member:

As we reflect on a year of change, let us acknowledge our efforts to stay connected and prepare for more opportunities to build new pathways to success.

In 2020, we pivoted from in-person to virtual events during the covid-19 pandemic, utilizing the technologies enabled by optics. More than 85,000 registrants from 115 countries joined us, at no cost, for high-quality conferences, meetings and virtual exhibits. Our We Are On campaign offered webinars on timely and relevant topics from professional development to high-power fiber lasers. Through it all, OSA’s core value of inclusivity was paramount. We ensured that the technical content was live and on-demand to accommodate your needs and different time zones. It was important for us to provide the ability for you to network, forge new connections and advance science.

Readers of our journals affected by bandwidth issues have new access options. We adjusted schedules and processes for authors, reviewers and editors impacted in varying degrees by the pandemic. Individual and corporate membership teams, along with the OSA Foundation, delivered innovative programs and services to the community. Public policy initiatives to address climate change and other global challenges continued to move forward. We pressed ahead in spite of the barriers brought on by the virus and leveraged the power of optical technologies to reduce its threat.

From easy-to-assemble UV-C decontamination chambers to waveguide biosensors, optical tools are detecting and tracing the virus and sterilizing personal protection equipment. OSA student chapters are setting up the chambers in emerging economies experiencing a shortage of n95 masks and face shields. Companies are employing products for mass virus testing. We recognize, and now many others, that the science of light is pivotal to our health and well-being.

2020 has brought the type of change we could not have foreseen. Yet we rose above adversity to lay the foundation for more discoveries and commercial applications. And we are just beginning. In 2021, we will offer both virtual and hybrid events to ensure your experience with us remains at the level of excellence and convenience you have come to expect.

 

Yours Respectfully,

Elizabeth Rogan, OSA CEO