To honor professor Michael Feld’s fundamental contributions in the fields of laser science and applied physics for solving biomedical problems, The Optical Society (OSA) and the OSA Foundation (OSAF) have established the Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award. OSAF has begun fundraising efforts to endow the award permanently.

The Feld Award, to be given annually beginning in 2013, will recognize individuals for innovative and influential contributions to the field of biophotonics, regardless of their career stage. The award encompasses all areas of biophotonics, ranging from fundamental optics discoveries in biology to the development of new theoretical frameworks and novel instrumentation to clinical translational research for biomedicine.

Feld, who passed away in 2010, founded the Laser Biomedical Research Center at MIT in 1985 with the support of the National Institutes of Health. His research in Raman spectroscopy to diagnose tissue and image diseases via endoscopy and optical tomography led to numerous achievements in the field. These include noninvasive glucose measurements; detecting precancerous changes in the colon, esophagus, oral cavity and cervix; 3-D imaging of cells; detecting malaria; diagnosing atherosclerosis; and detecting breast cancer and neural activity.

“Professor Feld was a true visionary in the field of biophotonics, and it is only fitting we honor his legacy with this award,” said Philip Bucksbaum, OSA vice president and chair of OSA’s Awards Committee. “Many members of our field are engaged in groundbreaking and important research in the area of biomedical optics, and I am delighted OSA now has this ability to formally recognize their accomplishments.”

Nominations for the inaugural award are now being accepted. Nominations are initiated by OSA members and reviewed by a committee of topical experts whose recommendations are submitted to the OSA Awards Committee.

For more information, visit: www.osa.org