Tribute to Theodore Maiman Set

Simon Fraser University (SFU), in Vancouver, British Columbia, announced today it will mark May 16 -- the anniversary of the invention of the world's first laser -- with a "quiet remembrance" of physics pioneer and inventor Theodore Maiman, who died May 5. (See also: Laser Inventor Dies at 79) The tribute will be held in SFU's IRMACS (Interdisciplinary Research in the Mathematical and Computational Sciences) presentation studio at 4 p.m. Maiman was associated with SFU as an adjunct professor for many years and helped establish a curriculum in biophotonics engineering at SFU which is now part of the new biomedical engineering program. SFU engineering science professor Andrew Rawicz said efforts are underway to establish a foundation to secure Maiman's collection, which includes the first laser and documentation of Maiman's progress in its development. Maiman invented the laser and demonstrated its operation in 1960. The California-born scientist moved to Vancouver in 1999 and received an honorary degree from SFU in 2002.