Electronic design automation company Synopsys Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., has announced the 2012 winners of the annual Robert S. Hilbert Memorial Optical Design Competition for students: Anthony Visconti, Brett Sternfield and Josh Walters. Sternfield, of the University of Rochester in New York, received the award for his work on a machine vision imaging system using Synopsys’ Code V software; his paper is titled “190 Degree FFOV Fisheye for Autonomous Robots.” Nobel laureate and laser pioneer Charles H. Townes is among the eight recipients of the “Golden Goose Award,” a new honor celebrating researchers whose seemingly odd or obscure federally funded research turned out to have a major impact on society. Inrad Optics Inc. of Northvale, N.J., has selected Amy Eskilson as its president and CEO. She began her tenure with the company in 2011 as vice president of sales and marketing. Peter Clemens has joined Headwall Photonics of Fitchburg, Mass., as director of engineering and development. He has years of experience in developing optical imaging platforms at BAE Systems. A 20-year semiconductor sales and engineering veteran, Victor Tu is GigOptix Inc.’s new vice president of sales for the Asia-Pacific region. The company, based in San Jose, Calif., supplies semiconductor and optical components. Optical sensing product maker Ocean Optics of Dunedin, Fla., has hired Adrian Guckian to lead its Sensors business unit. He has served as chemicals and materials manager and as general manager at Dublin-based Gas Sensor Solutions. GSI Group Inc. of Bedford, Mass., has announced that longtime Philips executive Matthijs Glastra has agreed to join the company as group president, Laser Products, and to serve as a corporate officer. Redmond, Wash.-based optoelectronics manufacturer B.E. Meyers & Co. Inc. has named Michael Alvis as vice president of business development. A retired US Army colonel, Alvis has worked in executive positions at ITT Corp.