December 30, 2019

University of Rochesteralumna Donna Strickland 89 (PhD), who shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, has been appointed to theOrder of Canada.

The award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the nation. Strickland was appointed a Companion of the Order, the highest of three levels of the award. There can be no more than 165 living companions at any time.

The professor of physics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, is being recognized for her contributions to optical physics and for her innovative developments in ultra-fast optical science.

I feel so proud and privileged to be Canadian and I am thrilled to receive this recognition from my country, Strickland toldCBC news. It is an exceptional honor for me to be named a companion of the Order of Canada. This award means a great deal to me.

Strickland and Grard Mourou, former engineering professor and scientist at the University of Rochesters Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), were together recognized with the 2018 Nobel Prize for revolutionizing the field of high-intensity laser physics.

Mourou was Stricklands PhD advisor during the time they pioneered chirped-pulse amplification. Known as CPA, this work was the basis of Stricklands PhD in optics dissertation.

Today, CPA has applications in corrective eye surgeries and other surgical procedures, data storage, and quantum computing.

Tags: alumni, announcement, Institute of Optics, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Nobel Prize

Category: University News

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Donna Strickland appointed to Order of Canada - University of Rochester