Valentin Gapontsev, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of IPG Photonics Corporation, was the recipient of the Laser Institute of America's (LIA) 2009 Arthur L. Schawlow award. The Schawlow award, which was first presented by the LIA in 1982, honors individuals who have made distinguished contributions to applications of lasers in science, industry, education or medicine. The award is named for Professor Arthur L. Schawlow, who received The Nobel Prize in Physics in 1981 for his contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy, and is LIA's highest achievement award.
The Award was presented at LIA's International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO) conference, November 4, 2009. At the ceremony, Gapontsev was recognized as "the father of the fiber laser industry as it is known today, who has pioneered the field in five decades of academic work and as the founder and CEO of a global technology company that continues to transform the laser industry." Dr. Gapontsev joins the world-renowned list of recipients including Arthur Schawlow, Arthur Guenther and Theodor Hänsch. The complete citation is available to read on IPG's web site, www.ipgphotonics.com.