Welcome to the December Photonics Society Newsletter! This month, we are happy to have two Research Highlights articles from opposite ends of the world. Prof. Ruxin Li of the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics has written a nice overview of ultrafast laser research ongoing at that institute for many years. Dr. Viorel Dragoi of EV Group in Austria has provided an overview of wafer bonding, which is a key enabling technology for photonics integration. I am sure that you will enjoy both articles. In Conference Highlights, Dr. Paul Morton of Morton Photonics has provided a nice summary of the ‘Future Global Network’ Summer Topical Meeting held earlier this year. The Topicals are increasingly popular and I hope that all members get a chance to attend future meetings. We are also happy to continue our feature Columns from Society Leaders. This month, Past President Prof. G. D. Khoe reflects on a distinguished career in Photonics.
     We were happy to learn that the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three IEEE Fellows for two seminal photonics inventions. Dr. Charles K. Kao shared the prize “for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication” with Dr. Willard S. Boyle and Dr. George E. Smith “for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor”. The Photonics Society congratulates the winners and will celebrate their inventions in the next Newsletter. IEEE Spectrum has online features on the prizes here:
     http://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/internet/optical-fiber-pioneer-shares-physics-nobel
     http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/­gadgets/nobel-goes-to-boyle-and-smith-for-ccd-­camera-chip/0
     We are also happy to salute outgoing Photonics Society President Dr. John Marsh. He has led many new initiatives over the past two years and leaves the society in great shape. Please join us in congratulating and thanking Dr. Marsh for his hard work. We welcome incoming President Prof. Jim Coleman, and wish him great success!
     Giselle did a great job getting the Newsletter out on time and with great quality over the past few years. We wish her well as she moves on to new challenges within IEEE and passes the torch to Doug Hargis. Good luck Giselle and welcome Doug!
     As always, please send any comments and suggestions to k.parameswaran@ieee.org.

Regards,
Krishnan Parameswaran