Stanford Physicist to Serve as 20th Robert D. Maurer Distinguished Lecturer

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Robert L. Byer (left); Robert D. Maurer (right)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Award-winning physicist Robert L. Byer will present “50 Years of Lasers: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century” as the 2014 Robert D. Maurer Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Arkansas.

The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in Ozark Hall Auditorium and will address the importance of the laser, its 50-year history and recent breakthroughs.

“Dr. Byer has made extraordinary contributions to laser science and technology,” said Julio Gea-Banacloche, professor of physics and chair of the department. “He has given groundbreaking demonstrations, developed new research methods, won many awards, taught thousands of students and served as a leader in the field.”

Byer is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of the School of Humanities and Sciences in the department of applied physics at Stanford, where he has been conducting research and teaching classes in lasers and nonlinear optics since 1969.

Byer has served as president of the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America, and the Lasers and Electro-Optics Society within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. His academic posts have included vice provost and dean of research at Stanford, where he has also been chair of the department of applied physics, director of the Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory and director of the Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory.

Several organizations have recognized Byer and his scientific work through many awards and honors, among them are the Frederic Ives Medal/Jarvis W. Quinn Prize from the Optical Society of America and the Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics from Physics of Quantum Electronics. He is a charter fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Byer received a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. He went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in applied physics from Stanford.

The Maurer Distinguished Lecture Series began in 1995 in honor of Robert D. Maurer, distinguished alumnus of the department of physics. A native of Arkadelphia, Maurer received a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Arkansas in 1980.

Maurer became a senior research fellow at Corning Glass Works in Corning, N.Y., where his work with optical fibers is still transforming the communications industry. He and his research team received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2000 for their co-invention of low-loss fiber optic cable. The medal is bestowed on America’s leading innovators by the president of the United States and is considered the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement.

The Maurer Lecture Series is sponsored by the department of physics in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.