From The President
Hello OSSC Members and Friends,
As we embark on the 2025-2026 academic year, we have much to be grateful and much to look forward to. Since it’s inception in 1951, the OSSC has had a clear “Aim and Purpose” articulated in Article II of our original By-Laws; “It is the aim and purpose of this society to increase and disseminate the knowledge of Optics and closely allied sciences, to promote the mutual interest of investigators, teachers and students in these fields, and of designers, manufacturers and users of optical instruments and allied scientific apparatus as well as those who have optics as a hobby, and to encourage cooperation and establish acquaintanceship among these persons.”
You can read more OSSC General Information, that may help center yourself within our society and learn what you can expect from attending our meetings and events. The OSSC has a GREAT History where Scott Rowe, OSSC Past President & Fellow, is leading a project to make that history available to OSSC Members and the General Public. The OSSC Board and many members support this project because it is very important to know about our past as a society and our contributions to optics and related fields not only in Southern California, but also how it has improved lives nationally and internationally.
For our GREAT History and Scott’s leadership and dedication to this project, I am very grateful. The OSSC History includes many people who are no longer with us and many more who are still very active, like our current Board Members, Volunteer Leaders and many Individual & Corporate Members and our Website Sponsors. We also have many Education & Outreach Partners who help us meet our Aim & Purpose, and to all of them we say “Thank You for your support.”
The OSSC also has a GREAT Future!! Together, we will decide what that will be by our plans and actions. Our Leadership Team has five (5) main Committees , each with two (2) or more subcommittees to work on various aspects of running the day to day activities, meetings and events of our society, planning for future activities and making organizational operation improvements and implementing all of the above. Since we are historically and currently an all-volunteer organization, we are always seeking more volunteers to help us formulate new goals and make them reality. So, if you have read this far, you may be interested in becoming an OSSC Volunteer. Please contact one of the current OSSC Officers or Volunteer Leaders to discuss how you can get involved and be an active part of the OSSC’s future.
A few things the OSSC has done in the past that may help lead us into our future include: creating, using and updating this website under the guidance of Webmaster Bob Cartland, who is also a Past President, Fellow and the current Newsletter Editor. Combining Bob’s history with the current website and the work & life experiences of OSSC Vice President Lisa Belodoff, and OSSC Secretary and Communications Chair Cecily Brown, both with Bell Collaborative, we are working to improve how we use our website and other communication tools like Social Media, merchandising and education outreach to let many more people in Southern California know about our society. The OSSC has a lot to offer our community, which is quite large and extends far beyond Southern California, which is quite large on its own.
Wishing You Well on your Optics Journey, and
Hoping to see you soon at an OSSC meeting or event,
Donn Silberman
OSSC President 2025-2026