Osgood Appointed Radiation Lab Co-Director
Prof. Richard M. Osgood, Jr., Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering and Professor of Applied Physics, has been appointed co-director of the Columbia Radiation Laboratory.
The Laboratory is an interdisciplinary organization involving members of the departments of physics, electrical engineering and chemistry. Its purpose is to spur interdepartmental interactions and encourage a common approach toward electronics research.
George W. Flynn, professor of chemistry and director of the Radiation Laboratory, asked Osgood to become co-director.
Flynn said Osgood's role in the laboratory's development was important because of Osgood's interdisciplinary background. Trained as a physicist, he has conducted extensive research in laser measurements in atomics and molecular physics. He is currently performing research on the interaction of surface chemistry and microelectronics.
"His broad expertise in physics, chemistry and electronics will be of great advantage in our efforts to improve both the funding and the quality" of Columbia's project, Flynn said, nothing that Osgood was also "of invaluable assistance in preparing a 3-year proposal submitted to the Joint Services Electronics Program (JSEP), which is the primary supporter of the Columbia program.
Besides the JSEP, which is sponsored by the Department of Defense, funding for the Radiation Laboratory comes from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
"I am happy to be helping with one of the truly interdisciplinary activities on campus," Osgood said. "Such interdisciplinary research organizations are absolutely essential for our scientific vitality. It really crosses disciplinary boarders and enables us to do work we couldn't otherwise do".
The Radiation Laboratory was established 42 years ago during World War II by I.I. Rabi, now University Professor Emeritus. Along with Rabi, six other Nobel laureates in physics - W. Lamb, P. Kusch, C.H. Townes, J. Schwinger, A. Penzias, and A.L. Schawlow - have been either members of directors of the laboratory.
Osgood received his B.S. (1965) from the U.S. Military Academy; an M.S. (1968) from Ohio State, and a Ph.D. (1973) from M.I.T. He has worked with the U.S. Air Force and at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Before coming to Columbia, he spent nine years on the staff of the M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory. Currently a councillor of the Materials Research Society and an associate editor of the Journal of Applied Physics and the Journal of Quantum Mechanics, he is known for his research and development of new semiconductor techniques and laser devices.
Columbia Spectator