As 2016 came to a close, I also ended my term on the SPIE Board of Directors. One of my most enduring impressions from my experience on the board is the insight I gained into the tremendous contributions so many people make to our professional society. This includes the professional staff, SPIE member volunteers, and numerous others affiliated in various ways to SPIE. This month I will continue my tradition of thanking those who contributed as manuscript reviewers to Optical Engineering and highlighting a few exceptional reviewers from the past year. Before doing so, however, I would like to pay tribute to a very special member who unexpectedly passed away in November, one of my predecessors as journal editor and a major stalwart of the society: Joseph Yaver.
Joe Yaver was editor-in-chief for Optical Engineering in 1970–1971, but this was only a small part of his foundational contributions to SPIE. He served as executive director of the society from 1969 to 1993, a period of substantial growth in its scope, membership, and reputation. His accomplishments over this time period included increasing the membership tenfold, establishing SPIE’s current headquarters in Bellingham, Washington, and starting what now are two of SPIE’s largest conferences: Photonics West (PW) and Defense and Commercial Sensing (DCS). Reflections from his many SPIE colleagues paint the picture of an exceptional professional and model for all of us, and it is clear that SPIE would not be the society it is today without him. He will be missed.
I think Joe would be pleased to know that Optical Engineering benefitted from the work of roughly 1,900 reviewers who volunteered their time during 2016 for the benefit of the journal and the society. In recognition of their services, this journal volume includes a complete list of everyone who reviewed a manuscript for Optical Engineering last year. For all of you on the list, please accept my thanks for your time and efforts.
As in the past two years, I am highlighting a small subset of reviewers that rise to the top in terms of the extent, timeliness, and quality of their reviews. These top reviewers were selected through an analysis of manuscript review performance statistics along with assessments and recommendations of the associate and senior editors comprising the editorial board. Highlighted volunteers reviewed six or more Optical Engineering manuscripts over the course of the past year, accepted a majority of review requests, completed their reviews within 20 days of the request, and consistently achieved strong ratings from the associate editors overseeing the peer-review process.
Based on this assessment, the following individuals are recognized as the top 10 reviewers for Optical Engineering in 2016:
Dr. Ching-Hung Chang, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chiayi University, Taiwan (optical communications)
Dr. Yu-Chieh Chi, Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University, Taiwan (optical communications and lasers)
Dr. Tawfig Eltaif, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Malaysia (Bragg gratings)
Prof. Qian Gao, Key Laboratory of Wireless-Optical Communications, University of Science and Technology in China, China (optical communications and signal processing)
Dr. Chung-Yi Li, Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Taipei University, Taiwan (optical communications)
Dr. Jianping Li, Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, China (optical modulators)
Dr. Sahin Ozdemir, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, United States (interferometry and velocimetry)
Dr. Wen-Shing Tsai, Mingchi University of Technology, Taiwan (optical multiplexing and fiber gratings)
Dr. Dehao Wu, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Manchester, United Kingdom (optical communications)
Dr. Richard Zeleny, Department of Telecommunications Engineering, Czech Technological University in Prague, Czech Republic (fiber sensing)
Please join me in thanking these reviewers for their exceptional service along with all others who have contributed to the continued success of this journal. I hope that you continue to provide your professional expertise in this manner, and I look forward to recognizing more of you next year.
