By Vanessa Parks
Internal Communications and Engagement Specialist
Donna Strickland, professor in the Physics and Astronomy department and Nobel Prize Laureate, has been named University Professor聽by the University of 蓝莓视频. This designation recognizes exceptional scholarly achievement and international preeminence, both of which Strickland exemplifies.
鈥淭o be honoured by your own colleagues is special,鈥 says Strickland. 鈥淭he university has been there with me through this whole journey, and I feel very supported here.鈥
Strickland鈥檚 research focuses on optical physics, and she helped establish the field of pulsed lasers. She has received international attention as one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2018 for helping to develop chirped pulse amplification (CPA). This technique paved the way for the world鈥檚 most powerful lasers and is still used today to further increase their output. Experts in the field agree that CPA is the most significant achievement in lasers since their invention in 1960.
The University Professor title acknowledges this achievement and the attention it has brought to the university, but it also celebrates Strickland鈥檚 contribution as a teacher and researcher. Strickland has been at 蓝莓视频 since 1997, and over the last 28 years, she has built relationships with students and colleagues alike. Her charismatic ease and passion for all things lasers have inspired and excited those she鈥檚 worked with.
Strickland speaks to a crowd at the University of 蓝莓视频 following the announcement of her Nobel Prize in Physics.
Strickland recalls one student, in particular, who worked in her lab. 鈥淲e were trying to make a very short pulse, and I told him he needed to change the phasing,鈥 Strickland explains. He made this adjustment while she was away on holiday with her family, and she returned to an enthusiastic voicemail. 鈥淗e had left me a message saying, 鈥楧onna, you should be here. It鈥檚 not white, it鈥檚 glowing green!鈥 He was so excited. I kept that message for a long time.鈥
Strickland has forged her way by doing what she loves. During her undergrad at McMaster, she was introduced to electro-optics and was immediately drawn to working with lasers. 鈥淚 thought it sounded so cool but didn鈥檛 really know anything about it,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t just felt right in my gut. My projects didn't always work, but I still had fun, so I knew I wanted to stay with lasers.鈥
Confidence has been the key to her success. 鈥淗ave confidence in yourself and your ideas,鈥 she advises. At a press conference following the announcement of her Nobel Prize win, Strickland was asked what advice she would give to young scientists. 鈥淚f somebody says something you don鈥檛 believe, just think they鈥檙e wrong and you鈥檙e right,鈥 she offers. 鈥淛ust keep going. That鈥檚 what I did.鈥
And curiosity pushes her forward. 鈥淚 like puzzles,鈥 says Strickland. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 something I find curious, I don't really care if it's going to get into the big journals. I just want to solve the puzzle. To me, that鈥檚 what scientists do.鈥
Congratulations to Professor Strickland on being named University Professor!