[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 137 (Monday, December 6, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. STEPHEN A BENTON

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                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 6, 2004

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
man who spent his life devoted to scientific discovery, and whose 
accomplishments resonate throughout the fields of holography, medicine, 
and art. Dr. Stephen A. Benton, inventor and imaging pioneer, passed 
away on Sunday, November 9, after a lifetime of teaching, creating, and 
enriching the lives of others with his indomitable spirit of wonder.
  Following his undergraduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology (MIT), Benton earned his Master's degree in Science and 
Ph.D. from Harvard University. He had a passion that extended beyond 
academia; Benton's interest in holography--the use of laser light to 
produce three-dimensional images--stemmed from his fascination with the 
visual presentation of the world. While a student at Harvard, Benton 
initially worked with holographs for Polaroid Corp., immersing himself 
in the vision research laboratory that spawned numerous technological 
advancements for the field of photography.
  Believing that he could stretch the boundaries of the artistic and 
scientific application of holography, Benton explored the most 
innovative optical uses of his generation. His work with holography 
extended beyond the exploratory and into the practical. Benton helped 
create three-dimensional composites of CT and MRI scans for medical 
diagnosis, provided retailers with viable options for credit card 
scanners, and advanced the capabilities of three-dimensional blueprints 
for architects and graphic designers. Perhaps his most significant 
achievement, Benton invented the rainbow hologram, a process that makes 
a hologram visible using common white light. The ``Benton hologram'' 
has been critical to the commercial success of image-based holography.
  In 1980 Benton returned to MIT as a visiting scientist in the Laser 
Research Center, and became the founding head of the MIT Media Lab soon 
thereafter. He chaired the long-running ``Practical Holography'' 
meetings for the International Society of Optical engineering (SPIE) 
and found funding for both artists and scientists to attend and exhibit 
their work. He was instrumental in rescuing the Museum of Holography in 
1992, bringing it to the MIT museum. His delight in the scientific and 
aesthetic applications of holography led to his 15 patents in optical 
physics, photography, and holography.
  As we remember Dr. Stephen A. Benton as a pacesetter in the field of 
holography, I am particularly grateful for his vision that science and 
art could not only coexist, but benefit each other. May his memory be 
preserved for future generations of intellects, academics, and 
scientific freethinkers.

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