[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 13, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5673]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 555--CONGRATULATING THE OPTICAL SOCIETY ON ITS 100TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. SCHUMER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

                              S. Res. 555

       Whereas the Optical Society is the leading professional 
     association in optics and photonics, supporting research and 
     collaboration in the science of light;
       Whereas the Optical Society was founded in 1916 in 
     Rochester, New York, as the research catalyst for the science 
     of light and has since become the leading voice for advancing 
     the study and application of optics and photonics;
       Whereas, today, the Optical Society connects 270,000 
     scientists, students, engineers, and business leaders in 177 
     countries around the world;
       Whereas, over the course of the 100-year history of the 
     Optical Society, 34 members of the society have been awarded 
     the Nobel Prize in Physics, Chemistry, or Physiology or 
     Medicine;
       Whereas optics and photonics is the science of light, 
     serving as the backbone for modern national security 
     applications, industrial controls, telecommunications, 
     advanced manufacturing, health care, and consumer and 
     business products;
       Whereas a 2012 National Research Council study, entitled 
     ``Optics and Photonics: Essential Technologies for our 
     Nation'', outlined the utility of optics and photonics and 
     their role in facilitating economic growth, recognizing their 
     extraordinary impact on communications, information 
     processing and data storage, defense and national security, 
     energy, health and medicine, advanced manufacturing, and 
     strategic materials;
       Whereas the United States Government has recognized the 
     importance of photonics, the contributions of photonics to 
     economic development, and the benefits of public-private 
     partnerships by recently announcing a consortium working with 
     the Department of Defense known as the American Institute for 
     Manufacturing Integrated Photonics; and
       Whereas optics and photonics create more than 
     $3,000,000,000,000 in revenue annually in the United States 
     and support more than 7,400,000 jobs: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the Optical Society on its 100th 
     anniversary;
       (2) reaffirms the critical role that optics and photonics 
     have played over the last 100 years and continue to play in 
     the economy of the United States and the lives of the people 
     of the United States; and
       (3) recognizes the importance of continued investment in 
     fundamental optics and photonics research.

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