Elsa M. Garmire facts for kids

Elsa M. Garmire was born in Buffalo, New York, on November 9, 1939. She is a very important scientist who helped create and improve laser technology. She is known for her work in nonlinear optics, which is about how light behaves in special ways when it's very strong.

Elsa Garmire has invented many devices that make optical communication better. These include lasers, waveguides (which guide light), and detectors (which sense light). She has been recognized by many important groups, like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.

She was also a leader at the Optical Society (OSA), serving as its president in 1993. In 2019, she became the first woman to be named an Honorary Member of the OSA. This was for her amazing work with light and for helping connect science with public policy.

Early Life and Education

Elsa Garmire was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1939. Her dad was a chemical engineer who designed chemistry labs. Her mom taught music and played the violin. Elsa had two sisters, one older and one younger.

Her family moved around a lot when she was young. This was because her dad, even with a PhD in chemistry, had trouble finding a good job during the Great Depression. When Elsa was in sixth grade, she saw a brochure about science careers. That's when she decided she wanted to be a scientist!

High School and College

In the 1950s, Elsa was a top student in high school, getting all A's. She chose to go to Radcliffe College, which was a very challenging school. Radcliffe used to be a partner school to the male-only Harvard College.

In 1961, Elsa earned her bachelor's degree in physics from Radcliffe College. She was one of only three women studying physics there at the time.

Studying Lasers at MIT

After Radcliffe, Elsa went to MIT for her PhD in physics. She finished her degree in 1965. At MIT, she worked with Professor Charles Townes, who won the Nobel Prize in 1964 for inventing the laser.

Elsa was the first student Professor Townes took on at MIT. She said, "The laser had been first demonstrated one year before [she] started grad school... [She] had never heard of it... And [Townes] assigned me to get started on the second laser that was commercially sold." During her studies, Elsa showed important nonlinear effects that happen when powerful laser beams interact with atoms and molecules.

Career and Research

Elsa Garmire started her career at California Institute of Technology as a senior research fellow. After working in industry for a few years, she joined the University of Southern California (USC). There, she became a professor of electrical engineering and physics. She also directed the Center for Laser Studies.

In 1995, after 20 years at USC, Elsa moved to Dartmouth College. She became the dean of the Thayer School of Engineering. She was the first woman to hold this position! However, she was dean for only two years. She decided to go back to being a professor because she loved doing research more.

Contributions to Science

Elsa Garmire has written over 250 scientific papers and holds nine patents for her inventions. She has also been on the editorial boards of five technical journals. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

She is also a fellow of several important professional groups, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Physical Society. In 1994, she received the Achievement Award from the Society of Women Engineers. She has also taught and researched in many countries, including Japan, Australia, Germany, and China.

In 1989, Elsa Garmire was chosen for the National Academy of Engineering. This was for her work in nonlinear optics and optoelectronics, and for her leadership in teaching.

Work with Laser Art

In 1968, Elsa Garmire joined a group called Experiments in Art and Technology. She started using laser light to create art! For example, in July 1969, she made a "laser wall" using argon laser beams that people could walk through. She also helped build "the world's largest hemispherical mirror" for the Pepsi Pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan.

Creating Laser Patterns

In her lab, Elsa experimented with light patterns. She would shine laser beams through clear materials like dried glue on glass or patterned Plexiglas. These materials would spread the laser light into amazing abstract shapes with bright colors and shimmering textures. When she rotated the material, the shapes would slowly change into new forms.

In 1970, filmmakers Ivan Dryer and Dale Pelton visited Elsa's lab. They filmed her moving laser patterns and set them to music. The short movie was called LaserImage. But both Dryer and Garmire felt it didn't capture the vibrant colors of the live laser light.

The Birth of Laserium

In December 1970, they suggested to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles that they could present a live laser show. They wanted to call it Laserium. The director at the time said no.

Elsa later said, "I did not patent my idea. I’m a great believer that people should do it. In fact in 1971, I suggested that there could be a home laser light show, and I demonstrated it on television."

In January 1973, Ivan Dryer started a company called Laser Images Inc., with Elsa Garmire as president. The company used lasers for a few concerts and special events.

In June 1973, Dryer did another demonstration at Caltech. The new director of the Griffith Observatory saw it and agreed to a one-month trial. The first Laserium show was on November 19, 1973. By the end of the trial, so many people wanted to see the shows that 500 people a night had to be turned away!

Elsa eventually left the company. She later explained, "I loved it. I loved the classical music. And when they switched to the rock music, that’s when I decided to absent myself."

While Elsa Garmire wasn't the very first "laser artist," her work with Ivan Dryer made laser light shows very popular. The Laserium shows were presented in 46 cities and were seen by over 20 million people by 2002.

Retirement and Legacy

Elsa Garmire retired in 2016 from her job as the Sydney E. Junkins 1887 Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth. Joseph J. Helble, who was the dean of the Thayer School of Engineering, said that Elsa was a very important pioneer in developing the laser.

He added that she helped us understand how lasers work and how they interact with materials. Her understanding led to the creation of things like semiconductor lasers, which are used everywhere today.

Awards and Honors

• 2019, Honorary Member of The Optical Society
• 2014, National Academy of Inventors® (NAI) Charter Fellow
• 2004, National Associate of the National Academies
• 1996, Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 1994, Fellow, American Physical Society
• 1994, Achievement Award and Fellow, Society of Women Engineers
• 1989, Life Member, National Academy of Engineering
• 1980, Fellow and Life Member, Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers
• 1981, Fellow of The Optical Society of America (now The Optical Society)

See also

• Past Presidents of the OSA