Arthur Schawlow Inducted Into Inventors Hall of Fame

Arthur L. Schawlow , Professor Emeritus of Physics and co-inventor of the laser, was one of seven inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, joining 120 other inventors who have been inducted since it was established in 1973. The Inventors Hall of Fame, housed in Inventure Place in Akron, Ohio, is dedicated to honoring the the nation's greatest minds and promoting creativity and invention. Schawlow, who received his Nobel Prize in Physics in 1981, was honored for his contributions to the development of the laser, which has become an "invaluable tool in communications, industry, medicine, military operations and scientific research". The laser, which amplifies light, travels in a narrow beam that can vary in concentration and intensity and can be precisely focussed, making it possible to cut through a sheet of hard metal or repair the damaged tissue of an eye. Professor Schawlow and the other six new inductees were formally honored at a ceremony on September 21 in Akron, Ohio.

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