It has been 40 years since Donna Strickland and her two co-authors “revolutionized” a laser technique used in medical procedures today.
The University of Waterloo professor is only the third woman to ever win the prize for physics, which she shares with Gerard Mourou of France. The pair won the prize in 2018 for a 1985 paper on the technique, chirped pulse amplification or CPA, which “generates high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses. It has become a critical part of corrective eye surgeries, amongst other uses.
“It revealed much about the way light interacts with matter and revolutionized the field of high-intensity laser physics,” the press release reads.
Strickland’s work is being commemorated at the University of Waterloo on Nov. 12 in a special event meant to mark the milestone and allow people to get to know her more.
“This event is more than a celebration,” the university said. “It’s a unique opportunity to get to know Dr. Strickland, hear about her personal and professional journey, and gain insights into the path that led to her groundbreaking work in physics.”
It’s being hosted in the CIGI Auditorium, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. The university notes that people must register in advance. The event is free.
Guelph-born Strickland told the academy in 2018 she was left in disbelief when she got the call from Stockholm notifying her of the win, saying she thought it was “crazy.”
She became emotional when told she was only the third woman to have won the physics prize, the first being Marie Curie in 1903, while Maria Goeppert Mayer won in 1963.