Gregory H. Olsen, chairman of the board of Sensors Unlimited (SUI) has been named 'Innovator of the Year 2005' by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey, USA.
Gregory H.
Olsen, chairman of the board of Sensors Unlimited (SUI) has been named 'Innovator of the Year 2005' by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey, USA.
The prestigious award will be presented at the annual Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce Leadership Awards Dinner on 30 November 2005.
Dr Olsen, an advanced technology pioneer and renowned entrepreneur, was recently confirmed by Space Adventures, as the world's third private space explorer and the first space tourist since the Columbia tragedy.
He is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on 1 October 2005 on the Soyuz TMA-7 orbital spaceflight mission from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
While in flight, Dr Olsen plans to conduct remote sensing and astronomy research projects incorporating his company's short wave infrared (SWIR) imaging technology.
After graduating from the University of Virginia with a doctorate in materials science, Dr Olsen began his career working at RCA Laboratories (now Sarnoff Corp).
In 1984, he started his first company, Epitaxx, which sold six years later.
In 1991, he co-founded Sensors Unlimited which was acquired by Finisar in 2000 and then reacquired in late 2002 as a result of a management buy-back.
The company began as a research and development start-up and is now a major international supplier of sensitive near-infrared detectors, cameras and systems made with indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs).
The company manufactures photodiodes, focal plane arrays and cameras that image in the shortwave infrared wavelength.
Applications for SUI's SWIR imaging technology include machine vision, infrared spectroscopy, night vision and covert surveillance.
The company's imaging products are critical to a variety of industries, including biomedical, military, security, scientific, industrial, historical art inspection and telecommunications.
"I am honoured to be named 'Innovator of the Year 2005' by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce and look forward to the November awards dinner upon my return from space," said Dr Olsen.
