SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and OPTICA, formerly the Optical Society of America, awarded Paul McManamon, technical director of the University of Dayton LiDAR and Optical Communications Institute, with their Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award that recognizes authors of outstanding books in the field of optics and photonics.

McManamon's book, LiDAR Technologies and Systems, covers the history of LiDAR, which is similar to RADAR, but uses light rather than sound; how much light must be sent and returned for LiDAR to be effective; LiDAR components like lasers, modulators, receivers and processors; and LiDAR applications, which include high-resolution maps, forestry, and control and navigation of self-driving cars.

McManamon is a fellow, or a member of distinction, of SPIE, OPTICA, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Military Sensing Symposia and the Directed Energy Professional Society.

In 2006, U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynn presented McManamon with a Presidential Rank Award, which goes to senior career federal employees "with a sustained record of exceptional professional, technical, and/or scientific achievement recognized on a national or international level."

Visit McManamon's bio to read more about his distinguished career.