LIA’s 2009 President’s Award was presented to Bill Shiner, vice president-Industrial Markets, IPG Photonics, Oxford, Mass. The LIA President’s Award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to LIA and enables the growth and prosperity of the society. This was the first presentation of the award in over five years. It was presented on Nov. 4 at LIA’s ICALEO®.

At the ceremony, Shiner was recognized by current LIA President Rajesh Patel for his long-term contributions towards the success of LIA. Shiner has served on the LIA Board of Directors since the 1970s, culminating in his term as president in 2007. Shiner has championed the society over the years with conference papers, advertisements, sponsorships and was the force behind the development of the LIA Laser Application Resource Guide and the Laser Additive Manufacturing Workshop. Shiner was also inducted as an LIA fellow at the ceremony.