OFS' Sun Receives Spirit of Endeavor Award

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Jan 05, 2012, 03:11 ET

NORCROSS, Ga., Jan. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- OFS, a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of innovative fiber optic network products, is pleased to announce that Dr. Yi Sun, lead engineer for Enterprise Local Area Network Lab for OFS, received the Spirit of Endeavor Award in recognition of her mentoring work this summer, best preparing her student for a future career in the technology field. The Spirit of Endeavor Awards, hosted by TechAmerica Georgia and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), recognize and celebrate innovative technology companies and individuals in the state that drive new ideas, invigorate the community and lead people through technology. The TAG-Ed Workforce Readiness Award, a new award for 2011, was presented to the mentor participating in the TAG Education Collaborative Summer Internship Program that best prepared his or her student for a future career in the technology field. This award for 2011 went to Dr. Sun and Anish Narayanan, her student intern.

Open to both TechAmerica members and non-members, the awards recognize the critical components of creativity and execution of ideas that the technology industry thrives upon.

"Supporting and encouraging youth through real-time learning opportunities is key to fostering ongoing education and interest in technology. OFS has become a role model in providing challenging experiences for high school students through the TAG program," said Stephanie Y. Street, Senior Vice President Human Resources for OFS.

"It is both fun and a privilege to work with a high school student. It gave me a fulfilling experience to return what I have learned from my mentors back to our community," said Dr. Sun. "It is important to both challenge and encourage the student through his or her internship project. My criterion of being a good mentor is not to show how knowledgeable the mentor is, but instead to foster the student's interest and confidence in advancing to a career in technology as a result of the mentor-student collaboration."

"Throughout the whole summer project, Dr. Sun always challenged me to ask questions, think critically, and find creative solutions, all the while constructively guiding me," said Anish Narayanan, TAG summer intern at OFS and student at Northview High School in Duluth. "She encouraged me to be inquisitive and to play a major role in the projects enabling me to carry out the experiments, data collection, theoretical analysis, and drafting technical memos. I will carry this foundation of science with me as a starting point for my future career in technology."

Dr. Sun will be interviewed Monday, January 9, 2012 at 10AM on Business RadioX™.

About OFS

OFS is a world-leading designer, manufacturer and provider of optical fiber, optical fiber cable, FTTX, optical connectivity and specialty photonics products. Our manufacturing and research divisions work together to provide innovative products and solutions that traverse many different applications as they link people and machines worldwide. Between continents, between cities, around neighborhoods, and into homes and businesses of digital consumers we provide the right optical fiber, optical cable and components for efficient, cost-effective transmission.

OFS' corporate lineage dates back to 1876 and includes technology powerhouses such as AT&T and Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel-Lucent). Today, OFS is owned by Furukawa Electric, a multi-billion dollar global leader in optical communications.

Headquartered in Norcross (near Atlanta) Georgia, U.S., OFS is a global provider with facilities in Avon, Connecticut; Carrollton, Georgia; Somerset, New Jersey; and Sturbridge, Massachusetts, as well as in Denmark, Germany and Russia.

For more information, please visit www.ofsoptics.com.

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is the leading technology industry association in the state, serving more than 14,000 members and hosting over 170 events each year. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 30 industry societies, each of which provides rich content for TAG constituents. TAG's mission is to educate, promote, and unite Georgia's technology community to foster an innovative and connected marketplace that stimulates and enhances a tech-based economy. The association provides members with access to networking and educational programs; recognizes and promotes Georgia's technology leaders and companies; and advocates for legislative action that enhances the state's economic climate for technology. Additionally, the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG's charitable arm) focuses on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at www.TAGthink.com. To learn about the TAG-Ed Collaborative visit http://www.tagedonline.org/.

PR Contact:
Sherry Salyer
Public Relations
OFS
[email protected]
+1 (770) 798-4210

SOURCE OFS