MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., January 24, 2011 -- Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing, today announced that William J. Cassarly, senior scientist of illumination engineering in the Optical Solutions Group at Synopsys, has been promoted to Fellow by the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Each year SPIE recognizes distinguished individuals in the field of optics and optoelectronics through its Fellows program. The promotion recognizes Dr. Cassarly’s technical achievements in illumination system optimization as well as his contributions to optics education.

Dr. Cassarly will formally accept the honor at a luncheon hosted by SPIE at Photonics West in San Francisco, Calif. today. The event will acknowledge 67 new Fellows who, according to SPIE, “are honored for their technical achievements, and for their service to the general optics community and to SPIE in particular.”

“Bill Cassarly has been a key contributor to the advancement of computer-aided illumination engineering, particularly in the development of practical and effective optimization capabilities for illumination systems,” said George Bayz, vice president and general manager of the Optical Solutions Group at Synopsys. “In addition, he has helped foster the next generation of illumination engineers by developing and teaching introductory and advanced design courses at SPIE meetings since 1999. We congratulate Bill on his achievements.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Cassarly has worked extensively in the areas of illumination modeling, design and optimization. He has contributed to major feature developments in LightTools® illumination design software and to illumination engineering consulting projects for a range of applications. Systems he has designed include fiber optic headlights, compound parabolic concentrators, theater projection illuminators, room lighting, LED optics and UV systems.

In addition to presenting illumination courses, Dr. Cassarly has authored numerous papers for SPIE meetings, served on program committees for non-imaging conferences at SPIE’s Photonics West and Optics + Photonics meetings, and co-authored a chapter on illumination engineering in the Optical Society of America’s Handbook of Optics. At the 2006 and 2010 International Optical Design Conferences, Dr. Cassarly submitted the winning solution for the Illumination Design Problem. Dr. Cassarly received a BSEE degree in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

For more information about the SPIE Fellows program, including the list of 2011 Fellows, visit http://spie.org/x44251.xml.

About Synopsys Optical Solutions Group

Synopsys' Optical Solutions Group, formerly Optical Research Associates, is one of the world’s leading developers of optical design and analysis tools, with CODE V® imaging design software and LightTools illumination design software. The group is also an independent supplier of optical systems design services, with more than 4,800 completed projects in imaging, illumination, and optical systems engineering.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys’ comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

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Synopsys, CODE V and LightTools are registered trademarks of Synopsys, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

Editorial Contacts:                                                   

Sheryl Gulizia                                                                                                                               

Synopsys, Inc. 

650-584-8635

sgulizia@synopsys.com

Lisa Gillette-Martin

MCA, Inc.

650-968-8900 x115

lgmartin@mcapr.com