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The proposed merger of the two leading US optical-science societies has turned into a bruising political campaign as voting began last week among the more than 26,500 combined members.

As the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the International Society of Optical Engineers (SPIE) started sending out ballot papers, charges of unfair and unethical tactics were already flying.

The infighting is concentrated within OSA, whose 12,500 members are largely academic scientists. Proponents of the merger, who include the leaders of both organizations, argue that it will strengthen the role of optics science.

But critics fear that scientists will get short shrift if merged with SPIE's 14,000 members, who are primarily engineers. Some OSA scientists see the merger “as an attack on their livelihood” as it could diminish their role in the society, for which they earn credit that advances their academic careers.

They are accusing the organization's leaders of trying to improperly influence the election. As an example of inappropriate leadership tactics, they cite the fact that OSA's executive director recently contacted SPIE members offering OSA membership at half price along with the opportunity “to cast an historic vote” in the OSA election.

Among some rank and file OSA members there is deep resentment towards the leadership's stance. “It has become really reprehensible,” says Kenneth Alexander, a visual psychophysicist at the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Medicine.

As chairman of the OSA's division of vision and colour, Alexander recently tried to e-mail a brief notification of the merger vote to the approximately 400 scientists in his division. But the e-mail was blocked by Anthony E. Siegman, president of OSA and an emeritus professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University.

Another OSA scientist was threatened with legal action by the society's executive director for using a society mailing list to send out a notice on the merger.

Siegman rejects allegations that he and other advocates of the merger are trying to influence the election result. “The initiative for unification is the product of a very long, careful and arduous effort by distinguished OSA members” to present all sides of the issue, he says, pointing out that repeated OSA board votes have overwhelmingly approved the merger proposal.

OSA's membership solicitation to SPIE members was a routine recruitment effort, Siegman says, denying that it was aimed at manipulating voting. He adds that limiting the use of the society's mailing list is in line with a long-standing policy to protect society members from unnecessary correspondence.

Paul Foreman, chairman of OSA's merger task force and a leading advocate of the merger, accuses some of the critics of paranoia, claiming that they have disseminated false information about the merger and are impossible to satisfy. What they are doing is “a disservice to the profession”, he says.

There appears to be little ferment within SPIE, although its treasurer, Charles DeMund, voted against the merger “because it is like two people, who are not getting along while dating, getting married”.

The OSA election will be held on 29 September during its annual meeting in Santa Clara, California.