Elsa M. Garmire, Elsa Meints Garmire, was born in Buffalo, New York, on November 9, 1939. She is the Sydney E. Junkins Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College, where she has served as Dean of Thayer School of Engineering. Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineers, and the National Academy of Inventors, she helped pioneer laser technology and is an expert in nonlinear optics. She has patented devices to enhance optical communications including lasers, waveguides, and detectors.