On behalf of the committee and as Chairman of the International Committee on Ultrahigh Intensity Lasers (ICUIL), I submit this report of ICUIL-related activities and events over the past 6 months to IUPAP. Obviously the biggest news in this time period is the most recent. On October 2, Professor Gerard Mourou, who was ICUIL’s first chairman from 2004 to 2008, and Professor Donna Strickland were awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the chirped pulse amplification concept upon which nearly all of today’s ~$5B worth of ultrahigh laser activities are based. This is a banner event for the community and for the ICUIL committee in particular. Below is the photograph from the kick off meeting for the ICUIL which was held in Great Britain in 2004. Gerard is at the center of this picture. The committee will be planning several events to celebrate this achievement over the coming year.
