Editing Alexander Prokhorov (section)

==Posts and awards==
[[File:Gustaf VI Adolf and Alexander Prokhorov 1964.jpg|thumb|Prokhorov with King [[Gustaf VI Adolf]] and wife of Townes at the Nobel Prize banquet in 1964]]
In 1959, Prokhorov became a professor at [[Moscow State University]] – the most prestigious university in the Soviet Union; the same year, he was awarded the [[Lenin Prize]]. In 1960, he became a member of the [[Russian Academy of Sciences]] and elected Academician in 1966. In 1967, he was awarded his first [[Order of Lenin]] (he received five of them during life, in 1967, 1969, 1975, 1981 and 1986). In 1968, he became vice-director of the Lebedev Institute and in 1971 took the position of Head of Laboratory of another prestigious Soviet institution, the [[Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology]]. In the same year, he was elected a member of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]].<ref name=bse/> In 1983 he was elected a Member of the [[German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leopoldina.org/en/members/list-of-members/member/4512/|title=List of Members|website=www.leopoldina.org|access-date=4 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004034903/http://www.leopoldina.org/en/members/list-of-members/member/4512/|archive-date=4 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Between 1982 and 1998, Prokhorov served as acting director of the General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and after 1998 as honorary director. After his death in 2002, the institute was renamed the {{Ill|A. M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute|qid=Q16655721}} of the Russian Academy of Sciences.<ref name=bse/><ref name=hero/> Prokhorov was a Member and one of the Honorary Presidents of the International Academy of Science, Munich and supported 1993 the foundation and development of the Russian Section of International Academy of Science, Moscow.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ias-icsd.org/resources/ICSD-IAS-Presidium.pdf |title= Presidium of the International Academy of Science= Ias-icsd.org |access-date= 16 March 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134720/http://www.ias-icsd.org/resources/ICSD-IAS-Presidium.pdf |archive-date= 2 April 2015 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ias-icsd.org/history.html |title= Foundation of the Russian Section of the International Academy of Science= ias-icsd.org |access-date= 16 March 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402142953/http://www.ias-icsd.org/history.html |archive-date= 2 April 2015 |url-status= live }}</ref>

In 1969, Prokhorov became a [[Hero of Socialist Labour]], the highest degree of distinction in the Soviet Union for achievements in national economy and culture. He received the second such award in 1986.<ref name=hero>[http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=10290 Прохоров Александр Михайлович] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515001525/http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=10290 |date=15 May 2011 }} at warheroes.ru {{in lang|ru}}</ref> Starting in 1969, he was the chief editor of the [[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]]. He was awarded the [[Frederic Eugene Ives|Frederic Ives]] Medal, the highest distinction of the [[Optical Society of America]] (OSA), in 2000<ref>[http://www.osa.org/aboutosa/awards/osaawards/awardsdesc/ivesquinn/ Frederic Ives Medal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200857/http://www.osa.org/aboutosa/awards/osaawards/awardsdesc/ivesquinn/ |date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> and became an Honorary OSA Member in 2001.<ref>[http://www.osa.org/aboutosa/awards/honorarymembers/ OSA Honorary Members] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820032024/http://www.osa.org/aboutosa/awards/honorarymembers |date=20 August 2008 }}</ref> The same year, he was awarded the [[Demidov Prize]].<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ru:Александр Михайлович Прохоров, 1916–2002 (Материалы к биобиблиогр. ученых) 2-е изд., доп.|author=Сост. И. Г. Бебих|author2=Г. Н. Михайлова|author3=А. В. Троицкий|date=2004|publisher=Наука|location=М.|page=442|language=ru|url=http://www.naukaran.ru/sb/2003_3-4/17.shtml|isbn=5-02-033176-7|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821120614/http://www.naukaran.ru/sb/2003_3-4/17.shtml|archive-date=21 August 2007}}</ref>

He died on 8 January 2002 at [[Moscow]] and was buried at [[Novodevichy Cemetery]].