BELLINGHAM, Washington, USA -- The latest innovations in lasers, sensors, and optical materials and systems for research, medicine, imaging, and manufacturing will be shown at the largest-ever SPIE Photonics West exhibition in Moscone Center in San Francisco this month.
Sold out with more than 1,150 exhibiting companies, the exhibition runs 25-27 January, and is one of two held during SPIE Photonics West, the world's largest international event encompassing industrial and medical applications of optics, lasers, and photonics.
Early in the week, more than 180 companies will show biomedical optics, imaging, and nanotechnology tools and applications for medical diagnostics, treatment, and research at the Biomedical Optics exhibition. Dates are 22-23 January.
Altogether, Photonics West technical events and exhibitions are expected to draw an international audience of 18,000. The technical program of conferences, featured talks, a professional education program, and other technical and networking events begins 22 January and ends 27 January.
More than 150 new products will be launched at the exhibitions, and product demos are scheduled throughout both exhibitions. Booths will include pavilions from photonics clusters from four U.S. states and eight international regions and countries.
Exhibition registration is free, and provides admission to the SPIE Job Fair -- featuring nearly 30 companies seeking applicants -- on Tuesday and Wednesday, and industry-expert panels, also on Tuesday and Wednesday, discussing the markets for silicon photonics, green photonics, and the broader scope of optics and photonics as well.
Conference registration is required to access the technical presentations and other associated activities.
Driving innovation
The photonics R&D community will have an opportunity to have a say in the direction of a new study aimed at strengthening the industry, via an open forum to be held during Photonics West.
Moderated by Erik Svedberg, Senior Program Officer with the U.S. National Academies, and Eugene Arthurs, SPIE CEO, a "Future of Photonics" panel on 27 January will gather industry input for an updated version of the 1998 report Harnessing Light, produced by the National Academies and its operating arm, the National Research Council. There is no admission charge, but attendees must obtain entry badges at the Photonics West registration desk.
Winners of the 2010 Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation will be announced at a banquet on 26 January. The awards are sponsored by SPIE and Photonics Media. Many of the 26 finalists are also exhibiting at Photonics West.
The awards will be presented by industry leaders including Stuart Schoenmann (CVI Melles Griot), Maria Paasch (SCHOTT), Valentin Gapontsev (IPG Photonics), Ken Kaufmann (Hamamatsu), Ronald Driggers (Naval Research Lab), Robert Edmund (Edmund Optics), Milton Chang (Incubic Management), Michael Mertin (JENOPTIK), and David Hardwick (IMRA America).
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, was founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. Serving more than 180,000 constituents from 168 countries, the Society advances emerging technologies through interdisciplinary information exchange, continuing education, publications, patent precedent and career and professional growth. SPIE annually organizes and sponsors approximately 25 major technical forums, exhibitions and education programs in North America, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific, and supports scholarships, grants and other education programs around the world.
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Media Contact:
Amy Nelson
Public Relations Manager
amy@spie.org
Tel: +1 360 685 5478
