One of several thousand exhibit visitors takes a close look at a new product during the Photonics West exhibition.

SAN FRANCISCO, California, USA -- SPIE Photonics West this week affirmed its place as the premier international photonics, optics, and lasers conference and exhibition, setting record numbers for attendees and exhibitors. Approximately 19,390 presenters, exhibitors, and visitors participated at the Moscone Center in San Francisco 22-27 January.

Enthusiasm was high among technical attendees and exhibitors at both the Biomedical Optics exhibition held on opening weekend and the 1,162-company Photonics West exhibition that ran midweek. Companies reported strong activity on the exhibition floor, with both returning and new customers visiting booths to do business. "Photonics West is the world event in the industry," said one exhibitor.

"Photonics West is the best meeting I have ever attended because the conference and exhibition brings interdisciplinary science -- physics, chemistry, biology and more -- together with engineering. It's fantastic," said attendee James Wynne of IBM Watson Research Center.

Wynne -- developer of the technology behind laser eye surgery -- presented a paper at Photonics West on a new laser technique with huge potential to help victims of burns and other scarring injuries. His paper was among the more than 4,100 technical presented at the event that have impact on the issues facing our global society

Highlights of the week included:

• Recognition of nine companies for outstanding new products with the Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation

• A biomedical hot topics session that drew nearly 1,000 people on Saturday night

• International plenary speakers reporting on important advances in optoelectronics, nanotechnology, MOEMS-MEMS, and all varieties of lasers

• Expert panel discussions on markets for solar and lighting, silicon photonics, lasers, and other photonics technologies

• Launch of a public-input phase of a new study on the photonics industry led by the National Research Council and supported by other agencies and organizations as well as SPIE; the report will update the "Harnessing Light" survey authored in 1998 by the NRC for the National Academies.

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