Numerous technology and product demonstrations at SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing will display new photonics applications.

BELLINGHAM, Washington, USA -- New conferences on sensing technologies and microscopy technologies with multiple applications from medicine and forensics to defense and homeland security join a broad-ranging established program at SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing in Orlando, Florida, next week.

SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing -- the world's largest unclassified international symposium on sensors, systems, and platforms -- is expected to draw more than 6,000 attendees for its 58 technical conferences, 50 professional development courses and workshops, and 500-company exhibition. Dates are 25-29 April at the Orlando, Florida, World Center Marriott Resort and Convention Center.

Technical sessions will include more than 2,400 unclassified presentations on sensors, security systems, defense-related technologies, and innovation, highlighted by several special sessions:

• DARPA director Regina Dugan will give the keynote talk at a symposium-wide plenary session
• a two-conference joint session on "Oil Spill and Ocean Monitoring" will cover sensing and measurement technologies deployed in response to the April 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico
• a conference plenary talk by Paul Lewis (U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) on the evolution of U.S. airborne chemical and radiological remote sensing programs for emergency and natural disaster response
• a government funding advisory session, organized by Paul McManamon (U.S. Air Force Research Lab-Retired) with representatives from U.S. defense agencies providing insights into probable areas of future research funding
• a "Hot Topic" panel discussion on "Data to Decisions: Sensors are No Longer King," moderated by John Pellegrino (Director, Computational and Information Sciences Directorate, U.S. Army Research Lab)

Equipment demonstrations will be featured in the three-day exhibition, running 26-28 April, and in other special displays throughout the week:

• New technology demonstrations, such as high-precision imaging and forensics systems, robotics, and night/day surveillance systems
• An unmanned-vehicle obstacle race, sponsored by FLIR
• Thermosense vendor presentations
• Display of infrared images
• New product demonstrations in the exhibition.

A sampling of technical papers includes topics from cancer diagnostics to detection of explosives. Among them:

• Krzysztof Ptak (U.S. National Cancer Institute Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives) on nanotechnology as a pipeline for cancer diagnostics, imaging agents, and therapies (8031-63)
• Edward Dixon (University of Pittsburgh), on biomarkers for more sensitive, portable, and rapid diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutic monitoring of traumatic brain injury (8029A-21)
• Richard Miles, Arthur Dogariu, and James Michael (Princeton University) on air lasing to detect trace particles to identify buried explosives along a roadway, or airborne pollutants, and greenhouse gases (8024-16)
• Jordin Kare and Tom Nugent (LaserMotive) on laser power beaming systems to transmit electricity without wires, for application where wires are either cost-prohibitive or physically impossible (8045-40).

Professional development courses on sensors, signal processing, and other technologies used in civil and military applications will cover basic, intermediate, and advanced topics in lab-on-a-chip technology, military laser safety, infrared optics, U.S. trade and export regulations, and other topics.

Forensic genealogist and retired optical scientist Colleen Fitzpatrick will speak at an SPIE Women in Optics reception, on her role in identifying the remains of a serviceman who was aboard a commercial aircraft that crashed in Alaska in 1948.

Larry Stotts (DARPA) will talk at a Fellows Luncheon, on free space optical communication and submarine laser communication.

A Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to banquet speaker U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- the nation's second highest ranking military officer, who serves on several Pentagon panels that oversee U.S. weapons purchasing and research funding.

Other award presentations will include the 2011 SPIE Early Career Achievement Award to Aydogan Ozcan (Univ. of California, Los Angeles), and naming of five new Fellows of the Society.

William Jeffrey (HRL Labs) is symposium chair. Kevin Meiners (U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense) is symposium co-chair.

Accepted papers will be published in the SPIE Digital Library as soon as approved after the meeting, and in print volumes and digital collections.

For more information, visit SPIE.org/x6765.xml.

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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