BELLINGHAM, Washington, and PITTSFIELD, Massachusetts, USA -- Sensors for monitoring environmental toxins and detecting explosives, powerful new lasers for manufacturing, and tools for non-invasive imaging deep inside the brain are among finalists in nine categories for the 2013 Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation. The awards are sponsored by SPIE and Photonics Media.
Winners will be announced by industry leaders on 6 February during SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco. Presenters are being confirmed. Past presenters include industry leaders such as Michael Mertin, Jenoptik; Robert Edmund, Edmund Optics; Mary Lou Jepsen, Pixel Qi; Milton Chang, Incubic; and others.
The annual Prism Awards recognize photonic products that break with conventional ideas, solve problems, and improve life through the generation and harnessing of light.
"Each year the quality of entries is higher and the competition keener," said SPIE CEO Eugene Arthurs. "The awards celebrate the wide reach of photonics as an enabling technology and the innovation power of our community. Photonics inventions help create valuable new jobs in communications, healthcare, security, manufacturing, and entertainment. The National Research Council's report 'Optics and Photonics, Essential Technologies for Our Nation' notes that in the U.S., public companies focused on optics and photonics create more than $3 trillion of all public company revenues and 7.4 million of public company jobs."
"The immense pride these companies have in their innovations and the pride they take in being named finalists in the Prism Awards is well-earned," said Laurin Publishing CEO Tom Laurin. "Just as they are building on the inventions and innovations of the industry giants who came before them, they are all helping to build a strong industry for the future. And the Prism Awards are growing right along with them, becoming a highly sought-after recognition."
Many of the finalists will exhibit in the Photonics West exhibition (5-7 February) and BiOS Expo (2-3 February); see asterisks in the alphabetized list below. Visit www.photonicsprismaward.org for complete details.
SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. The Society serves nearly 225,000 constituents from approximately 150 countries, offering conferences, continuing education, books, journals, and a digital library in support of interdisciplinary information exchange, professional growth, and patent precedent. SPIE provided over $2.7 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2011.
Photonics Media, a global photonics publishing powerhouse, is the media brand of Laurin Publishing. It is responsible for publishing Photonics Spectra, BioPhotonics, and EuroPhotonics magazines, Photonics.com, as well as the Photonics Buyers' Guide -- the most trusted and well-respected reference guide in the industry. For more information, visit www.photonics.com.