Topics cover biological applications, environmental research, materials characterization
 The 2017 Winter College on Optics drew attendees from several countries, and offered a technology focus on applied optical techniques for bio-imaging. (Photos: ICTP International Centre for Theoretical Physics) |
TRIESTE, Italy, and BELLINGHAM, Washington, USA — The 2017 Winter College on Optics, on the theme of "Applied Optical Techniques for Bio-imaging: Advanced Microscopy and Spectroscopy in Life and Environmental Sciences," was held at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, from 13 to 24 February. Co-sponsored by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, the International Commission for Optics (ICO), and several other organizations, the college summarized how light-based innovations can have positive outcomes for virtually every step in the production and consumption of our food.
Directors were Humberto Cabrera (Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research), Maria Luisa Calvo (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Alberto Diaspro (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia), Viktor Lysiuk (V. Lashkariov Institute of Semiconductor Physics), and Nicoletta Tosa (National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies). The local organizer was Joseph Niemela (ICTP).
Main topics covered by faculty included:
The Winter College LAMP (Laser, Atomic and Molecular Physics) program provided an opportunity for students to present their work in poster form or as a short oral presentation, with awards and prizes sponsored by SPIE.
SPIE Past President Katarina Svanberg (Lund University Hospital and South China Normal University) presented the LAMP awards on behalf of SPIE to:
(See photos of the LAMP award winners below.)
 |
| Goutam Kumar Samanta, 2017 ICO/ICTP Gallieno Denardo Prize Winner |
The 2017 ICO/ICTP Gallieno Denardo Prize recognizing young researchers from developing countries who have made significant contributions to the field of optics or photonics was awarded to:
In addition to supporting the Winter College on Optics with an annual $5,000 contribution, SPIE provides students with free digital library access and $30,000 annually to support an optics staff position in the SPIE-ICTP Anchor Research in Optics Program, situated on the ICTP campus. The program affords scientists access to equipment and other resources not available in their home regions.
Along with SPIE and ICO, the Winter College is sponsored by The Optical Society (OSA), the European Optical Society (EOS), Società Italiana di Ottica e Fotonica (SIOF), and the International Society on Optics Within Life Sciences (OWLS). SPIE is a Society member of the ICO.
In conjunction with ICTP, SPIE provides free SPIE Digital Library access in participating countries through the eJDS (eJournals Delivery Service) program. Articles from scientific literature, primarily in physics and mathematics, are provided to individual scientists.
Professor Svanberg congratulated winners of SPIE-sponsored LAMP best paper prizes:
 |
 |
| Angel Sergio Cifuentes Castro | Alexandra Falamas |
 |
 |
| Swapnil Digambar Mahajan | Modou Mbaye |
 |
 |
| Pegah Asgari | Mayya Sundukova |
About SPIE
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, is an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering and technology. The Society serves nearly 264,000 constituents from approximately 166 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library. In 2016, SPIE provided $4 million in support of education and outreach programs. www.spie.org
Contact:
Amy Nelson
Public Relations Manager
amy@spie.org
+1 360 685 5478
@SPIEtweets
All photos © SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, except where noted.