2012 Recap
Frontiers in Optics 2012 a Big Success in Rochester
Join us next year in Orlando, Florida, USA for Frontiers in Optics 2013, October 6 – 10
OSA’s Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics 2012, wrapped up today Rochester, N.Y., featuring nearly 900 presentations over five days -- 96 years after the Optical Society was founded in this very city. Collocated with the American Physical Society Division of Laser Science’s annual meeting, Laser Science XXVIII, FiO brought together more than 1,700 attendees–a significant increase over last year–covering the latest advances in all areas of optics and photonics – from adaptive optics and optical sensing to silicon photonics and quantum information science.
The first day of the conference featured a variety of short courses on timely optics topics, as well as a tribute to Emil Wolf—a well-known optics luminary whose work at the University of Rochester and elsewhere has had a considerable impact on the optics community today.
The second day kicked off with a Plenary Session and Awards Ceremony, showcasing presentations from five world-renowned researchers in optics and beyond. OSA’s Frederic Ives Medal Winner Marlan Scully discussed quantum photocells, followed by APS’s Schawlow Award Winner Michael Fayer of Stanford, who covered ultrafast 2D IR vibrational echo spectroscopy.
Attendees were then treated to a special guest keynote presentation by Al Goshaw, a Duke University researcher who worked directly on the likely discovery of the Higgs boson particle that rocked the physics world this summer.
Rounding out the session were David Williams of the University of Rochester and Paul Corkum of Canada’s NRC and University of Ottawa, who discussed retinal imaging and attosecond photonics, respectively.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the show floor was abuzz with the latest products and features from 80 leading optics and photonics companies.
The exhibits were supplemented by enlightening programming, including a Town Hall discussion with key members of the National Academy of Sciences’ Harnessing Light Committee, as well as an intimate conversation with IDEX Optics & Photonics President Michael Cumbo as part of OSA’s Executive Speaker Series.
Networking opportunities were plentiful with several receptions—including OSA’s disco-themed member reception—as well as more formal opportunities at the Minorities and Women of OSA breakfast featuring Digital Rochester’s 2012 Tech Woman of the Year Jennifer Kruschwitz, OSA’s Network of Entrepreneurs session, the OSA Foundation breakfast, and a luncheon for OSA Fellows.
Highlighted technical session papers included a new technique for halting the progression of myopia in children, the use of pure spider silk in optical applications like biosensors, detection of explosives using a laser pointer and Raman spectroscopy, a new 3-D handheld scanner for point-of-care diagnostics, and the first report of a direct violation of Heisenberg’s famous uncertainty principle. These papers and more generated buzz in the media – from Wired and Popular Science to the local Rochester newspaper Democrat & Chronicle.
Back by popular demand, registered technical attendees have free access to recorded sessions from more than 40 percent of the technical conference. In addition, all conference papers are now accessible through OSA’s Optics InfoBase.
Join us next year in Orlando, Florida for Frontiers in Optics 2013, Oct. 6-10.