OSA's annual meeting, Frontiers in Optics 2010
Innovations from more than 850 scientific, technical and educational presentations will be highlighted during the Optical Society's (OSA) 94th Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO) 2010, being held Oct. 24 - 28 at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, N.Y. Held in conjunction with Laser Science XXVI, the annual meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Laser Science (DLS), the meeting will cover the breadth of optical science and engineering in five days of cutting-edge content, powerful networking and opportunities for scientific exchange. Exhibits featuring more than 80 leading optics companies, including local Rochester companies ASE Optics and Glass Fab, Inc., as well as Mildex, Inc. and Sydor Optics, Inc., will complement the in-depth educational programming and offer attendees a glimpse of the latest optical technologies and products.
WHAT: The Optical Society's Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics 2010
WHERE: Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Rochester, N.Y.
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 24 - Thursday, Oct. 28
More than 110 papers from New York-based researchers will be presented during FiO, covering a wide range of topics across the entire spectrum of optics and photonics. Highlights include:
- Steroid Induced Osteoporosis - Researchers at the University of Rochester are developing a new way to monitor bone health and search for signs of osteoporosis, using infrared light. At Frontiers in Optics, Jason Maher, Andrew Berger, and their colleagues will present ongoing studies of the effects of steroids on the bones of mice. The presentation, "Steroid Induced Osteoporosis Detected by Raman Spectroscopy" is at 3:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 25.
- A team of University of Rochester scientists is using the technique of Raman spectroscopy to study two common dental plaque bacteria, Streptococcus sanguis and mutans. The relative balance of the two may be an indicator of a patient's oral health and risk for tooth decay -- Streptococcus sanguis is associated with "healthy" plaque, while mutans is associated with tooth decay. Raman spectroscopy offers the potential to analyze samples of the bacterium in a simple, rapid and quantitative manner as compared to microbiology techniques, including the ability to study spatial distributions of bacterial species, living or dead, within samples. The talk, "Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy of Streptococcus sanguis and mutans," is at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26.
OSA Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Endowment
University of Rochester Professor Joseph H. Eberly is the 2010 recipient of OSA's highest award for his many important research contributions to quantum optics and optical physics, his leadership as a teacher and educator and his tireless and visionary service to the optics community. He will be honored during the FiO Plenary and Awards session scheduled for Monday, Oct. 25.
Additional programming of note:
OSA Student Chapter Competition - "Feeding Young Minds"
A new contest, sponsored by Newport Corporation and focused on youth education outreach, will take place during FiO 2010. This event provides OSA student chapters with the opportunity to showcase their best optics education lesson plan/demonstration and to compete for a cash prize of $500. Teams, including one from the University of Rochester, will demonstrate classroom activities involving everyday goods like corn syrup, Jell-O, and colored lights to teach children about the science of light. They will be judged by the following criteria: effectiveness, originality, reach, and tie-in with the contest theme, "Feeding Young Minds."
This event is free of charge and will take place in the Empire Hall of the Riverside Rochester Convention Center, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 12. - 2 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 27, 12 - 2 p.m.
Plenary and Awards Ceremony
Monday, Oct. 25, 8 a.m.
Keynote Speakers:
- Alain Aspect
Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Inst. d'Optique, France
"Hanbury Brown and Twiss and other atom-atom correlations: from photon to atom quantum optics"
- Steven M. Block
Stanford University
"The Biophysics of Gene Regulation, Studied One Molecule at a Time"
Special Event: Arthur Ashkin Honorary Symposium
Tuesday, Oct.26, 1:30 p.m.
This symposium commemorates Arthur Ashkin's contributions to the understanding and use of light pressure forces on the 40th anniversary of his seminal paper "Acceleration and trapping of particles by radiation pressure." Light pressure forces have served as the foundation for many cutting-edge research fields, such as work with optical tweezers, trapping of neutral particles and Bose-Einstein condensation. It is not an overstatement to say that the discovery and understanding of light pressure forces has led to a renaissance in atomic and molecular physics as well as optical science. Several historical overviews as well as new research that rest upon Ashkin's foundational work will be presented. Conference attendees are invited to help honor Ashkin and gain a deeper understanding of the far-reaching impact of his work in light-matter interactions.
Provided by Optical Society of America
