OPTIFAB 2015 Charged with Activity

And the action was not restricted to the Riverside Convention Center.

Check out the SPIE Updates from the show here http://spie.org/x115916.xml?WT.mc_id=ZLIZ

Several RRPC companies hosted tours during the week.  Jim Sydor of Sydor Optics estimates that they hosted over 100 people between Monday and Friday, with a shuttle running between the convention center and the Sydor shop, in Gates.

The MCC Optics Department hosted representatives from various companies on Thursday as an extracurricular activity of the Optifab conference. A shuttle bus provided transportation from the Rochester Riverside Convention Center to the MCC Brighton campus. Professors Alexis Vogt and Bill Strong showed off the recently renovated optics laboratories. Generous investments from the Corning Incorporated Foundation and Sydor Optics have transformed the labs into a state-of-the-art facility for optics education.

Five folks from Google were at the Cartel Clambake, and two of them visited MCC on Wednesday for a tour. In addition to checking out MCC’s impressive labs, there were discussions about Google internships for folks in the MCC Optical Systems Technology Program.

Optifab held its first ever (really? yes!) job fair on Thursday during the conference.

Visitors to Rochester were welcomed by an International Year of Light exhibit of colorful posters highlighting the impact of light upon our lives.  The posters were installed by the UR SPIE student chapter and visiting SPIE student chapter participants from St. Petersburg, Russia.

The RRPC Blog received a note from Diane Eagles, a teacher at #46 School in Rochester:
“On my way back to Rochester, from a long weekend in Puerto Rico, I was pleasantly welcomed by the photonics display at the airport. I am originally from Michigan and it always surprises me, the number of Rochestarians who know nothing of being the optics center of the world. I have designed and teach an optics class at school #46 in Rochester, New York. My hope is that the seed would be planted and one day bring to fruition opportunities of training and jobs in the field of photonics. The banners have inspired me to have my students do banners in celebration of light using some of the lessons we are learning about the behavior of light. I would love to have one or more of these U of R students visit our school.”