As the economy continues to recover, economists are seeing stark differences between people with high school and college degrees. Four-year college graduates are nearly twice as likely to have a job compared to Americans who just graduated high school and stopped there. But economists say that doesn’t mean everybody needs a four-year degree. In fact, millions of good-paying jobs are opening up in the trades. And some pay better than...Continue Reading
It’s tough to get higher tech than the OptiPro Pro 80 GTS. About the size of a phone booth, with a separate arm holding a control panel covered in buttons, dials and a touchscreen, the machine turns discs of glass into specialized, very precise, very expensive optics. One of those computer-controlled grinders — along with a sister machine, a Pro 80 P polisher, both made by Wayne County’s OptiPro Systems...Continue Reading
Martin Dvorin is Professor emeritus of the Optical Systems Technology Program at a Community College. He began teaching optics at Monroe Community College, on Alexander Street, in Rochester, NY in 1966. We reprint here a recollection written for us by Marty in 2009, and edited just two months ago. Happy Birthday Marty! In the early 1960’s, the Optical Society of America, in a research effort “Optics – an Action Program”, under the...Continue Reading
Slaughter Has Spearheaded Effort to Secure Transformational Federal Investment Since 2012 Optics and Photonics Support 17,000 Jobs in the Rochester Region ROCHESTER, NY – Today, New York’s Rochester-led consortium was named one of three finalists in the country to compete for a significant federal investment in the region’s signature photonics industry, an initiative that Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) has spearheaded for nearly three years. In October 2014, at Rep....Continue Reading
From the Rochester Business Journal at http://www.rbj.net/article.asp?aID=210763 The competition that will award more than $200 million to create a manufacturing institute focused on the photonics industry will be launched soon, and Rochester is a prime candidate, officials announced Friday. The Department of Defense will lead the competition designed to establish a photonics hub, Sen Charles Schumer, D-NY., said. Albany also is positioned to be a hub, he said. “Rochester is...Continue Reading
Someday your smartphone might be able to help you in a new way when you’re traveling: by telling you whether the water is safe to drink. Although a water app isn’t close yet, researchers at Corning and elsewhere recently discovered that they could use Gorilla Glass, the toughened glass made by Corning that’s commonly used on smartphone screens, to make extremely sensitive chemical and biological sensors. It could detect, say,...Continue Reading
Did you know that the stunning lights of aurora borealis are the result of solar wind? Or that every CD and DVD player contains a tiny laser? Or that some people can trick their brains to see “impossible” colors? Fascinating, right? It’s this fascination with light and an unquenchable interest in researching new concepts that has made the Rochester region a light, imaging and optical technologies worldwide hub. The United...Continue Reading
The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies officially launched today with a two-day opening ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, with more than 1,000 attendees including international diplomats, Nobel laureates, CEOs, and science and industry leaders from across the globe. The opening events highlight the themes of IYL 2015 programs designed to promote improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world while also celebrating noteworthy...Continue Reading
The success of the Monroe Community College optics program is a stellar example of industry support and involvement, including cash and material donations and direct student support. While some companies just wring their hands and complain that colleges aren’t producing the workforce they need, the Rochester-area employers offer a shining example of how industry and education can – and must – work together for the benefit of both. Kudos to...Continue Reading
Super-hydrophobic properties could lead to applications in solar panels, sanitation and as rust-free metals Scientists at the University of Rochester have used lasers to transform metals into extremely water repellent, or super-hydrophobic, materials without the need for temporary coatings. Super-hydrophobic materials are desirable for a number of applications such as rust prevention, anti-icing, or even in sanitation uses. However, as Rochester’s Chunlei Guo explains, most current hydrophobic materials rely on...Continue Reading
New York Photonics is a not-for-profit organization founded to promote and enhance the New York State optics, photonics and imaging industry by fostering the cooperation of business, academia and government.
