Letter: Slaughter has led on photonics In reference to the Feb. 2 essay by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (“To fight poverty locally, invest in well-paying jobs”), I applaud the congresswoman’s efforts on behalf of optics and photonics. This is an industry that is highly technical and often not understood by many outside of Rochester, but the everyday technologies enabled by optics and photonics are well known — smartphones, laser surgery and...Continue Reading
Tuesday, March 25th at 7:00 PM Laboratory for Laser Energetics Dr. Mathias Kolle of MIT. Dr. Kolle will discuss Biological and Bio-inspired Photonic Materials. After Dr. Kolle’s talk, Erika Hanson from consulting firm Terrapin Bright Green[terrapinbrightgreen.com] will describe NYSERDA funding for biomimetic R&D. To learn about the biomimicry progam, visit NY-BIG.org[ny-big.org]. Pre-talk dinner: with guest speaker Mathias Kolle, will be held at King and I at 5 p.m. located at...Continue Reading
For twenty years many of us have worked together to get the Rochester community to recognize what the world already recognizes: the importance of optics, photonics and imaging (OPI) to our region. We are recognized around the world for this strategic advantage. The lion’s share of this region’s patents are for applications in OPI. We now have the endorsements of Louise Slaughter, Kristin Gillibrand, Chuck Schumer and points of contact...Continue Reading
Fuel gain exceeding unity in an inertially confined fusion implosion. From the Journal, Nature Ignition is needed to make fusion energy a viable alternative energy source, but has yet to be achieved. A key step on the way to ignition is to have the energy generated through fusion reactions in an inertially confined fusion plasma exceed the amount of energy deposited into the deuterium–tritium fusion fuel and hotspot during the...Continue Reading
All Three Units of 392 megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Now Delivering Solar Power to California’s Electric Grid At full capacity, the facility’s trio of 450-foot high towers produces a gross total of 392 megawatts (MW) of solar power, enough electricity to provide 140,000 California homes with clean energy and avoid 400,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equal to removing 72,000 vehicles off the road. Take 300,000 computer-controlled mirrors, each...Continue Reading
SPIE’s Photonics West, arguably the largest photonics conference in the world at 21,000 attendees this year, had representation among its exhibitors of roughly 18% of the world’s optic and photonics market. That market, estimated at roughly $480 Billion by SPIE, is the foundation for technological advances in manufacturing, metrology, nanotechnology, semiconductors, biomedical instruments, consumer electronics, military / defense, lasers, research, automotive, mapping, geospatial imaging, entertainment, unmanned systems and every other...Continue Reading
Exelis (NYSE: XLS) has delivered the primary payload for the future Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) weather satellite. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), which provides high-resolution imagery of environmental conditions, has arrived in Denver where it will be integrated into its GOES-R satellite for a scheduled 2016. The completed ABI is the first of four satellite payloads Exelis is building for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The second...Continue Reading
Top executives, representing different aspects of the marketplace, shared their insight and hard-fought lessons regarding trends and opportunities in optics and photonics. Optimax CEO, Rick Plympton shared 2013 experiences, including strong orders from laser systems, particularly HPL’s, and significant medical and semiconductor business. Plympton shared optimism about what he sees as necessary pruning (sequestration) of government business, which he anticipates will result in new growth in other government program opportunities....Continue Reading
Five years ago the Monroe Community College (MCC) Optical Systems Technology Program graduated two people and had a total of six enrollments. Today, the program has new labs, new laboratory equipment, dual-credit relationships with three area high schools and an annual optical systems immersion program for high schoolers with the Optics Summer Sizzler. There are 50 enrollments. Corning and Sydor Optics donated $750 thousand to the program and there is...Continue Reading
Sydor Instruments recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with Kentech Instruments Ltd to serve as its sales and applications partner in North America. The UK-based Kentech specializes in the manufacture of high voltage, fast pulse generator systems and gated detectors that when integrated with Sydor Instruments’ cameras, can provide custom diagnostics and ultrafast imaging systems. The partnership will enhance Sydor’s ability to deliver integrated imaging systems to...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.
