News & Events

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY 25th District) and Exelis Geospatial Systems Precision Optics have announced a $2 million technology investment with the University of Rochester. The investment was secured by Slaughter and will fund optics polishing work by Exelis and the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics using equipment manufactured in Rochester. article here  Continue Reading

Science and engineering (S&E) employment in the United States is geographically concentrated in a small number of states and several major metropolitan areas within those states, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey (ACS). The three most populous states—California, Texas, and New York—together accounted for more than one-fourth of all S&E employment in the United States. Article and Data HereContinue Reading

Photonics was the focal point at the University of Central Florida (UCF) on Wednesday when Rep. John L. Mica paid a visit to the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL). “They are performing phenomenal research in our backyard,” Mica said. “The work going on at UCF holds tremendous potential for our workforce and will impact and touch nearly every aspect of our lives.” Among the technologies...Continue Reading

The “average person, or average congressman” doesn’t know much about photonics, according to a coalition of industry and academic groups pushing a National Photonics Initiative. Part of the problem could easily be the name, said Thomas Koch, dean of the University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences, who hosted a push for greater recognition at the college Wednesday, inviting Rep. Ron Barber, D-Ariz., to hear pleas for greater federal involvement...Continue Reading

Albany Underwrites Economic Development Expansion of Nanotech Efforts West of Albany Gannett, Sunday, August 18, 2013: The ambition of Cuomo and Kaloyeros comes at a time when upstate New York continues to try to find its footing after decades of manufacturing decline. In June, 43,453 fewer people were employed in New York than in June 2008, and the number of unemployed grew 45 percent during the period, from 497,663 to...Continue Reading

The National Photonics Initiative: What Is Rochester’s Role? Co-hosted with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter Representative, 25th District, New York RRPC Annual Meeting Thursday September 5, 2013 Rochester Museum & Science Center 3:30 – 6:30 PM (3:00 PM registration) $45 per person click here to register Following the release last year of Optics & Photonics: Essential Technologies for Our Nation, the report sponsors and key stakeholders from around the nation convened in...Continue Reading

While members of the Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster have known for weeks about anticipated layoffs resulting from Valeant’s acquisition of Bausch and Lomb, apparently the governor’s office and the strategic business division of Empire State development were unaware. The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports this morning that former Rochester Mayor and current New York State Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy was caught off guard.  “All this came as a major surprise,”...Continue Reading

“Matteson points out that there were four significant changes among four different chiefs between 1988 and 2012: Chandler bought Sterling Drug in 1988 to leverage the chemical wing by moving into pharma; Fisher said he could make digital cameras a success; Dan Carp touted a global model that pushed digital cameras but reemphasized the legacy film business; Antonio Perez, the outgoing head, steered the company in a completely different direction...Continue Reading

A new center led by the University of Rochester will receive over $4 million in combined federal, industry and academic funding to advance the emerging area of freeform optics. Freeform optics could transform 21st century optical science. It could allow for a wider range of shapes for lenses and mirrors, which until recently had been mostly limited to spherical shapes, and they could be targeted to their use. Although the...Continue Reading

A circus-themed report from a left-leaning Washington, D.C.-based good-government group brought no amusement to Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s administration after it selected him as one of the nation’s 18 worst governors. The analysis from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington categorized Cuomo as a “sideshow” — the least awful of its three categories of bad executives — for what the group described as transparency and cronyism failures. http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Cuomo-rates-as-sideshow-in-political-circus-4671553.phpContinue Reading