Photonics West, the essential photonics event in North America, will bring more than 17,500 of the world's leading researchers and innovators to Silicon Valley for a week of technical sessions, special events, and innovation-rich exhibitions. The event will run from 24 through 29 January in the San Jose, CA (USA), Convention Center.

The highly regarded technical program, featuring presentations from top academic and industry researchers, is seeing 10% growth over last year, with more than 3,300 scheduled presentations. The program is divided into four symposia:

+ Biomedical Optics and Imaging (BiOS)

+ Laser Devices and Materials (LASE)

+ Optoelectronic Technologies and Applications (OPTO)

+ Micro- and Nanofabricated Electromechanical and Optical Components (MOEMS-MEMS).

The synergy of the technical program and exhibitions at Photonics West is an important value for those who attend.

"This is a great event because it's a gathering of many new technologies and ideas," said Petrie Yam, senior product manager at KLA-Tencor. "The exchange in technology discussions really helps to innovate new technologies and that's what we need with emerging markets. There are a lot of new problems to be solved."

The Photonics West exhibition, North America's largest optics and photonics exhibition, will include more than 1,100 companies showing components, systems, and applications for optics and photonics manufacturing, electronic imaging, IR sources and detectors, optical detectors, fibers and materials, cameras and displays, and other innovations.

The Photonics West exhibition has become the preferred venue for product launches in this field, and dozens of companies will present product demonstrations each day during the exhibition. Regional clusters will be represented in eight national and five state pavilions showcasing each region's optics and photonics industry.

The weekend Biomedical Optics exhibition, the leading international exhibition in the field, will feature 135 companies showing components, sensors, instruments, and applications for molecular and spectroscopic/microscopic imaging, biomedical optics, and nano/biophotonics. Dates for the BiOS exhibition are 24-25 January.

Both exhibitions are open to registrants at no charge, as are three executive panels and a Hot Markets session featuring top industry leaders discussing high-impact issues. Topics include:

+ Silicon Photonics and Optical Interconnects

+ Hot Markets in Photonics: Solar

+ Perspectives on the World of Photonics

+ Applications of High-Power Solid State Lasers.

The inaugural Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation are to be presented at Photonics West. Sponsored by SPIE and Laurin Publishing, the Photonics Innovation awards will honor the best innovative products and processes that were brought to market between September 2007 and September 2008.

Networking and jobs
The Photonics West program offers 75 short courses and workshops, spanning topics across all four symposia. The educational program is the largest and most comprehensive in North America, and features an expanded roster of business and professional development offerings to complement the technical courses.

Photonics West will also offer numerous networking opportunities and social events, including activities organized especially for students, early-career professionals, Women in Optics, and technical-interest groups.

Professional development opportunities for students will be highlighted by a seminar and a panel composed of representatives from academia, government, and industry. Jorge Cham, creator of the comic "Piled Higher and Deeper," will talk on "The Power of Procrastination," and will join a second panel of hiring managers offering ideas on how to get hired in the current job market.

Employers and prospective employees can connect at the SPIEWorks job fair, with approximately 20 companies recruiting on-site and hundreds of jobs posted online.

"Photonics West is an ideal place to interact with the next generation of students, who will be our customers and could be future employees," said Jason Eichenholz, Vice President of Research and Technology at Ocean Optics.