Photonics for a Better World

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Jani in his lab Meet this week's SPIE Faces of Photonics feature, Hemang Jani. Hemang is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Physics at the University of Alabama, Huntsville (UAH). He was born in India and is now working towards a Ph.D. in Optical Science and Engineering. Most of his time is spent in the Precision Ultrafast Light Sciences (PULS) group, but he is also a dedicated member of the SPIE Student Chapter at his university. In fact, he's the the vice president! Hemang attended SPIE Photonics West 2018 to present in the Ultrafast Phenomena and Nanophotonics conference . You can read his paper, "Femtosecond pump-probe study of negative electron affinity GaAs/AlGaAs photocathodes", on the SPIE Digital Library . Enjoy the interview! 1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a particular person who inspired you? My interest in optics and photonics has its roots in curiosities conc...

It’s time for the photonics community to “stand up and be counted,” said optics.org Editor-in-Chief Mike Hatcher in today’s newsletter. We agree! Here’s how Mike put it: “The behind-the-scenes work being done by representatives of the U.S. National Photonics Initiative (NPI) appears to be paying off. This week, an official request for information (RFI) from the Department of Defense (DoD) included photonics as one of six technology areas under consideration for a new public-private national manufacturing institute. “That RFI signals the invitation for the wider community - both industrial and academic - to get more directly involved in the process, by feeding back the kind of information that the DoD is looking for. "Now is the time for photonics proponents to communicate as clearly as possible the huge benefits that this technology will bring to the DoD and beyond with proper co-ordination, and the first chance to get involved is a webinar scheduled for tomorrow, ...

Backers of an initiative to raise awareness of the field of photonics and the many contributions photonics technologies and applications make to a stronger economy as well as quality of life have new reason to celebrate. Post the badge on your website to show your support! Last week, the Committee on Science of the the National Science and Technology Council nudged photonics toward the fast track, with the release on Thursday of a report by its Fast-Track Action Committee on Optics and Photonics (FTAC-OP). In a report titled " Building a Brighter Future with Optics and Photonics ,” the FTAC-OP presented a prioritized list of seven recommendations for research opportunities and research-related capabilities. The list aligns with and supports recommendations of the 2013 National Research Council Report Optics and Photonics, Essential Technologies for our Nation , addressing important needs from new methods for stopping disease, to more jobs that strengthen the economy, ...

One of the best chances of the year for the US photonics industry to capture the ear of Congress is scheduled to begin Friday: the August recess. Do you wish that your Congressional representative or senator understood why your photonics business or research is important to the economy? Do you wish that your representative knew how photonics helps -- to give just a few examples -- ensure community safety, cure diseases such as cancer, enable mobile phone communications and the internet, power 3D printing of airplane parts -- and create new industry and jobs? To help tell the photonics story, researchers including Naomi Halas of Rice University (above) tell in an SPIE.tv video how they use optics and photonics  to kill cancer, treat brain disorders, make  computers run faster, convert mobile phones  into sophisticated wireless diagnostic  devices, identify concealed explosives, and  more. ( Video:1:38 ) And do you wish that Congres...

You know that signature file you may have – “Sent from my [fabulous device name here]”? Our CEO here at SPIE, Eugene Arthurs, has one that gives credit where credit is due, to photonics: “Multiple laser processes were used to make this iPad. Many photons worked to bring you this message.” This blog makes the case that photonics can make the world a better place, and who can argue with the convenience and ease that is enabled by these great smartphones and tablets? Yes indeed, there are photons aplenty at work. But the latest column from Mark Morford , creatively infuriating (to some) writer for SFGate, points out that those who get worked up over what’s the latest and greatest, and the absolute best, are just wasting their energy, because tomorrow it will be something else. It’s reminiscent of the legend of the conquering Roman generals, who were accompanied in their victory parades by a slave to whisper a reminder in their ear: “All glory is fleeting.” Because, as Morford...

A new report on the U.S. photonics industry updates a 1998 study. Governments in Asia, Europe, North America, and elsewhere are finding new ways to prioritize their efforts to support optics technologies and industries and to advance their own national competitiveness and economic success A recent article in the SPIE Professional magazine surveyed the latest developments around the world. This post on policy in North America is the final part in a series that borrows from the magazine's report and has been edited to reflect the release on 13 August of the U.S. National Academies’ “Optics and Photonics, Essential Technologies for Our Nation.” The report was commissioned as an update to the National Academies’ "Harnessing Light" report of 1998, credited with inspiring and informing policy strategies around the world following its release. Photonics in Canada In Canada earlier this year, the merger of the Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovations (CIPI)...