San Jose hosts CLEO/QELS 2008

San Jose, California, is the site of this year’s annual Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) and the Quantum Electronics and Laser Science (QELS) Conference. This six-day event will be held 4–9 May 2008 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

This year’s conference features some 1800 technical sessions, more than 100 invited speakers, and approximately 6000 attendees. There will be short courses, tutorials, symposia, and an exhibit of the latest in optics and photonics, featuring exhibitors from around the world. CLEO/QELS will again be held in conjunction with the Conference on Photonic Applications, Systems, and Technologies (PhAST), which will run 6–8 May.

Sessions and speakers

Three plenary sessions will take place in the civic auditorium, located directly across the street from the convention center. Two of the speakers are sponsored by CLEO: On Monday, 5 May, David Reitze, professor of physics at the University of Florida, will speak on “The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory: Probing the Dynamics of Space-Time with Attometer Precision”; on Wednesday, 7 May, Albert Polman, director of the Center for Nanophotonics at the FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, the Netherlands, will lecture on “Plasmonics: Optics at the Nanoscale.” At the QELS plenary session on Wednesday, 7 May, Ian Walmsley, Hooke Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Oxford, will give a talk entitled “Meet the Fock States: The Photon Revisited.”

Numerous technical sessions with invited speakers sponsored by CLEO, QELS, and PhAST are scheduled. In addition, the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association is sponsoring several sessions with invited panelists speaking on such topics as organic light-emitting diodes and solar technology.

On Sunday, 4 May, 3:00–6:00pm, is a tribute symposium to Theodore Maiman: “Invention and Demonstration of the World’s First Laser.” Speakers will be Kathleen Maiman, Jeff Hecht (Laser Focus World), David Hanna (University of Southampton, UK), Delwin McCarthy (Millennium Dental), and Nicholas J. Razum and Gregory S. Keller (Western Institute for Laser Treatment).

Six more symposia take place throughout the week. Topics are hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers and waveguides, nonlinear microscopy and spectroscopy in biology, novel resonators, integrated optical isolators and magneto-optical phenomena, light filaments and light propagation in atmosphere, and quantum light–matter interfaces.

More than 30 short courses will be offered Sunday through Tuesday, 4–6 May, at the Fairmont Hotel, just two blocks from the convention center. Topics include laser processing and optical instrumentation, applications of nonlinear optics, medical and biological applications, organic and inorganic LEDs for solid-state lighting and displays, and micro- and nanophotonic devices. New for 2008 are courses on quantum dot laser diodes, organic photonic devices, laser beam combining, and laser tweezers.

The Optical Society of America (OSA) Student Member Program is sponsoring four half-hour talks on academic and professional opportunities in optics. The talks will take place on Tuesday, 6 May, 10:15am–12:30pm. Following is the PhAST Power Lunch, 12:30–1:30pm, during which 10 industry leaders will each host a table to discuss high-level career planning. From 4:00 to 6:30pm, finalists for the New Focus/Bookham Award will present their papers. The award is sponsored by OSA to encourage excellence in research, presentation, and leadership among OSA student members.

Exhibits and career center

The CLEO exhibit will be open from 10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday and Wednesday and from 10:00am to 4:00pm Thursday in halls 1, 2, and 3 of the convention center. More than 350 companies will present their latest in product development and technological advances and have the chance to apply for the PhAST/Laser Focus World Innovation Awards Program. Contracted CLEO exhibitors may present an application, service, or product to be considered for this award. Criteria include potential impact on the optics industry, functionality, long-term viability, and innovation.

In addition, the CLEO/QELS/PhAST career center, also located in the convention center, will be open Tuesday and Wednesday, 6–7 May, from 10:00am to 5:00pm. It will offer a free career workshop to provide information and guidance to candidates seeking employment in the optics and photonics industry. Tips will be given on resumé writing, interviewing, and networking.

The conference reception will take place Tuesday, 6 May, from 6:30 to 8:00pm.

For the most up-to-date information, visit http://www.cleoconference.org .