Photonics research will be the focus of the Charlotte Research Institute’s 6th Annual Optoelectronics and Optical Communications Symposium, to be held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte). Featured speakers will include William Philips, PhD, 1997 Nobel Laureate, who will present “Optics with Laser-like Atom Waves” on Nov. 1. (Philips will also deliver a public lecture , “Time, Einstein and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe,” at the university on Nov. 2.) Michael Lebby, PhD, president of the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association, will provide information about global trends in optoelectronics and the many markets enabled by it (Oct. 31, 6 p.m.). Other speakers will be Robert McMahon, North Carolina governor’s senior science advisor; Michael Feldman, CTO of Tessera Corp., George Simonis, chief of the Army Research Labs Photonics Div.; and George Stegeman, PhD, a professor of Optics at the College of Optics & Photonics at the University of Central Florida. UNC faculty will present current research initiatives in photonics, and industry vendors will exhibit and conduct product demonstrations throughout the symposium. The Charlotte Research Institute also collaborates with the Center for Precision Metrology at UNC Charlotte to combine photonics and precision engineering research. "The strategic outcome of the disciplines can lead to advances in advanced manufacturing," the institute said in a statement. Optolectronics and precision metrology researchers will be available during the symposium for discussions about industry trends. “The industry is approaching $1 trillion in market impact and is growing fast," said Michael Fiddy, director of the institute's Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications (CEOS). He said the institute is conducting photonics research projects in active and passive photonic devices for communications, sensing, imaging and lighting; integrated optics and packaging; optical materials (semiconductors, polymer-organic and crystalline); optical metrology; optical imaging; and optical networks . For details and registration information, visit: www.optoresearch.com.