There's always an air of romance associated with the fall season and electronics! The reason being: This is the time of the year when there are a whole lot of electronics-related trade shows organized in this part of the world -- Asia! So when I recently came across a page on the Web that describes Gwangju town (or "village of light"), as home to over a dozen research institutes, government agencies investing in photonics R&D, and photonics trade associations promoting the industry's development, my attention was diverted to that city and of course, South Korea. Coming back to fall electronics shows, one such show that springs to my mind is the International Photonics Exhibition 2009 (Photonics Korea 2009), which will be held at the Kimdaejung Convention Center, Gwangju City, South Korea, on Oct. 13-15, 2009. Hosted by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Gwangju City, this event is organized by the Korea Association for Photonics Industry Development (KAPID), along with the World Photonics Expo. It has the support of all of the leading photonics institutes and associations -- from Korea, China, Taiwan, Scotland, the USA, etc. The Photonics Korea 2009 show will be graced by over 180 domestic and international companies, spread over 300 booths. Apparently, public zones will also be run for specific technologies such as LEDs, FTTH, etc. The product lineup for exhibit includes optical communication systems, optical communication components, laser instruments, optical measuring instruments, optical sensors, optical sources, optical detectors, optical elements, optical components, optical inspection instruments, optical sources and optoelectronic devices, optical materials, photography instruments, etc. The event boasts of the International Photonics Technology Conference (IPTC 2009) as well, where the focus and direction of the photonics market and technology trends will be discussed. There will be seminars on the international market trends and new technology ideas in each field of photonics, as well as on the market and technology trends in specific areas such as FTTH, LEDs, etc. One of the participants of last year -- Advanced Photonics Research Institute (APRI) -- in fact had one of its research reports titled "Stable generation of GeV-class electron beams from self-guided laser-plasma channels" published in Nature Photonics late last year. According to the APRI Web site, the research team, led by Prof. Jongmin Lee, would be making efforts to achieve a goal of stable generation of electron beam with more energy during 2009. I am trying to set up a conversation with APRI as well as another organization – Pohang Accelerator Lab – and bring to you some of the research projects and updates. Pradeep Sept. 11, 2009