A campaign to raise the general public’s awareness of the importance of optics and photonics has been announced by The Optical Society (OSA). Called “Enabled by Optics” and launched by OSA’s Corporate Associates program, the campaign will emphasize the extraordinary role optics has played in furthering innovation and having a critical impact on everyday life. The first phase of the launch includes a contest that will promote optics as an enabling technology by featuring its lesser-known role in products widely used by the general public. The contest will include two submission tracks — one for companies and another for both college and graduate-level students. Optics and photonics companies can submit a whitepaper highlighting how their technology affects the public, and students can submit video entries demonstrating how optical technology plays a key part in making a commonly used product work. Winning entries will be promoted as part of the overall campaign and will be part of a consumer-focused video production. “As professionals in the optics business, we know optics and photonics are critical parts of the products we use every day — from optical fibers at the heart of communication networks to laser surgery to cameras and high-resolution displays in our smartphones,” said OSA Corporate Associates committee chairman George Bayz of Synopsys Inc. “The Enabled by Optics campaign aims to take this knowledge beyond our immediate community and help us shine a light on optics as an enabling technology. We're looking forward to sharing the great work being done in the corporate optics community around the world.” The annual contest will provide the foundation for a future online library accessible to policy makers, educators, consumers and students. The resource will help further educate audiences about the far-reaching impact of optics on everyday life. For more information, visit: ww.osa.org