To a Bright Future

Karen A. Newman, Group Publisher, karen.newman@photonics.com

I had the pleasure of attending Photonics West this month, along with a sizable cross section of the industry. The BiOS exhibition was humming, and the plenary event featuring talks by the three 2014 Nobel Prize winners in chemistry was exuberant.

The annual Women in Optics event was enlightening on many issues that women face, both as they work to finish their studies and as they make their way into – and find success in – the industry beyond school.

Several people on the Photonics Media team were attending Photonics West for the first time, and it was exciting to see the event through their eyes. I imagine that just as our organization was introducing new team members to the industry and the meeting, many others were experiencing the annual conference and exhibition for the first time. It was a very positive glimpse of the future of the industry.

In our cover story, Photonics Spectra assistant editor Sarina Tracy takes a look at the photonics industry in the Asia-Pacific region. She found that 3-D laser printing is becoming a catalyst for industrial development – and the region is taking full advantage of the developing technology. In her report, which can be found starting on page 56 inside our Asia-Pacific special section, she shares insights from several people at the forefront of research and application of 3-D laser printing.

Also in this issue,

• “Nanoimprint Lithography Enables Cost-Effective Photonics Production,” by Dr. Martin Eibelhuber, Dr. Thomas Glinsner, Dr. Thomas Uhrmann and Paul Lindner, EV Group, beginning on page 34;

• “ColorLock™ Filter Stacks Enable Better Wide-Angle Imaging,” by Jason Keck, Reynard Corporation, beginning on page 38;

• “Multispectral Imaging Extends Vision Technology Capability,” by Xing-Fei He, Teledyne Dalsa Inc., beginning on page 41; and,

• “LSCM and RelA for Quantifying Microwear: A Case Study,” by W. James Stemp, Keene State College; Harry J. Lerner, Laval University; and Elaine H. Kristant, Harvard University.

In the coming weeks, you can check out our reporting from Photonics West at www.photonics.com/videogallery, where you can also view popular past shows from our archive of more than 200 Light Matters weekly videos.

Enjoy the issue, and send comments to me at karen.newman@photonics.com .