The first hard x-ray free electron laser (FEL) will be turned on at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park. Persis S. Drell, director of SLAC at Stanford University, will describe the phenomenon at the Women in Optics (WiO) presentation and reception at Photonics West 2009. Drell’s presentation, titled, “Free Electron Lasers at an Angstrom: A Revolution in Hard X-Ray Sources,” describes Linac Coherent Light Source – the world’s first hard x-ray FEL – and she will delve into its scientific motivation, recent experiment results and prospects for the future.The reception is today, Tuesday, Jan. 27, at the Fairmont Hotel, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Open to all conference attendees, it is an opportunity for networking, information and inspiration – while enjoying wine and cheese refreshments. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to meet one of the brightest women in optics today.Drell recently was named director of SLAC by university President John Hennessy. A professor of physics at SLAC, she has held a series of senior positions at the laboratory since 2002 and has served as acting director since September. Stanford University operates SLAC on behalf of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science.Her appointment follows an international search and interview process conducted by a committee appointed by Hennessy. The committee began its work in March 2007, when Jonathan Dorfan, former director, announced his intention to step down. Drell is the fourth director of SLAC since its inception in 1962. The late Wolfgang “Pief” Panofsky, SLAC’s founding director, served from 1961 to 1984. Nobel laureate Burton Richter was director from 1984 to 1999. Dorfan was the third SLAC director and served from 1999 until September 2007. Drell has been recognized for her scientific achievements and leadership and has received, among other honors, a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2002, she was included in Discover magazine’s “50 Most Important Women in Science.” For more information about WiO 2009, visit: www.spie.org.