However lazy summer may feel elsewhere, it’s an active time in New England, when schools empty out, friends and family gather more often, and everyone gets away to the beach, or the woods, or the city. New England’s comparatively short growing season also requires more attentive gardening. Summer 2021 was markedly less lazy here at Photonics Media as we cultivated a crop of new events, resources, and improvements that we look forward to sharing with you over the next four months. In October, for example, we are hosting our fourth online conference, and the first to focus entirely on biophotonics technology. Running Oct. 26-28, the BioPhotonics Conference will feature more than 25 presentations from leading technology experts in microscopy, spectroscopy, OCT, flow cytometry, and medical lasers. Applications discussed will range from the detection of cancer and viruses to the analysis of blood and tissue, to diagnostics that enable the imaging of brain functioning. The keynote speakers and full program appear here. Registration for the event is free on our website. The November print issue of Photonics Spectra will be accompanied by the latest and greatest update to our Photonics Spectrum Wall Chart. In addition to updating the spectral ranges of common optical, detector, and laser materials, we reformatted our industry-leading reference to be more visually intuitive and easy to navigate. In December, we will be putting the final touches on our second annual Photonics Spectra Conference (PSC) — a virtual January event for which program development began in August (and continues today). Running online Jan. 10-13, the PSC will dedicate a day each to lasers, optics, optical sensors, and imaging. Each day will include tracks that dive more deeply into the latest component and system advancements, as well as into trending applications in laser materials processing, lidar, fiber sensors, scientific cameras, and more. January will also mark the unveiling of our redesign for Photonics Spectra. The magazine will continue to feature the same up-to-date and in-depth coverage of lasers, optics, imaging, and spectroscopy each month. But our redesign aims to further elevate the reader’s experience with more compelling visuals, layouts, and navigability. We hope you enjoy the fruits of our labors. The Photonics Media team is already hard at work sowing a new crop of ideas to cultivate more educational and strategic value for our readers in the photonics industry. Stay tuned.