ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 12 -- More than 50 members of the Laser Institute of America (LIA), a professional society dedicated to fostering lasers, laser applications and laser safety worldwide, voted unanimously to form a Northeast chapter at their recent regional meeting in Sturbridge, Mass. Five committee chairmen have been named from five different Northeast regions, and each will plan a meeting in their respective areas over the next year. They are: Bill Shiner of IPG Photonics (designated chair), Bo Gu of GSI Group Inc. of Boston and Worcester, Mass.; Ron Schaeffer of Photo Machining in Nashua, N.H.; Robert Brown of CCAT in Hartford, Conn.; and George Andrews of Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Bimonthly meetings will be held throughout the area with a guest speaker or factory tour as part of each one. The Sturbridge meeting included an optional facility tour of IPG Photonics and a presentation by David Belforte, publisher and editor in chief of Industrial Laser Solutions, titled "Industrial Lasers in China: A global market threat?" Organizers say the next stage of the chapter's development is to conduct a new member drive by contacting prospective members from the laser, industrial, medical and scientific communities. As membership in the LIA is required to join the local chapter, LIA is providing a discount for all who attend these regional meetings. Officials say the goal of the LIA is to form many of these regional chapters throughout the country and then grow internationally. According to LIA's bylaws, each chapter must consist of a minimum of 20 LIA members and form an organizational committee with one designated chair. There will not be any chapter dues and the group must meet a minimum of four times a year. For more information, visit: www.laserinstitute.org