This year'ss annual SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing symposium (http://spie.org/dss) -- the largest international event for sensing and related technologies for industrial, commercial, and defense applications in optics and photonics -- will include an expanded range of industrial and commercial sensing topics, along with talks by government funding experts.
The event will be held at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort and Convention Center 13-17 April. Nearly 6,000 optics researchers and engineers are expected to attend the 55
conferences, 57 courses and workshops, and 500-company exhibition.
The expanded scope reflects the synergy in the industry, as optics and photonics devices and systems developed for the military find applications in industry, and industry-developed
sensors find applications in defense and security.
A panel on Future Directions in U.S Government Funding is one of several events that are free to all attendees. Other free-admission events are a talk by Norman Augustine, retired
Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, on global competitiveness and fundamental changes needed in the engineering profession; a hot-topics session on Cyber Sensing are free-admission; and
the three-day exhibition.
The exhibition will run 14 through 16 April, and will include nine of the top ten global defense contractors and numerous specialized equipment, applications, and systems providers. Five
winners of the 2008 Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation(http://www.photonicsprismaward.com), sponsored by SPIE and Laurin Publishing,
will exhibit: NoblePeak Vision, Tessera, Coherent, Daylight Solutions, and Sensor Electronic Technology.
A germ-free mobile laboratory will be part of a special robotics and unmanned systems display, as will a DARPA Challenge vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicles like those used in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and robotic systems and other real-world applications of IR imagers, sensors, and optics.
Kazuo Hotate of the Univ. of Tokyo will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the symposium banquet.
Among technical highlights:
* Special sessions in a conference on Infrared Technology and Applications marking the 50-year anniversary of HgCdTe (mercury cadmium telluride) detector technology, with invited speakers
from 12 countries
* Papers on crossover of sensor technology between security and industrial applications, in a conference on Fiber Optic Sensors and Applications
* A session on imaging spectroscopy with papers from several industry players, in the conference on Next-Generation Spectroscopic Technologies.
Technical short courses at beginning through advanced levels on topics such as imaging and sensing devices and systems and data processing will be offered, along with professional
development workshops on ITAR compliance, product innovation, and engineering project leadership.
Ray Johnson, Senior Vice President and CTO, Lockheed Martin, is Symposium Chair, and Michael Eismann, Technical Advisor, Electro-Optics Sensor Technology Division, Air Force Research Lab,
is Symposium Co-Chair.
Conference proceedings manuscripts are published online in the SPIE Digital Library (http://SPIEDigitalLibrary.org) as soon as approved
following the conference. The SPIE Digital Library contains more than 270,000 articles on optics and photonics research, with approximately 20,000 new journal and proceedings articles
added each year. Read more about the SPIE Digital Library online (http://spie.org/x2836.xml) or access papers via subscription or pay-per-view via
the SPIE Digital Library website.
Registration and other information: http://spie.org/x12228.xml.
SPIE (http://spie.org) is the international optics and photonics society founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. Serving more than 188,000
constituents from 138 countries, the Society advances emerging technologies through interdisciplinary information exchange, continuing education, publications, patent precedent, and
career and professional growth. SPIE annually organizes and sponsors approximately 25 major technical forums, exhibitions, and education programs in North America, Europe, Asia, and the
South Pacific. In 2008, the Society provided $1.9 million for scholarships, grants, and other activities supporting research and education around the world. For more information, visit
SPIE.org.