SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, will host its first-ever Photonics Industry Summit on 21 September in the heart of Washington, DC. This one-day event is aimed toward companies manufacturing optics and photonics products as well as executives within related industries. Attendees will hear from multiple high-level US government agency and Congressional speakers who will discuss their latest plans for optics and photonics-related programs in key technology areas – including AI, quantum, hypersonics, energy, and semiconductors – as well as ways in which the industry can align to support and benefit from these efforts.
Featured speakers include the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Principal Deputy Director for Policy Kei Koizumi; Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s Acting Director for Technology Jennifer Gerbi; Maynard Holliday, the US Department of Defense’s Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Critical Technologies in the Office of the Under-Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; and Laurie Locascio, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The event will also include a panel discussion with industry leaders regarding the current challenges faced within the optics and photonics field, and ways the US government can assist in mitigating these issues. More speaker announcements will be made between now and September.
“This broad-ranging discussion on the current direction of US government policies and funding has something for everyone working within the optics and photonics industry,” notes SPIE Director of Government Affairs Jennifer O’Bryan. “If you’re looking for information and networking opportunities that will contribute to the strategic growth of your business, this is the room you will want to be in.”
This event is sponsored by Google, AmeriCOM, Edmund Optics, Excelitas Technologies, Hamamatsu, Jenoptik, Leonardo Electronics, Optimax, Thorlabs, and TOPTICA Photonics.