About
01 December 2010
LaserFest in Times Square
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Lyndsay Meyer
The Optical Society
+1.202.416.1435
lmeyer@osa.org
LaserFest in Times Square
OSA video montage of laser innovation to appear in Times Square during month of December
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1—Visitors to New York City’s Times Square will be able to view a larger than life video montage on laser technology, produced as part of LaserFest, throughout the month of December. Clips from the LaserFest video Lasers: Transforming Life, produced by the Optical Society (OSA), will appear on the CBS Super Screen on 42nd Street beginning today and running through Jan. 1, 2011. LaserFest is the science community’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the invention of the first laser.
“OSA is excited to showcase LaserFest in Times Square,” said Elizabeth Rogan, CEO of OSA, one of the four founding partners of LaserFest. “The science community has come together throughout 2010 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the laser. The display in Times Square is a fantastic way to wrap up the festivities. LaserFest programming and events this year have reached many audiences. We are pleased to be able to share the importance of laser innovation and scientific research with the general public.”
The 26- by 20-foot screen will show highlights of the Lasers: Transforming Life video and direct viewers to the LaserFest website and the website of the OSA Foundation, a sponsor of the video. More than 1.5 million people are expected to view the 520-square-foot screen each day this month.
The full Lasers: Transforming Life video features an overview of how lasers play a role in everyday technologies, such as the Internet and laser surgery, and highlights laser research that may lead to future clean energy sources or help understand such mysteries as black holes. NPR host Ira Flatow is featured, along with video from NASA, DARPA and IBM, among others.
About LaserFest
LaserFest, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the laser, emphasizes the laser's impact throughout history and highlights its potential for the future. Through a series of events and programs, LaserFest showcases the prominence of the laser in today's world. Founding Partners of LaserFest are the American Physical Society (APS), the Optical Society (OSA), SPIE, and the IEEE Photonics Society. For more information, visit www.LaserFest.org.
About OSA
Uniting more than 106,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.
