Last week, the 2020 CLEO Conference on Lasers and Electro-optics was held in a first-ever, all-virtual format. Co-sponsored by the American Physical Society, IEEE Photonics Society, and The Optical Society (OSA), and managed by OSA, the conference reached almost 20,000 registrants.

Using web videoconference technologies, CLEO featured over 1,900 scientific presentations, delivered in a combination of live and pre-recorded sessions, demonstrating a wide breadth of advancements and discoveries. The session recordings are now available on the conference website for individuals who registered for CLEO. In the coming months, all OSA Members will be able to view individual presentations approved for archiving on OSA Publishing’s Digital Library as supplements to conference papers.

Going Virtual!

Throughout this time of change and uncertainty, OSA is continuing working to support you. Many OSA Meetings will now be presented live in a virtual, web conference format with recorded, archived talks available for on-demand viewing soon after they are presented. Until we can next meet in person, please join us virtually from wherever you are in the world.  

There will be no cost for attendees to participate. Speakers presenting a contributed oral talk or poster will pay a US$ 100 publishing fee. Registration is required to receive the link to enter virtual meeting rooms.

Celebrate with OSA Publishing and browse curated collections of published content on significant advancements in laser technology and innovation, including 60 important papers on laser science and applications published in OSA's journals over the past 60 years.

OSA Signs Letters Sent to U.S. Congress Supporting Science and Technology Community

 OSA has advocated to the U.S. Congress through many avenues to support the needs of the science and technology community during the COVID-19 pandemic.  This has included support for the research scientific workforce, infrastructure for STEM education for rural and underserved areas, and public health infrastructure.  Many of these letters and endorsements are posted on OSA’s Washington Updates webpage along with write-ups relating to news from the U.S. Congress or U.S. Executive Branch.

 Upcoming Webinar: For those with U.S. businesses, OSA is hosting a webinar titled “U.S. Federal Government COVID-19 Assistance Programs from Companies, Not for Profits available from the U.S. Small Business Administration & Federal Reserve Bank.”  The webinar is schedules for 19 May 2020 at 15:00 EDT.  Space is limited. Learn more and Register.

Let’s keep celebrating: share the International Day of Light video.

On Saturday, 16 May, the world celebrated the importance of the science of light and light-based technologies, but we don’t have to stop. Let’s keep sharing the #SEETHELIGHT video on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as well as the articles from leaders in our field about how light enables cleaner energy, better diagnostics and treatment, sustainable farming and high-speed connectivity.

Do you feel that you're flying by the seat of your pants? If so, you’re not alone. We keep hearing that this is "the new normal." Whatever you call it, how long will this last? And how can we navigate through it? We know that you are already spending more time on videoconferences, that's why we want to direct you to some important resources. OIDA launched its weekly series of webinars specifically addressing company management during the crisis, spanning topics from supply chains to employment and financial assistance. The webinars draw from collective wisdom from the community as well as experts from outside the community.

Image Source: Douglas Knight, CartoonStock. 

This was the wisdom of Chance the Gardiner, also known as Chauncey Gardiner, the clueless advisor to the President in the satirical novel "Being There" (see the trailer here). He says, "As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden." Chance, or Chauncey, is a simple gardener, but the observation was welcome. It's welcome now, too. While the economy was already fragile when the pandemic arrived, and there may not be growth this spring, there will be growth this summer, and fall and next spring. How so? 

Read the article here in the OIDA Newsletter.

Image Source: Everett Collection.

A Message from Chad Stark, Executive Director OSA Foundation
 
OSAF is committed to providing the support and resources for our members and customers expect to be safe and informed during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. We are maintaining business operations and delivering services in all program areas virtually to ensure our community continues to receive high-quality content.

Check out our website for the latest in virtual resources, event updates, exclusive content and more.

Live Virtual Training: Executive Presence

How does your executive presence show up when you interact with your colleagues and leadership?

If you already have a strong sense of presence, how do you sharpen those skills? Whether you’re leading important team meetings or presenting yourself as a candidate for a senior leadership role, your confidence and passion speak just as loudly as your words. When you communicate with your prospects and clients, does the power of your voice match the power of your words? Whether you’re communicating with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a local small business owner, your confidence and passion speak just as loudly as your words. Learn 5 strategies for speaking with confidence and authenticity in order to build long-lasting relationships of trust with your most important contacts.

*This program is designed for those with at least 5 years of professional experience.*

FACILITATOR JOHN WATKIS is an international speaker, speechwriter, author, and public speaking coach with Global Public Speaking who helps leaders find their rhythm when they get up to speak. He has been in the speaking and coaching business for over 20 years. In addition to delivering keynote speeches and workshops in six countries and on three continents, he has written speeches for corporations, government officials, non-profits, professional speakers, and hall of fame athletes.

The OSA election for the 2021 Vice President and two Directors at Large will open 17 June 2020 and will continue through 14 August 2020.  OSA needs your vote to select the best leaders for the Society.  Please read the candidates’ profiles and personal statements to become familiar with each candidate’s background and to learn what each candidate hopes to achieve if successful in the OSA Elections.

Election results will be announced on Tuesday, 15 September 2020, at the OSA Annual Business Meeting during the 2020 FiO + LS Meeting.  Results will be available on the OSA website in September.

*Individual, Emeritus and Recent Graduate members in good standing as of 24 July 2020 are eligible to vote in this election. Student and Youth Educator members are not eligible to vote.

WORKinOPTICS.com is the top destination for job seekers in optics and photonics. Check out some of these recent postings and set up a search agent to be alerted to new jobs that match your skills. Upload your resume to let employers find you!

• Optical Engineer,KLA Corporation
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (In Vivo Microscopy) Guillermo J. Tearney, M.D., Ph.D.
• Open-Rank Research Scientist in Ultrafast Laser Science at CXFEL, Arizona State University
• Associate Professor in Quantum information processing, Telecom Paris
• And More!

Are you at home and looking for something to do? Are you a member of the Traveling Lecturer Program? We are excited to offer a virtual lecturer experience through Zoom! If you are interested in hosting a virtual Traveling Lecture, please complete this quick form and tell us what you want to share with the community. We hope to highlight a lecturer weekly to provide high-level technical and/or professional development content to our members worldwide. Come join us in keeping the community connected and share your expertise!

OSA Publishing recognizes that our authors, reviewers, and editors are dealing with disruption and delays due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Please let us know if you need more time to complete revisions or a review, and we will do our best to keep the publishing process moving smoothly. Wishing everyone good health during this difficult time.

Applied Optics
Optics Theory and Practice in Iberoamerica

Biomedical Optics Express
Optical Technologies for Improving Healthcare in Low-Resource Settings

Journal of the Optical Society of America A
Color Vision 2020

Optical Materials Express
Novel Optical and Photonic Devices based on 2D Materials

Optical Materials Express and Optics Express
Advanced Solid State Lasers 2019 (ASSL) 

Biomedical Optics Express
Feature Issue: Biophotonics
Submission Deadline: 30 June 2020
Guest Editors: Rainer Leitgeb (Lead), David Sampson (Deputy Lead), Regine Choe, Kevin Eliceiri, Christine Hendon, and James Tunnell

Journal of the Optical Society of America A
and Journal of the Optical Society of America B
Feature Issue: Optics in Africa
Submission Deadline: 1 June 2020
Guest Editors: Andrew Forbes (Lead), Rim Cherif, Alain Dikande, Angela Dudley, and Ahmadou Wague

Optical Materials Express
Feature Issue: 3D Printing—Enabled by Light and Enabling the Manipulation of Light
Submission Opens: 1 June 2020; Submission Deadline: 1 July 2020
Guest Editors: Martin Wegener (Lead), Eva Blasco, Shoji Maruo, and Xianfan Xu

Photonics Research
Feature Issue: Perovskite Photonics
Submission Deadline: 1 June 2020
Guest Editors: Qing Zhang (Lead), Carole Diederichs, and Qihua Xiong

Feature Issue: Topological Photonics and Beyond
Submission Deadline: 1 July 2020
Guest Editors: Andrea Alu (Lead), Jingyun Fan, Laura Pilozzi, and Haitan Xu

Biomedical Optics Express

New Imaging System Tracks Mosquito-Borne Diseases Efficiently – New Atlas
"Smart" trap tech allows for remote mosquito tracking – AZoOptics
New imaging system will help control mosquito-borne disease – Earth.com
Source Article: Development of a low-cost imaging system for remote mosquito surveillance

Laboratory-grade optical microscope can be 3D-printed for $19 – Laser Focus World
Print your own laboratory-grade microscope for £15 – University of Bath
Source Article: Robotic microscopy for everyone: the OpenFlexure microscope

Optica

Photon-Counting Camera Captures 3D Images with Record Speed and Resolution – Photonics.com
New camera can detect single photons of light at record speeds – UPI.com
Huge advance as photon-sensing 3D camera crosses the megapixel mark – New Atlas
Source Article: Megapixel time-gated SPAD image sensor for 2D and 3D imaging applications