INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A free conference at Indian River State College (IRSC) will take a look at the modern applications of light and light-based technologies. “The Unlimited Power of Photonics and Light” will be held Thursday, June 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the IRSC Main Campus, in the Kight Center for Emerging Technologies, off 35th Street in Fort Pierce.
Teachers and students are invited and the event is open to the public. The conference is held in celebration of 2015 as the International Year of Light, recognizing how light has revolutionized medicine, opened communication via the Internet and impacted millions of daily lives throughout the world.
Engineers, scientists and educators will discuss laser technology development; explore how lasers are used in nuclear fusion and the limitless capacities of optical fiber in data transmission. National leaders in photonics education will present information on the education and career opportunities in this emerging field. Tours of the IRSC Photonics Lab and a laser demonstration will follow the speakers.
“New applications based on light science are constantly being discovered, significantly expanding business and career opportunities in the future,” said Dr. Chrys Panayiotou, Director of LASER-TEC and IRSC Department Chair of Electronics Engineering Technology.
“The inventions and applications based on light science and technology have been so many, so important, and so beneficial to all endeavors of human existence that industries, scientists and educational institutions around the world are recognizing 2015 as the International Year of Light. “We are excited to celebrate the wonders of light technology and share its future at the June 11 event.”
Guest speakers will include Ron Darbee, Division Superintendent, Laser Systems Engineering and Operation, National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, speaking on the use of lasers in nuclear fusion; Dan Hull, Executive Director, National Center for Optics and Photonics Education; Don Hawkins, Vice President of Operations, Precision Contracting Services; Dr. Richard DeSalvo, Senior Scientist, Harris Corporation Photonics Core Technology Center.
The International Year of Light was proclaimed by UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Scientific, Cultural Organization, which reports that growth in the photonics industry has a major impact on the world economy with a current global market of $340 billion.
The event is sponsored by LASER-TEC, the Southeast Regional Center for Laser & Fiber Optics Education based at the IRSC Main Campus. The project is supported by National Science Foundation grant DUE-1304628 and IRSC. For more information e-mail cpanayio@irsc.edu, call (772) 462-7179 or visit www.laser-tec.org.
