Wednesday, May 13, 2009

SPIE Student Chapter

A group of graduate students at the University of Rochester, ranging in disciplines, are starting a student chapter of SPIE (an interdisciplinary international organization for anyone involved with optics, photonics, visual sciences, imaging, or related fields). You can think of it as an optics or photonics engineers version of OSA, BMES, and IEEE all rolled into one.

Officially, 'SPIE is an international membership society, serving scientists and engineers in industry, academia, and government, as well as companies producing leading-edge products. SPIE constituents work in a wide variety of fields that utilize some aspect of optics and photonics, which is the science and application of light. More specifically, optics is a branch of physics that examines the behavior and properties of light and the interaction of light with matter. Photonics is the science and technology of generating, controlling, and detecting photons, which are particles of light.

Individuals involved with SPIE conduct research and apply discoveries to the design and development of such technologies as semiconductor manufacturing, robotics, medical imaging, next-generation displays, battlefield technologies, entertainment, biometric security, image processing, communications, astronomy, and much more. SPIE attracts Members from around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and supports them from offices in North America and Europe. Founded in 1955, SPIE continues to support those who seek to learn, discover and innovate by building a better world with light.'

Our goals for the next year are to get students from many departments on River Campus, the Medical Center, and the Laser Lab involved in the student chapter, work with the RIT SPIE student chapter, host 3 guest speakers from outside Rochester where each would represent photonics, optics or imaging sciences, and host a day long conference early next fall. Additionally, we will be developing strong ties with industry and will provide opportunities for students to develop network contacts.

If you are interested or would like to become a member, please contact the organizing group (urspie@gmail.com) and/or come to our general interest meeting and elections on Thursday May 21 (4 pm) at Goergen 101 (Sloan Auditorium).