There’s still time to cast your ballot in the election for the 2020 OSA Vice President and two Directors at Large before the polls close Friday, 16 August 2019, 23:59 ET.  If you haven’t yet voted, please read the candidates’ profiles and personal statements, and then submit your vote. Results will be announced Tuesday, 17 September 2019 at the OSA Annual Business Meeting during FiO 2019 and will be available on the OSA website in September. Your participation is important so vote today!

The US Congress has passed and President Trump has signed a two-year $2.7 trillion budget agreement that prevents over $125 billion in automatic cuts and would have had a chilling effect on US research and innovation.  While this deal is an important step in the federal funding cycle, both houses of Congress must now also approve FY20 spending bills by September 30 to fund federal agencies.  OSA continues to advocate for robust federal investments in science and technology to support research and innovation.

Name: Robert Woodward
Title: Doctor
Affiliation: Toshiba Research / University of York
Location: United Kingdom

I was familiar with the OSA Traveling Lecturer programme from my time managing a Student Chapter a number of years ago, but this was my first experience being the Lecturer! It proved to be a fantastic experience and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT) in Birmingham, UK. I began by meeting the AIPT OSA Student Chapter Organizing Committee to learn more about their chapter and discuss ideas for broadening involvement & organizing new events. This was followed by tours of the many research facilities at Aston and a chance to meet with other researchers there. Such discussions were very interesting and professionally worthwhile as I met many people with research interests overlapping my own. I then delivered my lecture, discussing recent advances in mid-infrared fibre lasers, to an audience of around 30 staff / students from the institute, which stimulated numerous interesting discussions. I would certainly recommend the experience to colleagues – being an OSA Traveling Lecturer is a fantastic way to connect with new people, in addition to a very valuable opportunity to help students hear about the latest research in an area of their interest as well as discussing other development opportunities through the OSA.

OSA is pleased to announce new Chair-Elects for ten OSA Technical Groups. OSA Technical Groups are vibrant and active communities that connect OSA members with colleagues and leaders within specialized topic areas from around the world. If you are interested in getting more involved with your groups, we encourage you to contact your chair

The Optical Society’s Awards Program spans all areas of optics and photonics, as well as contributions made through service, business, education and leadership. This is an ideal opportunity to recognize the outstanding achievements of your colleagues. Please see our online award category guide to determine the most appropriate recognition. OSA serves a diverse and inclusive community worldwide. Nominees that reflect and support this diversity across all areas including gender, educational/institutional background and geography are especially encouraged.
Submission Deadline: 10 October

Join OSA for our inaugural Advancing Mid-Managers Summit

Monday, 16 September
08:00 – 18:00 

Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science APS/DLS Conference (FiO+LS)

Come learn from CEO's and set a path for your own professional success.

This program is free for members and $200 for non-members.

Co-located with the 80th Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) Autumn Meeting
18 – 21 September 2019
Sapporo Campus, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Advanced Registration Deadline: 26 August 2019
 

OSA Members are eligible to attend the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) Autumn Meeting and OSA/JSAP Joint English-language Symposia at the low JSAP member rate.

Friday, 20 September
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Members attending the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) Autumn Meeting and OSA/JSAP Joint English-language Symposia are invited to attend an OSA Member Reception on Friday evening. For more information and to RSVP, email RSVPOSAevent@osa.org.

Join OSA for a reception at FiO/LS for Senior Members and aspiring Senior Members to learn about this prestigious distinction, its benefits, the application process and deadline while networking with colleagues from around the world.  This program is free for OSA Members.

The message from the OIDA Forum on Optics in Autonomy was that the schedule for self-driving cars is taking longer than expected. That's not a surprise, but the investors are catching on. In the words of Alexei Andreev of Autotech Ventures, each LIDAR supplier needs to consider whether it wants to be a "cheetah" or a "hyena." East African cheetahs prefer large but fast-moving Thomson gazelles, while hyenas are known for scavenging whatever they find. Likewise, the self-driving car market is a large but hard-to-catch prize, while smaller opportunities may be more suited for many LIDAR companies today.
 

Accelerate your optics, photonics, and imaging startup with two complimentary webinars.

Wednesday, 21 August, 13:00 ET:
How Luminate Can Help Entrepreneurs Accelerate Optics, Photonics, and Imaging-Enabled Applications
Learn more.

Thursday, 12 September, 13:00 ET:
Advancing Optics, Photonics, and Imaging Technologies Using Resources in the Rochester Region
Learn more. 

Many thanks to the OIDA members who volunteered their time to participate at our Professional Development & Networking Lunch and Learn event on 25 June at Laser Munich. This program provided students and early career professionals with a unique opportunity to interact with key industry and academic leaders. Member executives shared their professional journey, and provided useful tips to the students. Students had an opportunity to discuss their ongoing research and career plans with the attending leaders. This event will be held again on 18 September at FiO in Washington, D.C.

Whether you are new to the review process or are looking for specific information, this convenient portal offers something for everyone:

• Comprehensive reviewer training and certification
• An extensive Recognition and Rewards Program - the first phase of a larger OSA volunteer rewards initiative
• Advice and guidance directly from OSA’s journal editors

Read the press release and visit the Center. 

Applied Optics
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Institutional Focus Issue)

Applied Optics and Optics Express
Light, Energy and the Environment 2018

Biomedical Optics Express
Recent Progress in Optical Probing and Manipulation of Tissue

Journal of the Optical Society of America B
Optics with Complex Materials and (Sub)Nanostructures

Collective Effects and Coupling Phenomena in Resonant Optical Metasurfaces

Optical Materials Express
Laser Writing

Optical Materials Express and Optics Express
Advanced Solid-State Lasers 2018

Optics Express
Liquid Crystals beyond Displays

Applied Optics
Feature Issue: Optical Interference Coatings
Submission Deadline: 15 September 2019
Editors: Li Li (Lead), Robert Sargent, and Anna Sytchkova,

Feature Issue: Active and Passive Optical Remote Sensing of the Aquatic Environment
Submission Opens: 1 September 2019; Submission Deadline: 1 November 2019
Editors: Zhongping Lee (Lead), James Churnside, Zhihua Mao, Songhua Wu, and Giuseppe Zibordi

Applied Optics and Optics Express
Feature Issue: Optical Sensors and Sensing 2019
Submission Opens: 1 September 2019; Submission Deadline: 1 October 2019
Editors: Adam J. Fleisher (Lead), Ka-Lok Chan, Mario F. S. Ferreira, Wesley Moses, Paul Pellegrino, Sheng-Cai Shi, and Kaley Walker

Biomedical Optics Express
Feature Issue: Optical Technologies for Improving Healthcare in Low-Resource Settings
Submission Deadline: 1 October 2019
Editors: Audrey Bowden (Lead), Nicholas Durr, David Erickson, Aydogan Ozcan, Nimmi Ramanujam, and Paulino Vacas Jacques

Journal of Optical Communications and Networking
Feature Issue: Open Optical Networks
Submission Deadline: 8 October 2019
Editors: Vittorio Curri (Lead), Andrea Fumagalli, Victor Lopez, Antonio Napoli, Lynn Nelson, and Seiki Kuwabara

Journal of the Optical Society of America A
Feature Issue: Color Vision 2020
Submission Opens: 1 October 2019; Submission Deadline: 1 November 2019
Editors: John S. Werner (Lead), Jenny Bosten, David Hoyt Brainard, Marina Danilova, Sergejs Fomins, Anya Hurlbert, and Neil Parry

Optical Materials Express
Feature Issue: Materials and Devices for Quantum Photonics
Submission Deadline: 15 September 2019
Editors: Igor Aharonovich (Lead), Sejeong Kim, Jin Liu, Arka Majumdar, and Elke Neu

Feature Issue: Novel Optical and Photonic Devices based on 2D Materials
Submission Opens: 1 October 2019; Submission Deadline: 1 November 2019
Editors: Zhengqian Luo (Lead), Qiaoliang Bao, Humeyra Caglayan, Baohua Jia, and Han Zhang

Optical Materials Express and Optics Express
Feature Issue: Nonlinear Optics 2019
Submission Opens: 15 September 2019; Submission Deadline: 15 October 2019
Editors: Cornelia Denz (Lead, Optics Express), David Hagan, (Lead, Optical Materials Express), Robert Boyd, Claudio Conti, Antonio Mecozzi, and Alessandro Salandrino

Optics Express
Feature Issue: Mid-Infrared, Long-Wave Infrared, and Terahertz Photonics
Submission Deadline: 1 November 2019
Editors: Ravi Jain (Co-Lead), Anthony J. Hoffman (Co-Lead), Peter Uhd Jepsen, Peter Qiang Liu, and Miriam Vitiello

Feature Issue: Optical Devices and Materials for Solar Energy and Solid-State Lighting
Submission Opens: 1 October 2019; Submission Deadline: 1 November 2019
Editors: Peter Bermel (Lead), Klaus Jaeger, Rebecca Saive, and Seunghyup Yoo

Feature Issue: Computational Optical Sensing and Imaging (COSI) 2019 
Submission Opens: 15 October 2019; Submission Deadline: 15 November 2019
Editors: Andy Harvey (Lead), Oliver Cossairt, Jun Ke, Edmund Lam, and Prasanna Rangarajan

Applied Optics
Airborne Lidar Provides More Complete Picture of Atmospheric Gases – Photonics.com
Airborne lidar system poised to improve accuracy of climate change models  – Tech Xplore
Source Article: Development and application of an airborne differential absorption lidar for the simultaneous measurement of ozone and water vapor profiles in the tropopause region

New technique could detect insect infestation in trees at early stages – Woodworking Network
Source Article: THz tomography for detecting damages on wood caused by insects 

Optics Letters
Mid-Infrared QCL Improves Signal Quality of Spectroscopic Measurements – AzoOptics.com
High-Brightness Mid-IR Laser Expands Horizon of Spectroscopic Technique – Novuslight.com
Source Article: Sub-second quantum cascade laser based infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry

Optics Express
Optical sensor system for rail could cut costs and save lives – The Engineer
Fiber-optic vibration sensors could prevent train accidents – Science Daily
Source Article: Novel accelerometer realized by a polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber for railway monitoring applications