Rep. Louise Slaughter to Speak at Meeting of Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster

The Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster—a non-profit group that promotes the area's photonics, optics, and imaging industry—will hold its annual meeting this Thursday to discuss the economic opportunities created by the National Photonics Initiative (NPI).

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) will deliver the opening remarks, which will be followed by a panel discussion on the importance of Rochester's involvement in the newly-launched NPI.

The National Photonics Initiative is intended to bring together industry, academia, and government in an effort to increase investments in key fields that are critical to both U.S. competitiveness and national security.

There are more than 100 optics, photonics, imaging, and display companies in upstate New York, with many more located in New York City and on Long Island. In the Rochester region alone, there are 60 such companies located within a 20 mile radius. The University of Rochester's Institute of Optics and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, along with the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Infotonics Technology Center, play key roles in optics and photonics research and job training.

The panelists at Thursday's meeting will be: Steve Anderson, industry and market strategist for the International Society for Optics and Photonics; Tom Hausken, senior advisor for the Optical Society of America; Jennifer Clark, director of the Center for Urban Innovation in the Ivan Allen College at the Georgia Institute of Technology; Steve Fantone, founder and CEO of Optikos Corporation; and Duncan Moore vice provost for entrepreneurship and professor of optics at the University of Rochester.

Event Details
What: Annual meeting of the Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster
Where: Rochester Museum & Science Center
When: Thursday, September 5; 3:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.