Photonics Europe Digital Forum opens with more than 700 free presentations

06 Apr 2020

SPIE develops interactive conference using its SPIE Digital Library platform in response to beat Covid-19 limitations.

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, is this week 6-10 April holding its inaugural Digital Forum. The SPIE digital forum platform was developed in response to the inability to hold in-person conferences due to the global spread of Covid-19. The forums ensure the timely continuation of information exchange and discussion opportunities that the Society’s optics and photonics community values and relies on to advance research, product development, and collaborations.

SPIE describes the Photonics Europe Digital Forum as “an exciting new and completely free version of SPIE Photonics Europe 2020, will offer a convenient, high-quality, and timely method for researchers, engineers, and government and industry leaders in the photonics community to share emerging research, new results, and technological advances with their peers.”

All conference presentations and manuscripts are accessible via the SPIE Digital Library with a commenting capability. Interested parties to sign up for the free 2020 SPIE Photonics Europe Digital Forum and receive more information on this newly launched SPIE initiative, should visit the event website.

The SPIE online format makes presentations and discussion accessible during the Forum in whatever time zone is convenient for the participant and in any order. In addition, the SPIE Photonics Europe Digital Forum includes a virtual exhibition, allowing participants to connect with more than 100 exhibitors showcasing products and services that support the optics and photonics community.

"Once it became clear we would have to cancel the Strasbourg-based Photonics Europe, we immediately shifted direction for the 2020 version,” commented SPIE Senior Director of Technical Programs and Proceedings Marilyn Gorsuch.

“We were determined to create the best way to help our scientists and engineers share their critical research with their peers without travel. Our Digital Forum platform has already generated an enthusiastic response, and we are thrilled to see the engagement from the optics and photonics community in terms of the number of participating presenters and authors.”

Wide-ranging

With more than 700 presenters involved, topical areas of research range from nano and quantum technologies, to biophotonics, lasers and nonlinear optics, and optical imaging, sensing, and metrology. Signing up for the event is completely free and will give participants full access to all of the SPIE Photonics Europe Digital Forum’s pre-recorded presentations and over 500 accepted manuscripts.

During the Forum, participants can engage with speakers by watching and listening to presentations at their convenience, posting questions and comments, with the presenters monitoring their discussions frequently throughout the week in order to respond and participate in the conversations.

Plenary talks

Four of the invited plenary speakers have already agreed to participate, with more confirmations expected. The lineup so far includes University of California, Berkeley, Professor Laura Waller, whose topic is computational microscopy; the European Research Council’s Anna Mignani, who will address funding opportunities with the ERC; Pascale Senellart, of the Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies, who will discuss her lab’s work on semiconductor-based quantum dots acting as artificial atoms for use in developing optical quantum technologies; and Translucent’s Michael Lebby on how naturally fast and low power electro-optic polymer devices are ideally positioned for the next-generation optical Internet roadmap.

In addition to the Photonics Europe Digital Forum, SPIE is launching two more such forums to take place in lieu of previously scheduled in-person conferences: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing 2020 and SPIE Smart Structures and Nondestructive Evaluation 2020. These Digital Forums will take place 27 April – 1 May.