Colleagues:

Joy to the World!

While we wrap-up a glorious 2015 with parties and presents we should pause to recognize that the end of the year is not the end.  Rather, we look forward to a new beginning in a New Year, 2016.

Two events in 2016 require the immediate attention of optomechanical engineers and they are both conferences in San Diego during SPIE’s Optics+Photonics Symposium.

The first conference is “Optical Modeling and Performance Prediction VIII,” and is chaired by Mark Kahan of Synopsis Inc. and Marie Levine-West of JPL.  Real performance predictions are not possible without coupling the mechanical behavior to the optical surfaces, materials and elements.  Optomechanical engineering is central in assuring the desired performance in the final design and we make valuable contributions here.

The second conference is “An Optical Believe It or Not:  Key Lessons Learned V.”  This conference is also chaired by Mark Kahan and is unique in that it encourages engineers to share with colleagues what they have learned from their experiences, and other people’s experiences too.  Identities, individual and corporate, may be protected (shrouded by whatever means are considered appropriate by the speaker), encouraging discussions of problems and solutions without casting blame and damaging reputations.

The immediacy mentioned above is imposed by the due date for abstracts, February 8, 2016.  That may sound like a long time away, but with the Holidays and the New Year crank-up activity the time will slip away from us quickly and many days can be lost waiting for approvals.

The details of each conference are attached.  So plan to get your abstracts in early. 

Then, Have a terrific Holiday Season.

Al H.
12-8-15