SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics

06/23/2026

The SPIE community mourns the loss of SPIE Fellow Dr. Gerhard X. Ritter, who passed away on 6 March 2026 at the age of 89.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ritter made pioneering contributions to mathematics, computer vision, medical image computing, image and signal analysis, and machine learning. His work helped advance image processing, including the development of Image Algebra.

He was also a dedicated member of the SPIE community. Dr. Ritter became an SPIE Fellow in 1995. He published 51 papers with SPIE, served on the SPIE Board of Directors, and chaired conferences for SPIE Optics + Photonics from 2006 to 2011.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Ritter's family, friends, colleagues, and all whose lives he touched.

Read more about Dr. Ritter's life and legacy: https://spie.org/news/in-memoriam-gerhard-x-ritter?utm_campaign=membership&utm_medium=campaign-social&utm_source=facebook

06/22/2026

Corning Incorporated's deal with Amazon.com is its latest deal with a tech giant, following recent signings with NVIDIA and Meta.

The Amazon agreement is expected to boost Corning's domestic manufacturing, adding 1,000 new advanced manufacturing jobs in North Carolina.

“The efforts will help strengthen the domestic supply chain and US manufacturing base while serving the region and state to help expand residential and commercial fiber densification efforts,” Corning CEO Wendell Weeks said.

Learn more about the deal at :

Glass giant's multi-year, multibillion-dollar supply agreement will produce optical fiber for data centers.

06/20/2026

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered an efficient way to combine metals, and it may solve a 20-year-old problem.

Over the last 20 years, researchers have been developing high-entropy alloys (HEAs), a new class of alloys that contain more metals in more equal proportions than standard alloys, which makes them perform well at high temperatures. The issue is that the mixing process to create HEAs is difficult.

“It is difficult to make HEA parts with traditional methods like casting, but we believe metal 3D printing could be a solution.”

A new method for 3D printing metals is poised to help address this problem! Learn more about this discovery in :

Challenge for 3D-printing metal alloys is ensuring molten metal is well-mixed.

06/20/2026

Spend your first evening in Copenhagen connecting with the people behind the research! 🌌

The Welcome Reception is a chance to step away from the presentation rooms, continue conversations from the day, and meet fellow attendees from across the global community in a more casual setting. 🌍

Join us for food, drinks, and networking as the week gets underway!

📍 Bella Center, Foyer 4
🕖 5 July 2026 | 19:00–21:00 CEST

You can add it to your conference schedule here: https://spie.org/astronomical-telescopes-instrumentation/event/welcome-reception/7101616?utm_campaign=as&utm_medium=campaign-social&utm_source=facebook

06/18/2026

Researchers at EPFL believe their new photonic chip could be a change-maker in several technological fields.

The chip uses a laser design called the "Mamyshev oscillator," which has been largely overlooked.

Using this design, the new photonic chip could "lead to portable and affordable tools for detecting pollutants, revealing hidden defects and performing medical diagnostics."

Learn more about EPFL's new photonic chip in this article on :

Source delivers short high-energy pulses, could reshape medical diagnostics, optical atomic clocks.

06/18/2026

Today is ! This time we're featuring Camille Stavrakas, a R&D engineer at PsiQuantum.

In her role, she works to build a computer that runs on light. By using to create bits, or qubits, information can be processed in a new way. On the circuits team, Stavrakas helps form the building blocks for their quantum computer.

"I hope to help shape a more inclusive global physics community. Through my work with the American Physical Society, I’m bringing voices from underrepresented regions — and maybe soon, developing countries — into local conferences."

Learn more about Camille Stavrakas in the 2026 Notebook: https://spie.org/community-support/community-engagement/women-in-optics/2026-wio-notebook/camille-stavrakas?utm_campaign=membership&utm_medium=campaign-social&utm_source=facebook

06/17/2026

The perfect black may be impossible, but scientists keep getting closer.
 
From carbon-based pigments used in prehistoric cave paintings to modern ultrablack materials that absorb more than 99.99% of visible light, researchers have spent centuries pushing the limits of light absorption.
 
Today, these materials are helping improve space telescopes, star trackers, and other optical technologies, while nature continues to inspire new approaches to trapping light.
 
Read “In pursuit of the perfect black” by Benjamin Skuse in the May/June issue of !
 

06/16/2026

's Director of Government Affairs, Jennifer O'Bryan, joined Photonics Media's "All Things Photonics" podcast to talk about how the Trump administration's proposed budget cuts would affect the United States' scientific community.

O'Bryan explained that without federal funding, maintaining the United States' lead in and would be challenging, especially with China right behind it.

"I know [the United States has] been very dominant when it comes to innovation. That is not a guaranteed place in the world. That is something that can go away, and it's a hard thing to get back once you lose it." O'Bryan continued.

Watch the full podcast on YouTube to discover more:

Leading groups among the scientific community are expressing their ...

06/15/2026

Copenhagen is calling! ☎️ Join us at ! 🌌

From 5–10 July, researchers, engineers, and industry leaders from around the world will gather to share the latest advances in astronomy and astronomical engineering. 🔭

The program includes 13 technical conferences and more than 3,000 presentations covering telescopes and instrumentation, adaptive optics, detectors, cyberinfrastructure, systems engineering, and more.

Thinking about joining us? Registration prices increase on 19 June, so now’s a great time to secure your spot. ⌚ 👀 https://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/astronomical-telescopes-and-instrumentation?utm_campaign=as&utm_medium=campaign-social&utm_source=facebook

06/13/2026

Future Sensing Technologies & Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing call for papers are now open. 🗻🌸

And for the first time ever, these two events will be co-located!

You're invited to Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, to share your research in advanced sensor systems, remote sensing technologies, atmospheric monitoring applications, earth observing systems, and more! 🌥️

Abstracts are due by 24 June. Check out the conference lists below:

Future Sensing Technologies: https://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/future-sensing-technologies?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=campaign-social&utm_source=facebook

Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing: https://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/asia-pacific-remote-sensing?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=campaign-social&utm_source=facebook