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Special Symposia

Special Symposium on Advances in Neurophotonics

The use of optical methods for neuroimaging, has significantly increased in the last decade and plays a key role in understanding the brain functionality. Advanced Neurophotonics technologies provide an opportunity to sense the central nervous system at the point-of-care. The special symposium Advances in Neurophotonics will bring together researchers from all aspects of optics to discuss emerging techniques and their impact on neuroscience applications. The committee solicits papers and presentations spans from intracellular super-resolution imaging to functional imaging for understating the cognitive mechanisms of the brain.

Notably, this session includes development and applications of:

  • Noninvasive functional neuroimaging studies under natural (ecologically valid) conditions via the following techniques:
    • Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).
    • Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS).
    • Speckle-based
    • Functional ultrasound imaging of the
  • Neuroimaging studies of the eye-brain
    • Optical interferometric detection of neural activity and dynamics of cellular
    • Functional Optical Coherence Tomography such as Optical Coherence Elastography (OCE), spectroscopic OCT (SOCT), and molecular imaging
  • Super-resolution
    • Structured illumination imaging in the living
    • Quantum super-resolution.
    • Deep brain imaging via multiphoton microscopy.
  • Applications of machine deep learning for clinical and functional
  • Photoacoustic methods for
  • Optogenetics tools for cellular

Special Symposium on Opto Excitonic Devices

2D quantum materials have emerged as an attractive platform to investigate a plethora of quantum excitations such as exciton, magnons, phonons, among others. Excitons, quasiparticles that emerge from the Coulomb attraction between electron and holes have been long touted to be excellent carriers of energy and information. With the advent of 2D materials, robust excitons with large binding energy, spin-optic response and unprecedented light-matter interaction strength have been realized making possible device concepts a reality. This special symposium focuses on important technological breakthroughs that create potential pathways towards viable opto-excitonic devices based on 2D excitons. Specifically, we will address (I) Engineering the excitonic properties via strain, bias, and other external stimuli and (II) Excitonic device concepts such as switches, energy converters and sensors. 

Special Symposium on Photonics for Climate Change Mitigation Adaptation 

Photonics will play an increasingly important role as the world seeks sustainable technologies that can mitigates climate change. Photonics, especially sensing, will also be critical in understanding and predicting climate change impacts and in aiding how societies adapt to rising temperatures and changing environments.  Photovoltaics and LEDs for solid state lighting are famous examples of photonic devices that have had large measurable impacts in reducing energy consumption, but optical interconnects and networks, photonic approaches to neuromorphic and quantum computing (compared to classical computing), low emissivity coatings, indoor agriculture, and the use high power lasers for manufacturing are all areas where photonics may be important by reducing the amount of heat trapping gasses released into the atmosphere. Examples of photonic tools that are useful in obtaining information for understanding and adapting to climate change include remote sensing, LIDAR mapping, and imaging from drone or satellite of coastlines, agriculture, and the environment, as well as sensing for transportation and smart cities.

This symposium seeks papers that identify examples of where the use of photonics may result in significant energy savings to assist in the mitigation of climate change.  Ideally papers should attempt to quantify the energy savings. Papers are also sought that show how photonics may be useful in providing information for adaptation and planning for resilience in response rising temperature and changing environment. Topics of interest and examples include:

  • Photonics for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency:
    • Future Photovoltaics and novel energy sources
    • Advances in Next Generation Solid State Lighting
    • Control of Emissivity for Energy Efficient Building and Smart Cities
  • Photonics for Sustainable Agriculture and Manufacturing:
    • Precision manufacturing with lasers
    • High Powered lasers in manufacturing
    • Precision Agriculture, Indoor and Urban Farming
    • Remote Sensing and Agriculture Productivity.
  • Photonic Sensing for Sustainability and Adaptation:
    • Measurements of the environment, and mapping climate change.
    • Use photonic sensor information to plan for adaptation
    • M-IR sensing for the identification of pollution sources of greenhouse gasses
    • Photonics in Smart Cites and Transportation systems
  • Photonic Approaches to Saving Energy in ICT Systems:
    • Energy Comparisons of optical vs copper and wireless networks
    • Energy Saving with optical interconnects and novel computation methods

Example areas of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Future Photovoltaics and advances in next generation Solid State Lighting.
  • Lasers and photonic sensors in manufacturing,
  • Photonics in sustainable agriculture or indoor agriculture.
  • Photonics and potential energy savings in ICT systems, Computation and Networks
  • Photonics in Smart Cities and Transportation systems.
  • Low emissivity coatings and low energy buildings.
  • Remote Sensing, measurements of the environment, and response to climate change.
  • Mid-IR sensors for the identification of pollution sources of greenhouse gasses.