On 11 February 2020, the world celebrated the International Day of Women and Girls in Science - a day dedicated to inspiring girls and engaging women in all STEM fields. The OSA Foundation honored women by providing 14 grants to OSA Student Chapters in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Senegal, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. As we celebrate Women's History Month please check out this OSA blog post with highlights from some of these programs. You can also learn more about these and other programs that work to expand our diversity and inclusion efforts at osa.org/diversity and osa.org/foundation.

From 26-28 February, OSA hosted an exciting and well-attended incubator meeting on the topic of "flat optics." The incubator was hosted by Federico Capasso and Wei-Ting Chen, both from Harvard University, and Paulo Dainese, from Corning Inc. Topics discussed during the incubator included generating, optimizing, fabricating, and applying flat optics, with special attention to recent advances in the area of customizable and controllable metasurfaces. Various applications of flat optics were discussed, including their use in augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) systems. The incubator generated lively discussions by all the participants about appropriate applications for the rapidly maturing flat optics technologies. Read more about this incubator on the OSA blog.

Affiliation: Malaviya National Institute of Technology
Location: India

The experience of interacting with the students and faculty of the Universiti Putra Malaysia OSA Chapter was excellent. This provided an opportunity to share about our social and technical experiences and knowledge. Through visits to labs and conversation, both the audience and lecturer are exposed to new ideas and gain inspiration. As an additional outcome, we discussed the possibilities of student exchange for internships, and future collaborations through joint publications etc. We also exchanged mementos of our respective countries, which added a personal touch to the visit.

The OSA Foundation (OSAF) and Corning Incorporated have announced the second annual recipients of the Women in Optical Communications Scholarships and Travel Grants.

The 2020 Women in Optical Communications Scholarship recipients are: Shaimaa Azzam, Purdue, University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.; Ann Margareth Rosa Brusin, Politecnico di Torino, Italy; and Fatemeh Ghaedi Vanani, CREOL, University of Central Florida College of Optics and Photonics, Orlando, U.S.A.

OSAF and Corning also provided ten need-based travel grants to help cover travel costs to OFC. The grants are available for women engaged in graduate or postdoctoral study, or in the first five years of their career.

"Creating opportunities for women to thrive in the field of optical communications is a significant goal for the OSA Foundation and Corning Incorporated," said Alexander Sawchuk, OSA Foundation Chair. "The scholarship and travel grant program will support women from across the globe who are charting a career path that will ultimately increase gender diversity in this industry."

Students and early career professionals - those within five years of leaving academic study - are encouraged to compete in the Innovation Challenge. Teams are welcome! The Innovation Challenge seeks to explore trends, opportunities, disruptions and major shifts potentially enabled by optics and photonics.  Challenge submissions should highlight innovative solutions to topic specific challenges. Up to two students and two early career professionals will be selected as finalists. OSA will provide travel stipends to cover airfare, hotel and congress registration for finalists (one representative for team entries). Finalists will present their solutions at the congress and two winners will each receive a 3-year OSA membership.

Learn more about specific Challenges:
• Imaging and Applied Optics Congress - Deadline 7 April 2020, 17:00 EDT
• Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress - Deadline 7 April 2020, 17:00 EDT

The Marconi Society is proud to offer the prestigious Paul Baran Young Scholar Award, recognizing a diverse group of young scientists and engineers with the potential to make extraordinary contributions to the field of information and communications science.

Nominations are accepted through 15 May 2020.

The Milton and Rosalind Chang Pivoting Fellowship provides support to talented, early career optical scientists and engineers who believe their expertise can be utilized to improve society beyond the bench. This program is intended to encourage people of exceptional talent to pursue their newfound passion.

Each year, one OSA member is presented stipend of $50,000 USD. The Fellowship is an investment in a person's commitment to advancing science through non-traditional career paths (e.g. public policy, government, and journalism). The Fellowship is given in support of the individual, not a project.

2-6 August 2020, International Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia
New Abstract and Summary Submission Deadline: 20 March 2020

There is still time to submit your paper to the 2020 conference. CLEO Pacific Rim is the preeminent conference in the region, covering all major areas in lasers and optoelectronics along with tutorial sessions, invited sessions and workshops in areas of current interest. OSA 2020 President-Elect Connie Chang-Hasnain and OSA 2013 Past-President Donna Strickland are among the Plenary speakers.

WORKinOPTICS.com is the top destination for job seekers in optics and photonics. Check out some of these recent postings and set up a search agent to be alerted to new jobs that match your skills. Upload your resume to let employers find you!

• Engineer - Optical, Space Dynamics Laboratory
• Manufacturing Process Engineer, Gooch and Housego California LLC
• Laser Engineer for Ultrafast Lasers, DESY
• Sales Engineer, PFG Precision Optics, Inc.
• Advanced Teaching Lab Manager, University of New Mexico
• And More!

Honorary Membership is the most distinguished of all OSA Member categories, and is awarded to individuals who have made unique, seminal contributions to optics and photonics. Any OSA member may nominate a colleague. To submit a nomination, email a 1-page statement of support for the candidate to awards@osa.org by 1 May 2020.

Living Honorary Members include: Arthur Ashkin, Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Elsa M. Garmire, Joseph W. Goodman, John L. Hall, Theodor W. Hänsch, Stephen E. Harris, Robert W. Hellwarth, Nick Holonyak, Donald B. Keck, Herwig Kogelnik, John C. Mather, William D. Phillips, David J. Wineland and Amnon Yariv.

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2020 Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award. This is a great opportunity to highlight the import work of optical engineering teams. The award recognizes technical achievements such as product engineering, process/software development, and patent development, as well as furthering public appreciation of optical engineering. Submit a nomination by 10 April 2020. 

We congratulate the following the 2020 recipients of OSA Awards and Medals: 

Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Prize:  
Ursula Keller, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Esther Hoffman Beller Medal:
Julio C. Gutierrez-Vega, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico  

Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award:
Susan Houde-Walter, LMD Power of Light Corp., USA  

Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award:
Nimmi Ramanujam, Duke University, USA

Joseph Fraunhofer Award/ Robert M. Burley Prize:
Jannick Rolland, University of Rochester, USA 

Nick Holonyak Jr. Award:
Kei May Lau, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong

Emmett N. Leith Medal:
Mitsuo Takeda, Utsunomiya University, Japan

Adolph Lomb Medal:
Chao-Yang Lu, University of Science and Technology of China, China

C.E.K. Mees Medal:
Daniel J. Blumenthal, University of California Santa Barbara, USA

David Richardson Medal:
G. Michael Morris, RPC Photonics, Inc. & Apollo Optical Systems, Inc., USA 

Edgar D. Tillyer Award:
Wilson Geisler, University of Texas at Austin, USA 

Charles H. Townes Medal:
Toshiki Tajima, University of California Irvine, USA 

R.W. Wood Prize:
John Dudley, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté & CNRS FEMTO-ST, France 

OIDA is expecting flat sales in the optics and photonics market in 2020, following a slight decline in 2019 of about 2%, to US$ 463 billion. The 2019 results are an estimate as of this writing, as we wait for companies to report Q4 results, and it's still early for the 2020 forecast, as we wait to see the impact of the COVID-19 virus. If a revision is necessary, it's likely to be downward, not upward. But we can hope, right?

This OIDA forecast contrasts dramatically with upbeat, bullish forecasts announced last month. We won't name names, but one of them expects 11.5% growth in the laser market. Another expects 7.9% growth for optics and photonics components, similar to past performance it claims. Why would the OIDA estimate and forecast be so different?

We can't speak for others' methodology and data, only for ours. First, we look across all the global sectors of optics and photonics, from displays and image sensors to scientific instruments. Second, we take care that adding or subtracting companies (or mergers and spinoffs) affect the interpretation of the data as little as possible. We could boost growth by adding companies to the database, but that wouldn't provide an accurate picture.

Last year saw slowing economic growth in China, a major trade conflict between it and the U.S. and a recession in manufacturing in the U.S. Even if 2018 was a record year, the major laser suppliers saw declining sales in 2019. And there is little to suggest that pent-up demand will burst forth in 2020. If anything, the slowdown from the coronavirus will push a recovery into 2021.

Presenting at the OSA Applied Industrial Optics Topical Meeting (AIO) provides the opportunity to showcase your work to leaders in your field, and to expand your network of professional connections. AIO grants unprecedented access to industry experts and insight into today's commercial climate. It offers a unique atmosphere that is both informative and interactive, providing a forum for photonics leaders to meet, collaborate, and innovate.

Topics include: Laser and laser applications, autonomous vehicles and robotics, optics and energy, remote sensing, optical sensors and sensor systems and biophotonics.

Submit your research for consideration by 18 March 2020. Exhibit and sponsorship opportunities are also available for this meeting.

Optical Materials Express
Materials and Devices for Quantum Photonics
Novel Optical and Photonic Devices based on 2D Materials

Optical Materials Express and Optics Express
Nonlinear Optics 2019

Biomedical Optics Express
Feature Issue: Biophotonics
Submissions Open: 1 May 2020; Submission Deadline: 30 June 2020
Editors: Rainer Leitgeb (Lead), David Sampson (Deputy Lead), Regine Choe, Kevin Eliceiri, Christine Hendon, and James Tunnell

Journal of the Optical Society of America A
Feature Issue: Advances in Optical Metrology and Instrumentation
Submission Deadline: 1 April 2020
Editors: Jonathan D. Ellis (Lead), Han Haitje, Xiangqian (Jane) Jiang, Ki-Nam Joo, and Richard Leach 

Journal of the Optical Society of America A and Journal of the Optical Society of America B
Feature Issue: Optics in Africa
Submission Deadline: 1 May 2020
Editors: Andrew Forbes (Lead), Rim Cherif, Alain Dikande, Angela Dudley, and Ahmadou Wague

Journal of the Optical Society of America B
Feature Issue: Ultrafast Phenomena and Terahertz Waves
Submissions Open: 1 October 2020; Submission Deadline: 1 November 2020
Editors: Li-Guo Zhu (Lead), Harald Schneider, Hou-Tong Chen, Masahiko Tani, and Zhengming Sheng

Optical Materials Express
Feature Issue: Photonic Topological Materials
Submission Deadline: 1 May 2020
Editors: Alberto Amo (Lead), Tomoki Ozawa, and Ramy El-Ganainy

Optics Express
Feature Issue: Advances in Thermophotovoltaics
Submission Deadline: 15 June 2020
Editors: Rodolphe Vaillon (Lead), Alejandro Datas, Mathieu Francoeur, and Makoto Shimizu

Photonics Research
Feature Issue: Perovskite Photonics
Submission Deadline: 1 June 2020
Guest Editors: Qing Zhang (Lead), Carole Diederichs, and Qihua Xiong

Feature Issue: Topological Photonics and Beyond
Submissions Open: 1 May 2020; Submission Deadline: 1 July 2020
Guest Editors: Andrea Alu (Lead), Jingyun Fan, Laura Pilozzi, and Haitan Xu

Biomedical Optics Express
AI Being Used to Analyze Retinal Images - Unite.ai
New Algorithm Could Enable Personalized Treatment for Diabetic Macular Edema - AzoRobotics
Source Article: Deep learning-based single-shot prediction of differential effects of anti-VEGF treatment in patients with diabetic macular edema

Optica
Laser-Driven X-Rays and Fluorescence Imaging Capture Details of Atomizing Sprays - Photonics.com
Laser fluorescence plus x-ray absorption reveals structure of sprays - Optics.org
Source Article: Simultaneous laser-driven x-ray and two-photon fluorescence imaging of atomizing sprays