Join us at #SPIEPhotonicsEurope! Visit #FiberOpticCenter at Stand 326P to chat with Neal and Ethan about your specialty fiber needs.

Heading to #SPIE Photonics Europe? 🔬

Meet our distributor #AHF to explore Mightex optical solutions tailored to your application:
USB cameras, LED & fiber laser sources, controllers, spectrometers & more.

Products: www.mightexsystems.com/shop/
AHF: ahf.de/en/products/...

A large screen with the text Photonic Chips in PIXEurope and Quantum Technologies written on it. A speaker stands off to the left.

Continuing the Hot Topics session is Valerio Pruneri, @icreacommunity.bsky.social prof, leading the Optoelectronics group @icfo.eu.

He is also Director of PIXEurope Pilot Line, a new initiative under the Chips JU, to develop + transfer advanced PIC technologies + processes. #SPIEPhotonicsEurope

Speaker stands on stage, wearing a dark colored suit. They stand in front of blue curtains, and are gesturing with their right hand.

It’s great to have Gerald Buller on stage for #WorldQuantumDay (and #SPIEPhotonicsEurope Hot Topics!) talking about time-of-flight imaging using #quantum tech. 💡

Buller is a physics prof at @heriotwattuni.bsky.social & director of @ukri.org Integrated Quantum Networks Hub.

Today was the first day of the #SPIEPhotonicsEurope and #SPIEOpticalSystems 2026 Exhibition!

Follow along! Speed walk through the exhibit hall with us. ⏩👟

In particular, we thank him for his steadfast commitment as a conference committee member and session chair at Photonics Europe! 💯

Take a walk through Dan’s career & legacy in his award profile. spie.org/news/dan-cur...

Two people wearing suits stand holding an award between them.

A person stands on stage, accepting an award. In the background, a large screen says: 2025 SPIE María J. Yzuel Educator Award to Dan Curticapean of Offenburg University. In recognition of a lifelong dedication to teaching optics and photonics with infectious passion, and a lifelong dedication to the SPIE community.

Yesterday at #SPIEPhotonicsEurope, we were pleased to recognize Dan Curticapean, the 2025 SPIE María J. Yzuel Educator Award recipient. 👏

Dan received this award for a lifelong dedication to teaching #optics and #photonics with infectious passion, as well as his support of the SPIE community.

Sunken stage at the back of the image, with rows of elevated theater seating around it.

A partially blurred face at the corner of the image, with multiple faces in a crowd of attendees in the background.

Hundreds of people sit in theatre seating, all looking at a large stage tinted blue with lighting and curtains.

Point of view behind the speaker, looking out over a large crowd in elevated seats. The stage is at the bottom of the frame, and the speaker is looking out at everyone. They are wearing a tan suit and standing behind a lectern.

Plenary speakers feel like celebrities on this stage! #SPIEPhotonicsEurope #SPIEOpticalSystems

A speaker wearing a black suit stands behind a lectern with an SPIE sign on the front. There is a large screen behind the speaker with a rocket photo on the corner.

What’s happening at ESA? 🔭

Christophe Buisset, Head of Optical Instruments Section @esa.int, shares ongoing efforts for optical Earth observation missions. 🛰️

To conclude, Buisset gave a preview of instrument pre-development activities for QLEO, a differential-absorption LiDAR mission concept!

Speaker wearing a button up shirt is standing behind a lectern with an SPIE sign.

Speaker standing on stage in front of large screen with telescope photos on it.

We’re going up, up, up… into outer space!

Today’s #SPIEOpticalSystems plenary is a golden opportunity to hear from astronomical #optics experts.

Andrew Rakich (Mersenne Optical Consulting) of New Zealand takes the stage first to discuss aligning large telescopes with 3D metrology tools. 🔭📐

A speaker stands on stage behind a lectern that has an SPIE sign.

A wide shot of a speaker on a large stage, standing in front of a screen that has a schematic on it relating to medical diagnosis of sepsis.

Next up, we have Lena Maier-Hein, prof at Heidelberg University and division head at @dkfz.bsky.social. 🌟

She is sharing how her team combines spectral imaging + deep learning to achieve real-time tissue characterization in surgery. ⏱️📈

@lena-maier-hein.bsky.social #SPIEPhotonicsEurope

A speaker stands on stage, behind a stand with an SPIE sign.

A wide shot of a speaker standing on stage, with a large screen behind them. It shows a flying drone over a field.

#SPIEPhotonicsEurope has begun! 🇫🇷 We’re starting Monday with a Hot Topics session, starring experts in optical imaging and sensing. 🌟

First, meet Chris van Hoof, VP of R&D at imec & general manager of OnePlanet Research. He is sharing how optics tech impacts farmers + food processing industry. 🚜🌾

Schematic showing a systems biology approach for identification and design of trait encoding modules.

How can nature inspire better biomedical optics? 🌿💡

Bio‑inspired surfaces control how light behaves at the nanoscale. This roadmap helps guide the design of lighter, cheaper, + more precise sensors and imaging tools.

Read the #SPIE_JBO article: https://bit.ly/4c4kbbU

Schematics from the paper, showing a new noninvasive optical method tracks real‑time changes in tissue water during hemodialysis.

Optical sensors = making treatment safer! 💡🩺

Researchers from @bostonu.bsky.social & @bmchealthsystem.bsky.social developed a hybrid near‑infrared optical system that noninvasively tracks tissue water dynamics during hemodialysis.

Published in #BiophotonicsDiscovery - https://bit.ly/4rk74YB

We’re exhibiting at #SPIEPhotonicsEurope 2026 on April 14-15! Add Stand 326P to your itinerary and visit #FiberOpticCenter for technical discussions on #specialtyfiber types, #opticalcoating, communication fiber types, and more.

Press Release: https://bit.ly/438baYx

#SPIE #fiberoptics

The image shows the United States Capitol building at sunset. The sky is painted in vibrant hues of orange and pink, with clouds scattered above. The building is illuminated, highlighting its iconic dome and neoclassical architecture.

FY27 budget proposes cuts to NSF, NIST, DOE, and NIH, all agencies that sustain America’s discovery and workforce pipeline.

If adopted, this introduces significant risk to the US innovation ecosystem.

We broke down the cuts, why they matter, & what comes next: https://bit.ly/4dtAQpX

HOLOEYE will be in Strasbourg for Photonics Europe 2026!
📅Apr. 14-15
📍Booth no. 414
Stop by our booth and discover our latest innovations in Spatial Light Modulators, Diffractive Optics and LCOS Microdisplays!💡
See you there!

#HOLOEYE #SPIE #Photonics #PhotonicsEurope #spatiallightmodulator #DOE

Colorful graphic with quote from Odile Liboiron-Ladouceur, with a photograph of Liboiron-Ladouceur below.

“I found comfort in science, where creativity is grounded in logic and discovery.” ⚗️

This #WiOWednesday, we’re spotlighting Odile Liboiron‑Ladouceur, professor & researcher of electrical and computer engineering at McGill University.

Read her full profile here: https://bit.ly/3NxNTw5 #WomenInSTEM

Voltage imaging as a window into neural computation across scales. Scientific figure from the paper.

How can we watch neurons compute in real time? ⚡🧠
Voltage imaging lets scientists see both fast spikes & subtle electrical signals across neurons. This helps connect single‑cell activity to brain‑wide dynamics, which are key to understanding the brain. #Neurophotonics article: https://bit.ly/4tCwrXi

Head PSI Center for Photon Science (CPS) The Paul Scherrer Institute PSI is the largest research institute for natural and engineering sciences in Switzerland. We design, build and operate the country’s large-scale research infrastructures a...

Great opportunity to shape the future of X-ray connectomics (and much more 😉):
@psi.ch is looking for a new head of the Center for Photon Science
www.psi.ch/en/hr/job-op...

Scicomm Collider 2026 The Scicomm Collider workshop will bring together a group of the most innovative science communicators helping to connect the public with topics in physics and astronomy for a three-day workshop aimed...

⚛️🔭 Hey physics/astronomy science communicators: apply to come to @perimeterinstitute.ca for a workshop in October on how to engage the public in science! Anyone can apply, working in any kind of scicomm (video, audio, text, live performance, whatever it is you do). Check the link for more details!

Deblurring the Dark Compact Object Picture with Microlensing Lenses aren’t always made of glass, sometimes they’re made of dark matter compact objects! Today’s paper explores if and how we can tell primordial black holes apart from dark black holes using gravit...

From @laurie-amen.bsky.social: Lenses aren’t always made of glass, sometimes they’re made of dark matter! How can we tell primordial black holes apart from dark black holes using gravitational microlensing. ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️🧪
astrobites.org/2026/04/02/deblurring-dark-compact-objects-with-microlensing/

Mouse embryos viewed through different culture dishes.

What if embryo selection in IVF came down to seeing a little more clearly? 👶🔬

A new hydrogel dish sharpens embryo imaging, offering hope for more successful IVF: https://bit.ly/46Wk2E7 #BiophotonicsDiscovery

Collage of photographs of ex vivo samples of human stomach tissue.

How can light reveal early signs of stomach cancer? 💡🩺

Researchers combine optical coherence tomography + elastography to see both tissue structure and stiffness in stomach samples. This added mechanical insight could help detect cancer earlier.

Read the #SPIE_JBO article: https://bit.ly/4aYCxcf

Segmentation results from the study.

Published in #BiophotonicsDiscovery: Machine-learning-based tumor segmentation and classification using dynamic optical contrast imaging for thyroid cancer 🩺⚛️💡

Read the article: https://bit.ly/3MrH7aB

STMicro ramps silicon photonics platform Chip giant plans to more than quadruple capacity for 'PIC 100' process by next year.

STMicroelectronics says that its “PIC100” silicon #photonics technology, unveiled just over a year ago, will now enter mass production for optical interconnects in data centers and AI computing clusters. ⚛️💡

optics.org/news/stmicro-ramps-silic...

A woman wearing a blazer and glasses sits at a table in front of a window, smiling at the interviewer.

"Biophotonics has reached a level of maturity where computational methods, artificial intelligence, and integrated photonics can play transformative roles."

🎬 Dr. Laura Marcu reflects on her career + advancements in medicine in #BiophotonicsDiscovery interview: https://bit.ly/4b0lRRj #WomenInSTEM

A person wearing protective gear examines a furnace emitting bright light in an industrial setting.

A person wearing protective gear, including a cap and gloves, is working with a glass object in a Schott facility. The environment appears industrial, with machinery and equipment in the background.

2D ray trace of the five-mirror freeform viewfinder design superimposed on a 3D model system housing.

Glass is the foundation for modern #photonics, but making it is energy-intensive. ♻️

New approaches, from hydrogen-fueled production to freeform optics and reuse strategies, are pushing the industry toward a more sustainable future. 💡⚛️🧪

Read more in #PhotonicsFocus. https://bit.ly/3NA5ofj

LIVE: Artemis II Launch Day Updates - NASA Live updates for launch of NASA's Artemis II test flight will be published on this page. NASA’s launch broadcast coverage is airing on NASA+, Amazon Prime,

If you'd like to follow along with the #Artemis II launch, NASA has a live blog here: www.nasa.gov/blogs/missio...
and you can watch the official broadcast on the NASA site here:
plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-vi...
or on YouTube here: www.youtube.com/live/Tf_UjBM...

Colorful graphic with quote from Lia Li with a photograph of Li alongside it.

#WiOWednesday spotlight: Lia Li, CEO/CTO of Zero Point Motion!

Citing Arthur Ashkin as her scientific inspiration, Lia aims to develop tech with a lasting impact. She is currently working in semiconductors, focusing on sensing tech for navigation and motion. 💡

https://bit.ly/3NTveuA #WomenInSTEM