PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Optics and photonics research priorities, grand challenges presented in new report

National initiative recommended to lead collaborative effort

2012-08-13
(Press-News.org) WASHINGTON — A new report from the National Research Council identifies research priorities and grand challenges to fill gaps in optics and photonics, a field that has the potential to advance the economy of the United States and provide visionary directions for future technology applications. The report recommends that the federal government develop a "National Photonics Initiative" to bring together academia, industry, and government to steer federal research and development funding and activities.

"Much is unknown when pursuing basic optical science and its transition to engineering and ultimately to products, but the rewards can be great," said Alan Willner, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California and co-chair of the committee that wrote the report. "There are a number of opportunities that could change our daily lives."

"People do not think of Google as an optics company, but a typical Google data center has more than a million lasers in it," said Paul McManamon, technology director of the Ladar and Optical Communication Institute at the University of Dayton and committee co-chair. "The Internet example is only one case where work in optics and photonics may be a small part of the money invested in research, but is a critical enabler for high-tech businesses and jobs."

The committee named five grand challenges facing the nation that can be addressed with advances in optics and photonics technology. The first is to keep up the pace of technological achievement established in previous decades. Others include improved military surveillance and missile defense, achieving cost parity for solar power versus fossil fuel across the country's electrical grid, reaching seamless integration of photonics and electronics at the chip level, and developing optical sources and imaging tools to support increased resolution in manufacturing.

Eight particular areas of technological application are discussed in separate chapters: communications, information processing, and data storage; defense and national security; energy; health and medicine; advanced manufacturing; advanced photonic measurements and applications; strategic materials for optics; and displays. Each chapter reviews progress that has occurred since the 1998 National Research Council report Harnessing Light: Optical Science and Engineering for the 21st Century, as well as the technological opportunities that have risen from recent advances in optical science and engineering. The report recommends actions for the development and maintenance of global leadership in photonics-driven industries, including both near-term and long-range goals, likely participants, and responsible agents of change.

A National Photonics Initiative will help manage the breadth of rapidly expanding applications of photonics technologies, the report says, allowing both government and industry to form coherent strategies for technology development and deployment. The recommended initiative should also spearhead a collaborative effort to improve the collection and reporting of research, development, and economic data on this sector.

"The impact of optics and photonics on U.S. technology leadership is substantial; this is a critical reason to support a National Photonics Initiative," said McManamon. "Optics and photonics facilitates many technology areas and is therefore critical to U.S. high-tech competitiveness. A National Photonics Initiative will ensure that we make full use of these technologies."

###

The study was sponsored by the National Science Foundation; Army Research Office; Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Microsystems Technology Office and Defense Sciences Office; National Institute of Standards and Technology; U.S. Department of Energy's Basic Energy Sciences and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy divisions; International Society for Optics and Photonics; Optical Society of America; and Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org. A committee roster follows.

Contacts:
Lorin Hancock, Media Relations Officer
Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu

Pre-publication copies of Optics and Photonics: Essential Technologies for Our Nation are available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Board on Manufacturing and Engineering Design
and
Division on Policy and Global Affairs
Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy

Committee on Harnessing Light: Capitalizing on Optical Science Trends and Challenges for Future Research

Paul McManamon (co-chair)
Technology Director
Ladar and Optical Communication Institute
University of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio

Alan E. Willner (co-chair)
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering
Viterbi School of Engineering
University of Southern California
Los Angeles

Rod C. Alferness1
Chief Scientist
Alcatel-Lucent (retired), and
Richard A. Auhll Professor and Dean
University of California
Santa Barbara

Thomas M. Baer
Executive Director
Photonics Research Center
Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.

Joseph Buck
Vice President of Program Development
Boulder Nonlinear Systems
Lafayette, Colo.

Milton M. Chang
Managing Director
Incubic Management LLC
Los Altos Hills, Calif.

Constance J. Chang-Hasnain
John R. Whinnery Chair Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
University of California
Berkeley

Charles Maurice Falco
Chair of Condensed Matter Physics, and
Professor of Optical Sciences and Physics
College of Optical Sciences
University of Arizona
Tucson

Erica R. Fuchs
Assistant Professor
Department of Engineering and Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh

Waguih S. Ishak
Division Vice President and Director
Corning West Technology Center
Corning Inc.
Palo Alto, Calif.

Prem Kumar
AT&T Professor of Information Technology
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department
Northwestern University
Evanston, Ill.

David A.B. Miller1,2
W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Electrical Engineering
Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.

Duncan T. Moore1
Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship, and
Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Professor of Optical Engineering The Institute of Optics
Rochester, N.Y.

Edward I. Moses1,+
Principal Associate Director
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Livermore, Calif.

David C. Mowery
Professor of New Enterprise Development
Walter A. Haas School of Business
University of California
Berkeley

N. Darius Sankey
Director of Portfolio Strategy
Intellectual Ventures
Seattle

Edward White
President
Edward White Consulting
Webster, N.Y.

RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF

Erik Svedberg
Study Director

1 Member, National Academy of Engineering
2 Member, National Academy of Sciences
+ Resigned

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers identify key culprit causing muscle atrophy

Researchers identify key culprit causing muscle atrophy
2012-08-13
Whether you're old, have been ill, or suffered an injury, you've watched gloomily as your muscles have atrophied. The deterioration of muscle—even slight or gradual—is about as common to the human condition as breathing. Yet despite its everyday nature, scientists know little about what causes skeletal muscles to atrophy. They know proteins are responsible, but there are thousands of possible suspects, and parsing the key actors from the poseurs is tricky. In a new paper, researchers from the University of Iowa report major progress. The team has identified a single ...

New key element discovered in pathogenesis of Burkitt lymphoma

2012-08-13
Burkitt lymphoma is a malignant, fast-growing tumor that originates from a subtype of white blood cells called B lymphocytes of the immune system and often affects internal organs and the central nervous system. Now Dr. Sandrine Sander and Professor Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have identified a key element that transforms the immune cells into malignant lymphoma cells. They developed a mouse model that closely resembles Burkitt lymphoma in humans and that may help to test new treatment strategies (Cancer Cell)*. Burkitt ...

Gene discovery could improve treatment for acute myeloid leukemia

2012-08-13
August 13, 2012 ─ (BRONX, NY) ─ Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have made a discovery involving mice and humans that could mean that people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare and usually fatal cancer, are a step closer to new treatment options. Their study results were published online today in Cancer Cell. "We have discovered that a gene called HLX is expressed at abnormally high levels in leukemia stem cells in a mouse model of AML," said Ulrich Steidl, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of cell biology and of ...

Chromosomal translocations point the way toward personalized cancer care

2012-08-13
A broken chromosome is like an unmoored beansprout circling in search of attachment. If a cell tries to replicate itself with broken chromosomes, the cell will be killed and so it would very much like to find its lost end. Often, it finds a workable substitute: another nearby chromosome. When a broken chromosome attaches to another, or when chromosomes use a similar process to exchange genetic material, you've got a translocation – genes end up fused to other genes, encoding a new protein they shouldn't. A recent University of Colorado Cancer Center review in the journal ...

Why are people overconfident so often?

2012-08-13
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY'S HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS – Researchers have long known that people are very frequently overconfident – that they tend to believe they are more physically talented, socially adept, and skilled at their job than they actually are. For example, 94% of college professors think they do above average work (which is nearly impossible, statistically speaking). But this overconfidence can also have detrimental effects on their performance and decision-making. So why, in light of these negative consequences, is overconfidence still so pervasive? The ...

Protective bacteria in the infant gut have resourceful way of helping babies break down breast milk

2012-08-13
A research team at the University of California, Davis, has found that important and resourceful bacteria in the baby microbiome can ferret out nourishment from a previously unknown source, possibly helping at-risk infants break down components of breast milk. Breast milk is amazingly intricate, providing all of the nutrients necessary to sustain and strengthen infants in the first months of life. Moreover, this natural source of nutrition provides protection from infections, allergies and many other illnesses. Breast milk also promotes the growth of protective bacteria ...

Wind farms: A danger to ultra-light aircraft?

Wind farms: A danger to ultra-light aircraft?
2012-08-13
For a motorized hangglider or a one-seater weighing 300 kilograms: the business of flying by ultra-light aircraft is booming. That is also why numerous airfields are applying for the license to host these lightweight gliders. Most of these airfields are located on flat land, which is also the preferred terrain for wind power plant. However, these facilities could turn out to be a risk factor for aviators, especially when it comes to takeoff and landing: On the one hand, the power plants "pilfer" the winds from the planes, because wind speeds aft of such facilities are considerably ...

New oncogene identified for breast cancer

2012-08-13
A team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, led by Dr. Mark W. Jackson, have developed a novel method to identify genes that, when overexpressed, make normal cells behave like cancer cells. Using this method, the Jackson laboratory has identified a new oncogene, which is a gene that contributes to the development of cancer, named FAM83B. "We made our discovery in a model of breast cancer," said Mark W. Jackson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Case Comprehensive Cancer ...

Poor oral health can mean missed school, lower grades

2012-08-13
Poor oral health, dental disease, and tooth pain can put kids at a serious disadvantage in school, according to a new Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC study. "The Impact of Oral Health on the Academic Performance of Disadvantaged Children," appearing in the September 2012 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, examined nearly 1500 socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary and high school children in the Los Angeles Unified School District, matching their oral health status to their academic achievement and attendance records. Ostrow researchers had previously ...

For young adults, appearance matters more than health, MU research suggests

For young adults, appearance matters more than health, MU research suggests
2012-08-13
VIDEO: MU researchers studied how college-age women view their bodies and how they feel about media messages aimed at women. Based on focus group research findings, the MU team developed an... Click here for more information. COLUMBIA, Mo. –When it comes to college-age individuals taking care of their bodies, appearance is more important than health, research conducted at the University of Missouri suggests. María Len-Ríos, an associate professor of strategic communication, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Nearly half of adults mistakenly think benefits of daily aspirin outweigh risks

Cardiovascular disease medications underused globally

Amazon Pharmacy's RxPass program improves medication adherence, helps prime members save money, study finds

Tufts University School of Medicine, ATI Physical Therapy launch first-of-its-kind collaboration to make physical therapy education and career advancement more accessible and affordable

Could lycopene—a plant extract—be an effective antidepressant?

Study shows urine test for prostate cancer could be used at home

Shaping future of displays: clay/europium-based technology offers dual-mode versatility

Optimizing ADHD treatment: revealing key components of cognitive–behavioral therapy

Breaking barriers in thioxanthone synthesis: a double aryne insertion strategy

Houston Methodist researchers identify inhibitor drugs to treat aggressive breast cancer

Skin disease patients show response to targeted treatment

Tiny copper ‘flowers’ bloom on artificial leaves for clean fuel production

Cracks in Greenland Ice Sheet grow more rapidly in response to climate change

Computer model helps identify cancer-fighting immune cells key to immunotherapy

Keeper or corner?

Printable molecule-selective nanoparticles enable mass production of wearable biosensors

Mapping the yerba mate genome reveals surprising facts about the evolution of caffeine

Electricity prices across Europe to stabilise if 2030 targets for renewable energy are met, study suggests

Improved treatment timing reduces honey bee losses to Varroa mites

CAR-T cells can arm bystander T cells with CAR molecules via trogocytosis

Can ocean-floor mining oversights help us regulate space debris and mining on the Moon?

Observing ozonated water’s effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 in saliva

Alcohol-related deaths up 18% during pandemic

Mothers of twins face a higher risk of heart disease in the year after birth

A new approach to detecting Alzheimer’s disease

Could the contraceptive pill reduce risk of ovarian cancer?

Launch of the most comprehensive, and up to date European Wetland Map

Lurie Children’s campaign urges parents to follow up right away if newborn screening results are abnormal

Does drinking alcohol really take away the blues? It's not what you think

Speed of risk perception is connected to how information is arranged

[Press-News.org] Optics and photonics research priorities, grand challenges presented in new report
National initiative recommended to lead collaborative effort