Newsletter Volume 31, Number 3
November 2026 | | Table of Contents
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From the President
- November 4 Meeting & Corporate Member Appreciation
- Beckman Laser Institute 40th Anniversary
- October 12 OSSC-UCSD SPIE Recap
- October 14 Diverse Optics Recap
- October 17 Chief Science Officers Outreach Recap
- This Month in Optics
- Upcoming Optics & Photonics Events
- OSSC Upcoming Leadership Team Activities
- Outreach Activities
- Optics Education
- Attention Students
- OSSC Website Sponsors
- OSSC Corporate Members
- Welcome New OSSC Members
| | | From the President
McGwire Herbert | |
Dear OSSC Members,
October was a strong month for our Society. Our joint event with the UCSD SPIE Student Chapter gave members and students a close look at photonics research through lab tours. A few days later, Diverse Optics hosted us in Rancho Cucamonga, where Gregory F. Miller gave an excellent talk. Thank you to our hosts and to everyone who came out.
On Wednesday, November 4, we will hold our Corporate Member Appreciation event in Torrance. Our corporate members are a big part of why OSSC has thrived for 75 years, and this evening is our chance to thank them.
| | | The reception and corporate member exhibits begin at 6:00 PM, so come early to see what our local companies are building. Our speaker is Dr. Mitchell Spearrin, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCLA.
If your company is not yet a corporate member, I encourage you to consider joining. Corporate membership supports our programs and student outreach. It also connects your team with the Southern California optics community through events like this one. Feel free to reach out to me at president@ossc.org or visit the website to learn more.
Finally, as a reminder, we do not hold a meeting in December. I wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you at our January meeting.
| November 4 Meeting & Corporate Member Appreciation |
Join us at the Holiday Inn Los Angeles Gateway in Torrance on November 4 for our Corporate Member Appreciation event! Corporate members are encouraged to reserve a tabletop exhibit while space remains available. Following dinner and OSSC business, Dr. Mitchell Spearrin of UCLA will present “Sensing and imaging gas dynamics in extreme environments: rockets to wildfires.”
Registration deadline: November 1
| Beckman Laser Institute 40th Anniversary | | UC Irvine’s Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic celebrated four decades of advancing science and medicine. Founded in 1986 through the shared vision of Michael Berns and Arnold Beckman, BLI brought scientists, engineers, and physicians together to turn laboratory discoveries into patient treatments. Its contributions include technologies that improve laser treatments, noninvasive imaging tools, and new approaches to detecting cancer. | | |
Beyond these discoveries, BLI has trained generations of researchers and entrepreneurs whose work has helped shape the biomedical optics industry.
The anniversary welcomed former BLI director Bruce Tromberg, now director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, as the featured speaker. His return highlighted the institute’s connections across academic research, industry, and government.
Forty years after opening its doors, BLI continues to connect discovery with clinical care, advancing technologies with an impact across the United States and around the world.
| October 12 OSSC - UCSD SPIE Recap | | On October 12, OSSC joined UC San Diego’s SPIE Student Chapter for an afternoon exploring quantum technologies. Impressive tours of the Qualcomm Institute’s photonics labs were followed by a talk from Dr. Tim Day, Chairman and CEO of Monarch Quantum, who shared insights into bringing laser technologies from the laboratory to the quantum market. | | | October 14 Diverse Optics Recap | | Missed our October 14 event at Diverse Optics? Gregory F. Miller, Operations & Engineering Executive at Diverse Optics explored how high-precision polymer optics move from concept to high-volume production, highlighting the challenges of material selection, diamond turning, precision molding, and quality control.
Watch the recorded presentation > | | | October 17 Chief Science Officers Outreach Recap | | OSSC is proud to join forces with Chief Science Officers Program to empower students in STEM. Our own Donn Silberman broke his record for largest number of students he's ever given a talk to, giving the young audience a taste for quantum optics, in partnership with QOISC. Learn how to get involved with CSO > | Support OSSC Community Initiatives | OSSC members and friends can now support several community and education initiatives through the OSSC Donate page, including the Mt. Wilson Observatory Fund, Pasadena City College – Laser Technology Fund, and the OSSC History Celebration & Project Fund. Learn More & Donate >
| | Light is fast—but even light can keep an astronomer waiting. In November 1676, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer used the timing of eclipses of Jupiter’s moon Io to demonstrate that light does not travel instantaneously. This month marks the 350th anniversary of that breakthrough.
Io appeared to fall behind schedule as Earth moved farther from Jupiter. Rømer recognized that the extra distance meant extra travel time for its light. On November 21, he presented his findings to the French Royal Academy of Sciences, estimating that light needed about 22 minutes to cross the diameter of Earth’s orbit.
So how long did it take to reach today’s familiar number? Nearly three more centuries. In 1975, an international recommendation adopted 299,792,458 meters per second for light in vacuum. In 1983, that value became exact through a new definition of the meter—307 years after Rømer’s announcement. | Upcoming Optics & Photonics Events |
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November 4 — OSSC Meeting & Corporate Member Appreciation: Join us in Torrance for exhibits, networking, and Dr. Mitchell Spearrin’s presentation on optical sensing in extreme environments.Details & registration >
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November 8–12 — IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC): Explore photonics research and industry developments in Denver, Colorado.Conference details >
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December — No regular OSSC meeting. Happy holidays!
| Jobs / Community Opportunities |
Looking for your next opportunity—or hiring? OSSC’s forums connect employers and job seekers across Southern California’s optics and photonics community. Browse job announcements, share your experience, and join technical discussions. To submit a job announcement, contact Jobs@ossc.org.
Explore Jobs & Community Forums >
| Final Notes
We love publishing news from our members including profiles, activities, white papers, and new products from our OSSC Corporate Members. Send your input to Newsletter@ossc.org. Please include the word "newsletter" in the subject line of your email.
| Leadership Team Activities
| OSSC Leadership Team
The OSSC Leadership Team and Committees meet monthly to plan events and manage Society business. They would would love your help! Contact OSSC President McGwire Herbert to discuss how we can best put your talent, interests, and skills to use. | | | Outreach Opportunities
The OSSC seeks volunteers for upcoming events being organized by our friends at Vital Link and The Girl Scouts of Orange County and many more. If you are interested please contact us at Outreach@ossc.org.
| | | Learn more about professional education opportunities on the OSSC website. | Student Members receive a meal discount at our regular meetings. If you qualify as a Student Member but do not see the discount, your membership probably needs to be updated. Please contact Memberships@ossc.org to have your membership changed to Student Member before registering for the next meeting.
Student Members are Individual Members who are currently enrolled in school at least part-time and are not working full-time.
| | | Thank You to our Website Sponsors | Thank You to our Corporate Members | Welcome to all our New Members | | Michael Alderete
Austin J Alexander
David A Banfi
Karen Beaulieu
Ken B Canfield
Elizabeth Chang
Nelson Claytor
Noah Daviero
Grant Decastro
Brandon Delgado
Quinn Gilbert
Anibal Gomez
Ezekiel I Gonzalez
Krista Gordon
Jack Hamilton
Claudia Holland
Yanfei Jiang | | Ebrahim Karimi
Nicolaus A Lambert
Emma Li
Greg Miller
Maximilien Montfort
James T Murphy
Natalia Natalia
Emre Ozen
Yvette Pagano
Jesse Perez m Perez
Danny Pham
Jacob Rada
Christopher W Roske
Jing Shao
Patricia Nicole G Sim
Ezequiel Urrutia | | | We value your membership and appreciate your support! | Optical Society of Southern California
www.ossc.org
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