A Message from the Director of IOS, Lou DiMauro:

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing holiday season and celebrated the start of the new year. I’d like to share the latest updates from the Institute for Optical Science. Since our newsletter last winter, IOS has continued to grow through new programs, collaborations, and community-building events.

A major highlight was the first-ever Ohio Optical Frontiers Showcase, which brought together researchers from across the state for lab tours, research talks, and a networking dinner. This new annual event highlighted IOS’s role in connecting Ohio’s diverse optics community.

Education also remained central to our mission. IOS coordinated the Frontiers in Chemical Physics Series and supported the International Attosecond School in Erice, Italy, ensuring that students and postdocs could learn directly from world leaders in optical and ultrafast science.

Our IOS Member Research Series has provided a platform for faculty and researchers to present their work, sparking conversations across disciplines. Building on that success, we are evolving the series into a mini symposium, where multiple speakers will present on a shared theme. While still in development, this new approach will expand participation beyond IOS members while continuing to foster meaningful opportunities for collaboration.

This fall, IOS partnered with the Gene Therapy Institute to cohost a seminar in their Speaker Series, featuring Profs. Lufang Zhou and X. Margaret Liu on their work with light-induced gene therapy for cancer treatment. The joint event, “A Mitochondrial-Targeted Gene Therapy (mLumiOpto) for Cancer Treatment,” opened new avenues of connection between optical science and gene therapy.

It was also a season of recognition. IOS joined a national NSF pilot grant in quantum science, the X-lites Network launched new international working groups, and Ohio State presented the inaugural Pierre Agostini Prize. Closer to home, the Optica Student Chapter hosted a strong slate of events and announced a new leadership team for the school year.

Finally, I am delighted to welcome our newest IOS members. Their diverse expertise from physics and engineering to the life sciences adds depth to our community and creates new opportunities for collaboration. I encourage all members, both new and longstanding, to take part in IOS programs and to consider sharing their work in the evolving IOS symposium series.

As always, I am grateful for your continued contributions to the Institute and look forward to the next season of discovery and collaboration.

Click here to read the newsletter!