Worldwide gathering of laser experts

DEARBORN&#8212Laser applications in industry and their importance in today’s global economy are the thrusts of an international conference to be held in Dearborn, Mich., Oct. 2-5. The International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics Conference 2000 (ICALEOÆ 2000) will feature leading laser scientists, Nobel laureates, and industrial decision makers as well as a series of three conferences.

The ICALEOÆ 2000 opening session on Monday (Oct. 2) will be dedicated to the late Arthur L. Schawlow, co-inventor of the laser and a member of the founding Board of Directors of the Laser Institute of America (LIA). James Penner-Hahn, University of Michigan associate vice president for research, will open the conference, which is expected to attract some 500 participants from 20 countries. Presentations by some of the most prominent laser scientists in the world will follow. Industrial decision makers will present during the afternoon session, introduced by Stephen W. Director, dean of the U-M College of Engineering.

Monday’s speakers include:

Charles H. Townes and Nicolaas Bloembergen, physics Nobel laureates, two of the most important innovators in the history of laser technology.

C.K.N. Patel, inventor of the CO2 laser.

Ted Hänsch, director of Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics.

Larry Burns, vice president, General Motors Research and Development and Planning.

Thomas Romessor, vice president and deputy general manager for Laser Programs, TRW.

Wolfgang Ruch, head of the Aluminum Center, AUDI.

Featured sessions, Oct. 3-5, include laser applications in the automotive, aerospace, electronic, medical device and microfabrication fields. A series of short courses ranging from marking to micromaching will be offered as well.

The ICALEO is devoted to the field of laser material processing. It is viewed as the premier source of technical information in the field. The ICALEOÆ 2000 is organized and presented by the LIA in support of its charter of fostering the use and understanding of laser technology. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency, located at the Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn.