Frontiers in Optics (FiO) 2012, the 96th Annual Meeting of the Optical Society (OSA), today announced that Michael J. Cumbo, president of IDEX Optics & Photonics, will be the featured guest during the Executive Speaker Series being held Tuesday, Oct. 16 as part of the complimentary corporate programming at FiO. The meeting takes place Oct. 14-18 at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, N.Y.
New this year, FiO will host the Executive Speaker Series, an ongoing, interactive forum presented by OSA Corporate Associates offering informal conversation with industry luminaries. This series, which launched in early 2012, features top leaders in the optics and photonics field sharing their personal viewpoints in a wide spectrum of topics including what inspired them to enter the field of optics, how they transitioned from academia to industry, and lessons learned along the way. Previous speakers have included Michael Silver, CEO of American Elements and John Ambroseo, president and CEO of Coherent.
“We look forward to Michael’s insight and perspective as he takes us on a personal journey highlighting his experiences,” said OSA CEO Elizabeth Rogan. “Our Executive Speaker Series provides attendees the unique opportunity to hear a candid, unscripted dialogue among colleagues. Attendees of the meeting will benefit from this new dynamic to our FiO programming.”
Since 2011, Cumbo has overseen IDEX’s three business units that are enabled by high performance thin-film optical coating technologies: ATFilms (Boulder, Colo.), CVI Melles Griot (13 international sites; headquartered in Albuquerque, N.M.), and Semrock (Rochester, N.Y.). Prior to joining IDEX in 2009, Cumbo held executive management positions at three venture-capital-funded high-tech startup companies (NanoGram Solar, Raydiance, and BinOptics) and at three publicly-traded California optics companies (Coherent [COHR], JDS Uniphase [JDSU], and Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc. [OCLI]). In the early stages of his career, he served in engineering positions at Bausch & Lomb and Eastman Kodak. Cumbo earned a B.S. in physics, an M.S. in optical engineering and a Ph.D. in optics from the University of Rochester, and an M.S. in electrical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology.
The interview with Cumbo is part of the complimentary corporate business and networking program at FiO, which also includes a networking reception and a session titled “Update and Outlook for the Optics Market”—an overview from the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) of the recently released U.S. National Academy of Sciences’ report advocating for optics and photonics as an enabling technology, including extensive discussion on the economic impact of optics. Tom Hausken, OSA’s senior advisor of engineering and applications, will lead the discussion.
Held in conjunction with Laser Science XXVIII, the annual meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Laser Science (DLS), FiO will cover the breadth of optical science and engineering in five days of cutting-edge content, powerful networking and opportunities for scientific exchange. Exhibits featuring leading optics companies will complement the in-depth educational programming and offer attendees a glimpse of the latest optical technologies and products.
Full Event Schedule – Complimentary Business Program at FiO
Tuesday, Oct. 16
Empire Hall, Rochester Riverside Convention Center
4 – 4:20 p.m. – Corporate Networking Reception
4:20 – 4:50 p.m. – Update and Outlook for the Optics Market
4:50 – 5 p.m. – Networking Break
5 – 6 p.m. – Executive Speaker Series with IDEX Optics & Photonics President Michael Cumbo
EDITOR’S NOTE – PRESS REGISTRATION:
A Press Room for credentialed press and analysts will be located in the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Sunday through Thursday, Oct. 14-18. Those interested in obtaining a press badge for FiO should contact OSA's Angela Stark at +1 202.416.1443 or [email protected].