Creation of a group for professionals in the fields of phototonics and optics demonstrates the growing maturity of northern Nevada in high technology fields.
The group the Reno-Tahoe Section of the Optical Society of America has drawn a membership of nearly 70 since its creation this spring, said Jutta Recktenwald, its president- elect and one of its organizers.
"It's been growing largely by word of mouth," she said.
The group hopes to reach a membership of 100 by year-end.
Those members, Recktenwald said, share interests in a field that includes optics, lasers, nanotechnology, electro-optics and biotech instrumentation a wide swath of hightech fields.
For instance, Recktenwald's Reno-based company, ScientificLogics, moved to the region last year to commercialize technology developed by researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno.
The president of the new group is Peter Guilfoyle, whose Zephyr Cove-based company, OptiComp Corp., develops advanced optical technologies.
Creation of the Optical Society of America chapter shows that the region has developed a critical mass of professionals in photonics and also shows that they want to band together to push their professional interests, said Ken Pierson, who works with technology companies as new business development manager for the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.
Recktenwald said the northern Nevada chapter of the Optical Society of America provides an opportunity for professionals in the field, who often feel isolated, to network and develop business relationships.
The group's monthly meetings also are intended to sharpen members' professional skills.
At the group's October session, for instance, Julian Cheng, the vice president of engineering at Opticomp, presented a paper on "Long Wavelength VCSELs for Multi- Gigabit Networking Applications."A Web site under development by the group will provide copies of the papers as well as abstracts.
Annual membership ranges from $15 for individuals to $250 for companies.
There's no cost for student memberships.
(For membership information, contact Michelle Hannah, michelle@siliconquest.com.)
