Upcoming Event
October 24: Workshop on Metasurfaces (M), Freeform Surfaces (F), and Gradient-Index Materials (G)
The Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester is organizing a workshop to find national and international academic and industrial collaborations.
Background
Many institutions around the world have conducted world class research on meta surfaces, freeform surfaces and gradient-index optical systems. In recent years, investigators have combined them in various pairs. The workshop goals are to further expand the research across all three disciplines in a coordinated approach. There remain significant challenges in order to develop these next generation technologies including design algorithms, metrology, materials, and fabrication methods.
The Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester is organizing a workshop to find national and international academic and industrial collaborations. One important issue is to identify several difficult applications which can not be solved by only one technology. (Moonshots)
Workshop Details
Date: October 24, 2025
Location: Feldman Ballroom D or Zoom
Meeting Agenda (pdf)
Primary goals:
- Identify opportunities where M F G would have a significant impact if more than one is used
- Determine current limitations of each
- Identify “Moon shot” ideas (10 year horizon)
Examples:
- Health care (including aging)
- Transportation (terra and space)
- Agriculture
- Under water
- Security
- Entertainment
- AR/VR
- Drones
- Hyperspectral
- Water resources
Secondary goals:
- Meet new people
- Learn about a new field
- Build new collaborations
Remember this is NOT a workshop to discuss the latest research results. The goal of the workshop is to find opportunities where two of the three topics can be combined to enable new systems. To help each participant to understand the advantages and limitations of each of the topics, we will start with three overviews of each with a particular emphasis on the limitations identified to date.