WASHINGTON, August 19 -- A total of 5300 attended the week-long 48th annual meeting and optical science and technology exhibition of the The International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), held in San Diego, Calif., earlier this month. SPIE reported a strong, enthusiastic turnout at the event, which included a well-attended series of conferences on organic photonics and electronics, including "Linear and Nonlinear Optics of Organic Materials," chaired by Mark G. Kuzyc, of Washington State University, and "Organic Light-Emitting Materials and Devices," chaired by Zakya H. Kafafi of the Naval Research Lab.
   "The popularity of these conferences is indicative of the increasing use of organic holographic and light-emitting materials in a wide array of imaging and display applications," SPIE organizers said.
   Short-course attendance, a victim of the uncertain economy over the past year, rose again, said SPIE. The most popular courses included basic optics for engineers (Glenn Boreman, University of Central Florida), optomechanics for space applications (Ann Shipley, University of Colorado) and an overview of chemical and biological agents (Debra Niemeyer, US Air Force Insitute of Operational Health).
   Technical group meetings were also well-attended; the optomechanical/instrument group meeting lasted well into Thursday evening, said the organizers. A presentation in the Women in Optics Seminar Series was also popular; Meg Urry of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics spoke on "Jets, Black Holes and the Violent Universe."
   The following were elected as officers and directors of the society at the annual meeting; they will begin serving in January:
   President James W. Bilbro, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Vice President Malgorzata Kujawinska, Warsaw University of Technology; Secretary Paul F. McManamon, Air Force Research Lab; Treasurer Robert E. Fischer, president and CEO, OPTICS 1 Inc.
   Directors (2004-2006 term): Ralph B. James, Brookhaven National Lab; Gloria Putnam, Eastman Kodak Co.; Bruce J. Tromberg, Beckman Laser Institute; Ichirou Yamaguchi, Gunma University; (2004 term): Guillermo H. Kaufmann, University Nacional de Rosario.