Edmund Optics has selected 45 finalists for its 2013 Higher Education Global Grant Program, which will award more than $85,000 in optical components products to outstanding optics programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics nonprofit colleges and universities. The 45 finalists, representing 21 different countries, were selected from more than 800 applications. Fifteen finalists were selected from each of the regions — the Americas, Asia and Europe. Submitted applications range from developing handheld OCT probes for noninvasive diagnostics in primary health care to real-time optical detectors for airborne asbestos detection. “This is the fourth year of our Higher Education Global Grant Program and it is only getting better. It’s exciting to see the number of applications we receive from around the world and incredible to learn of the diversity of research that is being conducted at the academic level,” said Kirsten Bjork-Jones, director of global marketing communications. “The technical expertise and determination of the applicants make this grant program extremely rewarding for Edmund Optics. Our mission has always been to support the emergence of new technology and optical innovation — nothing is more satisfying than helping an idea come to fruition.” Edmund Optics’ global award team will select three recipients for each region based on two criteria: technical merit, which is the application of optics in the program, and the innovative use of optics in a lab or research setting. Winners will be announced Sept. 4. In October, Edmund Optics will award $5000 in products to the program that best embodies the legacy of Edmund Optics’ founder, Norman Edmund. The Norman Edmund Inspiration Award was established last April (See: Inspiration Award Honors Edmund Optics Founder). For more information, visit: www.edmundoptics.com