ILX Lightwave Corp., a photonics instrumentation and test systems component company located in Bozeman, Mont., announced that it is now an affiliate member of the Center for Mid-InfraRed Technologies for Health and the Environment (Mirthe). According to ILX, the company will be working with Mirthe researchers on developing next-generation equipment for research and development of quantum cascade lasers, with applications including monitoring trace gases in the environment and disease diagnosis. Mirthe is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center headquartered at Princeton University, partnering with City College of New York, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, Texas A&M University and the University of Maryland.