Commentary

Optics standards matter at SPIE Photonics West

Jan. 22, 2014

Help support the work of the ANS committees for general optics (ASC OP) to develop and maintain national optics standards and to review and vote on ISO standards as well.

Conard Holton

The American National Standards committees for general optics (ASC OP)--which are responsible for all American national standards for optics and electro-optics except for those of the ophthalmic industry--will meet Feburary 2 and 3, 2014 in conjunction with SPIE Photonics West. Everyone is welcome to attend and support this important standards work. Many US organizations are already donating their expertise to develop and maintain national optics standards and to review and ballot ISO standards as well, ensuring that the US optics industry is represented at the international table.

As executive director David Aikens of the Optics and Electro-Optics Standards Council (OEOSC) has written in Laser Focus World, "It is imperative that there be broad industry and government participation in the development of optical standards so that the resulting documents adequately meet the needs of all optics manufacturers and customers in the US. The same participation is required to ensure that international optical standards are developed in a way that guarantees competitiveness of the US optics industry in international commerce."

Related article: US optics standards need change, by David Aikens

The committees meeting in San Francisco are: Optical Glass, Optical Imperfections, Drawing Notations, Wavefronts, and Infrared Material. They will meet at the Intercontinental Hotel; check the OEOSC website for times and places: www.optstd.org/news.htm#Upcoming.

The OEOSC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the administration of American committees that prepare American National Standards (ANS) and that represent American interests at the International Standards Organization (ISO) in the fields of optics and electro-optics. The OEOSC also certifies short-courses designed to elucidate several of those Standards. Visit the OEOSC’s website: www.optstd.org.

Finally, the Nominating Committee for the 2014 Elections to the Board of Directors of the OEOSC has distributed its slate of candidates. Only two seats are open for re-election this year. Board members serve for 2 years. Donna Howland of Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Division has accepted nomination to General Seat #1; David Aikens of Savvy Optics has accepted nomination for Corporate Secretary. The Election will be held at the Annual Meeting, February 3.

For more information, contact Allen Krisiloff at Triptar Lens (Rochester, NY): 585-473-4470 or [email protected].

About the Author

Conard Holton | Editor at Large

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.