In this episode: NLM Photonics sends its organic electro-optic photonic chips to space, SPIE announces the 2026 Startup Challenge finalists, and a fiber-optic ‘disco ball’ shows promise for brain imaging.
SPIE has announced the finalists for the 2026 Startup Challenge. The ceremony will be held on January 20th during Photonics West.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed what they call a fiber-optic disco ball. It’s a device that now allows neural activity deep in the brain to be manipulated like never before.
Justine Murphy is the multimedia director for Endeavor Business Media's Digital Infrastructure Group. She is a multiple award-winning writer and editor with more 20 years of experience in newspaper publishing as well as public relations, marketing, and communications. For nearly 10 years, she has covered all facets of the optics and photonics industry as an editor, writer, web news anchor, and podcast host for an internationally reaching magazine publishing company. Her work has earned accolades from the New England Press Association as well as the SIIA/Jesse H. Neal Awards. She received a B.A. from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
