The international society for optics and photonics, SPIE, held its inaugural Digital Forum from April 6-10. Originally scheduled to be held from March 29 to April 2, Strasbourg, France, SPIE Photonics Europe 2020 was completely held online via a virtual and interactive format. The SPIE digital forum platform was developed in response to the inability to hold in-person conferences due to the global spread of COVID-19. The forums ensured the timely continuation of information exchange and discussion opportunities that the Societyโs optics and photonics community values and relies on to advance research, product development, and collaborations. It offered a convenient, high-quality, and timely method for researchers, engineers, and government and industry leaders in the photonics community to share emerging research, new results, and technological advances with their peers. All conference presentations and manuscripts were made accessible via the SPIE Digital Library with a commenting capability. The SPIE online format made presentations and discussion accessible during the Forum in various time zones convenient for the participants, in any order. In addition, the SPIE Photonics Europe Digital Forum also included a virtual exhibition, allowing participants to connect with more than 100 exhibitors showcasing products and services that supported the optics and photonics community. "Once it became clear we would have to cancel the Strasbourg-based Photonics Europe, we immediately shifted direction for the 2020 version,โ said SPIE Senior Director of Technical Programs and Proceedings Marilyn Gorsuch. โWe were determined to create the best way to help our scientists and engineers share their critical research with their peers without travel. Our Digital Forum platform has already generated an enthusiastic response, and we are thrilled to see the engagement from the optics and photonics community in terms of the number of participating presenters and authors.โ With more than 700 presenters involved, the topical areas of research ranged from nano and quantum technologies, to biophotonics, lasers and nonlinear optics, and optical imaging, sensing, and metrology. Signing up for the event was made completely free and gave participants full access to all of the SPIE Photonics Europe Digital Forumโs pre-recorded presentations and over 500 accepted manuscripts. In addition to the Photonics Europe Digital Forum, SPIE is launching two more such forums to take place in lieu of previously scheduled in-person conferences, SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing 2020 and SPIE Smart Structures and Non-destructive Evaluation 2020. These Digital Forums will take place from April 27โMay 1.
