Next OSSC Meeting

11 June 2025
Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS)
Annual OSSC Business Meeting with Officer Election Results

Richard Rieber, M.S.

Robotics Systems Engineer
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA

EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor) | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Registration & Details

Download Flyer to Share with Friends & Colleagues

Uniting the Southern California Optics Community

Since 1951, the Optical Society of Southern California has been your Southern California local section of Optica founded to increase and disseminate the knowledge of optics and closely allied sciences. The Society meets monthly from September through June (except December) and also organizes regular family-friendly outreach events.

Members Enjoy:

Meal Discounts at most of our regular meetings
Access to our on-line Membership Directory of Optics and Photonics Professionals
Access to dozens of videos and recorded webinars of OSSC Speakers dating back to 2017
Access to over two decades of presentation documents featuring eminent speakers from the optics community
Access to over 200 Issues of the OSSC Images Newsletter dating back to 1998
Opportunities to join our Leadership Team.

Learn More!

Already a member? Visit our Member Portal to access exclusive member only content.

Recent OSSC Meeting

7 May 2025

AI-based advances in biomedical microscopy and sensing

Co-Located with CLEO - Conference on Lasers & Electro Optics

Aydogan Ozcan Ph.D.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Bioengineering Department, California NanoSystems Institute

UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

Registration & Details

Download Flyer to Share with Friends & Colleagues

Recent OSSC Meeting

9 April 2025

DBR Laser Diode Advancements: Precision Engineering
for Spectroscopy, Quantum, and Beyond

Dr. Annie Xiang
Senior Vice President of Quality Management and Customer Success
Photodigm, Inc.

Registration & Details

Download Flyer to Share with Friends & Colleagues

STUDENTS: Starting this active period, students must update their membership type to Student Member in order to receive the meal discount at our meetings. Student Members are Individual Members who are currently enrolled in school at least part-time and are not working full-time. Please email the Membership Chair before registering for the meeting to update your membership type. Student Membership is only $15 per year, so if you are new to the OSSC, learn more about OSSC membership.

OSSC Leadership Team Activities

The OSSC Leadership Team meets periodically to plan events and manage Society business. The Leadership Team would would love your help! Contact OSSC President Nicholas Croglio to discuss how we can best put your talent, interests, and skills to use.

The Outreach Committee welcomes members & non-members to share knowledge and fun at our Outreach Events. Stay for an hour or two, or the whole day! Contact Donn Silberman to learn more.

The Programs & Arrangements Committee is open to members who want to help plan and manage our regular meetings and events. If you have an idea for a speaker or event, please contact OSSC Programs Chair Kenn Bates.

The Website & Communications Team is open to members who want to share Society knowledge and activities via our website, emails, and social media. If you would like to help, please contact OSSC Webmaster Bob Cartland or OSSC Communications Chair Cecily Brown.

Learn More

Outreach

Seeking Volunteers

The OSSC seeks volunteers for upcoming events being organized by our friends at Vital Link and other partners in Orange County. Please contact the Outreach Chair if you are interested.

We would love your help!

Check out Donn's Public Photo Albums | QOISC for photos of recent and past outreach events.

More OSSC Outreach Information

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Learn About Registered Apprenticeships

You can learn more about apprenticeship programs

on the Vital Link website

Apprenticeships

OSSC Corporate Members and Website Sponsors can request information

directly from Vital Link by using their on-line form

Apprenticeship Interest Form

Professional Education Opportunities

UC Irvine

Part-Time Instructor: Optical Engineering and Optical Instrument Design

Summer 2025 courses begin in June.

Optical Instrument Design

The above courses are part of Certificate Programs in:
Optical Engineering & Optical Instrument Design

Additional Information

Pasadena City College

Laser Technology Program

Students completing the program in Laser Technology will learn the scientific principles of optics, fiber-optics, and lasers. Laser and Photonics Technology instructors lead hands-on, laboratory-driven classes, utilizing state-of-the-art industrial equipment, based on the industry-guided photonics curricula written by industry professionals. In addition to laboratory skills, students are offered one-on-one support and career advice, including résumé and LinkedIn profile building.

A new LaserTech student cohort starts in the Fall 2025 semester.

Additional Information Contact:

Prof. Brian Monacelli, Ph. D.

Most of the course materials are available for use as OER (Open Educational Resources) by contacting Dr. Brian Monacelli directly at BMonacelli@Pasadena.edu

For more Information about local professional education opportunities visit our:

Professional Education Page

Recent OSSC Meeting

12 March 2025

OSSC Corporate Member Appreciation Meeting

& Workforce Development Panel Discussion

Society News

The OSSC Newsletter, Images, includes Society news, events, technical articles, and the occasional optrick (optical illusions and other ways to have fun with light). Over the decades, the Newsletter has evolved from a print edition, to a downloadable pdf, and is currently an email Newsletter.

Recent issues are viewable on our Newsletter Page. OSSC members may access over 200 pdf editions in our Newsletter Archive.

If you have a short article you would like to contribute to the newsletter, please email the editor. Corporate Members are encouraged to submit profiles, news, workshops or other events.