PHTONICS COMPANIES TO EXHIBIT FREE OF CHARGE

CONTACT: ANN EVANS/PUBLIC SERVICE NEWS BUREAU-323 937-1651
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21ST ANNIVERSARY OF RESPECTED PHOTONICS EVENT OFFERS INDUSTRYWIDE OPPORTUNITY

4/05/01Washington, DC., This year, the May 2001 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) will celebrate 21 years as a key annual academic, scientific and business forum for the photonics field with an Anniversary Program designed to encourage and support new companies, new products and marketplace applications.

Cognizant of the attention drawn to this year's "coming of age" industry event, 30 new (start-up) photonics companies are being provided the opportunity to display their leading edge offerings, at no cost to them, in the prime showcase area of this year's conference, Venture Alley -Spotlight on the Future. The Anniversary Program is open to all product component categories currently represented at the conference, including Data Communications, Telecommunications, Bio-Med, Biotech, Machines, Fiber Optics, Optical Components, and Semiconductors.

Interested companies are asked to call the CLEO ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM at 1-800-766-4672 before April 27, 2001. The twenty-first annual Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO 2001) and the tenth Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (QELS 2001) will be held concurrently, May 6­-11,2001 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

The program will also include a virtual reality display on the uses of lasers, the history of lasers and insight into the future of photonics. The newest research and applications in associated fields will be featured through exhibits, hands-on demos, and education covering optics, fiber components, courses on the hottest topics in fiber optics, and cutting edge breakthroughs via 1000 peer reviewed papers in 18 topic areas.

To learn more about CLEO, its academic relevance and historic industry support for the entire photonics field visit www.osa.org/cleo.

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CONTACT: ANN EVANS/PUBLIC SERVICE NEWS BUREAU-323 937-1651 media@psnb.com