Letter from the Chairmen

After the strong enthusiasm and interest generated with the first Workshop on Specialty Optical Fibers and Their Applications (WSOF) held back in August 2008 in Sao Pedro, Brazil we are glad to host this second edition and invite you to join us for WSOF-2010 in the picturesque city of Oaxaca, Mexico.

WSOF-2010 will be a technical workshop and exhibit intended to report on the latest advances and innovations in specialty optical fibers, its applications and associated devices; and serve as a discussion forum by bringing together researchers, academics, manufacturers and students working in the field.  The event aims at covering the most up-to-date and diverse fiber types including microstructured and photonic crystal fibers, non-silica fibers, as well as new trends in fiber devices and sensors. 

For this edition of WSOF, we will have a special technical program session on Specialty Fibers for High Power Fiber Lasers an area of current research and commercial interest.

Recognizing the international nature of the research being carried out on specialty fibers these days, we have expanded and diversified the members of  the Technical Program Committee to include representatives from around the world, and we are striving to assemble a world-class list of Invited Speakers.

As originally intended with the first workshop, the three-day event will take place in a tranquil setting in order to stimulate close contact and interactions among the Workshop participants.  For this reason, we have selected the City of Oaxaca in Mexico, a picturesque town frozen in time with colorful colonial houses and cobblestone streets, that offers a vast array of exciting food, cultural and tourist attractions such as the nearby pyramid ruins of Monte Alban and Mitla.

The workshop is jointly organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Center for Optics Research (CIO).  It is co-sponsored by SPIE and OSA.  The three-day event will consist of plenary and invited talks, a tutorial, as well as contributed and poster papers.  An exhibit will also be held to get participants exposed to the latest technology and product offerings.