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CONFERENCE: 2024 OPTICS AND PHOTONICS IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE AND SEMINAR -THE 2024 GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE (GRC) ON OPTICS AND PHOTONICS IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY (OPMB), BRINGS TOGETHER CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS OF INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO DO RESEARCH ON LASERS AND OPTICS USED FOR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS. FOR A WEEK DURING THE SUMMER, THESE SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS FROM UNIVERSITIES, COMPANIES, HOSPITALS AND NATIONAL/GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD, COME TOGETHER IN A QUIET SETTING ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS IN MAINE TO PRESENT THEIR LATEST RESULTS, DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS AND TO DISCUSS THESE WITH ONE ANOTHER. AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THIS PARTICULAR CONFERENCE IS THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THE ATTENDEES ARE SCIENTISTS WHO ARE THE BEGINNING OF THEIR CAREERS (GRADUATE STUDENTS AND THE LIKE) WHO WILL HAVE THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM AND INTERACT WITH THE WELL-KNOWN AND ESTABLISHED SCIENTISTS AND LEADERS IN THEIR FIELD. THE CONFERENCE ALSO HAS MADE A STRONG EFFORT TO BRING TOGETHER A VERY DIVERSE GROUP OF ATTENDEES WITH CLOSE TO 40% BEING FEMALE, MORE THAN 1/3 OF THE ATTENDEES COMING FROM COUNTRIES OUTSIDE OF THE US AND A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER BEING PART OF TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENT GROUPS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. ONE OF THE RESULTS OF THIS FROM PREVIOUS CONFERENCES LIKE THIS ONE, HAS BEEN THAT THE PARTICIPANTS GET TO REALLY KNOW EACH OTHER AND START TO WORK TOGETHER. THEY BECOME COLLEAGUES AND COLLABORATORS AND IN SOME CASES FRIENDS FOR LIFE. ULTIMATELY THIS MEANS THAT TOGETHER THEY CAN MAKE MORE RESEARCH PROGRESS THAN EACH PERSON CAN ON THEIR OWN WHICH IN TURN BENEFITS SOCIETY AND ULTIMATE THE PATIENTS THAT BENEFIT FROM THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES. DURING FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE MEETING IS TO WORK TOGETHER AND EXCHANGE IDEAS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW LIGHT INTERACTS WITH BIOLOGICAL TISSUE AND HOW LASERS AND OTHER OPTICAL TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE USED TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT DISEASES SUCH AS CANCER OR HEART DISEASE AND USE THOSE HIGH TECH APPROACHES TO UNDERSTAND HOW CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BODY SUCH AS THE BRAIN ACTUALLY WORK. THE THEME OF THE 2024 GRC-OPMB CONFERENCE IS ?BIOPHOTONICS: FROM FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS TO APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY?, THE CONFERENCE WILL CONSIST OF 9 SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS WITH 3 OR 4 INVITED SPEAKERS EACH. EACH SESSION WILL FOCUS ON A BIOPHOTONIC TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH QUESTION OR APPLICATION AREA. TOPICS WITHIN A SESSION SPAN THE FULL SPECTRUM FROM FUNDAMENTAL BIOPHYSICS TO BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE QUESTION TO CLINICAL MEDICINE AND EXPLORE THE CURRENT AND FUTURE USE OF THESE ADVANCES FOR IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELLNESS. MOST OF THE TOPICS AND SESSIONS DIRECTLY ALIGN WITH THE INTEREST AND MISSION OF THE NSF, ESPECIALLY THE SESSIONS ON ?QUANTUM BIOPHOTONICS?, ?AI/ML IN OPTICAL IMAGING?, ?MODELING AND THEORY OF LASER-TISSUE INTERACTIONS? AND THROUGHOUT THE CONFERENCE AND ITS PARTICIPANTS THERE WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT FOCUS ON EARLY CAREER INVESTIGATORS AND DIVERSITY. IN ADDITION, THERE WILL BE 4 POSTER SESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK WHERE ALL ATTENDEES ARE ENCOURAGED TO PRESENT THEIR LATEST RESEARCH FINDINGS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

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