This episode features Travis Wood, president of Montana-based Lattice Materials, a company specializing in custom infrared optics using silicon and germanium.

He’s also a board member of the Montana Photonics and Quantum Alliance, and works closely with the Photonic and Laser Technology program at Montana State University’s Gallatin College.

In this fun chat, he talks with host Justine Murphy about Lattice Materials and some recent accolades, as well as workplace culture, the company’s ever-advancing role in the photonics industry, and the growing photonics hub in Montana.

This episode features Barry Silverstein, a seasoned optics and photonics innovator (namely at Meta’s Reality Labs) who recently joined the University of Rochester as director of the school’s Center for eXtended Reality.

He talked with host Justine Murphy about the Center and its mission, and delved into the future of AR, VR, and AI.

This edition of Following the Photons features Brian O’Connor, vice president of Growth and Strategy at Aerotech, a globally reaching developer of advanced precision motion control and automation technologies for industries including optics and photonics, precision manufacturing, and life sciences.

He recently sat down with our host Justine Murphy at the SPIE Photonics West exhibition in San Francisco to talk about the company and its innovative products, as well as his thoughts and insight into the industry overall, what the future may hold, and Aerotech’s place in it.