In a traditionally male-dominated industry, Jessica Rowbury looks at the representation of women in the field of optics and photonics

During a plenary session at Photonics West, SPIE CEO Dr Eugene Arthurs paid tribute to his friend Charles Townes, the inventor of the maser, who passed away on 27 January. Jessica Rowbury reports on Towne' life

Greg Blackman investigates the latest miniature and wearable sensing technology, including 'smart' textiles incorporating fibre optic sensors to give data on movement

Tom Eddershaw looks at the advances being made in portable spectroscopy equipment for taking readings in the field

Free space optical communication was recently demonstrated from the Moon, and in 2020 could be used to transmit data from Mars. Jessica Rowbury reports from a conference at Photonics West where laser communication was discussed as a means to revolutionise data transmission to and from space