This summer, LLE will bring together pioneers, partners, and policymakers to celebrate three eras of innovation: the OMEGA 60 laser system that has driven experiments for decades, the chirped-pulse amplification breakthrough that revolutionized high‑power lasers and earned the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, and LLE’s sustained leadership as a global center for laser‑driven discovery, innovation, and education.
Topics on this page:
Morning: Invited talks and expert panels celebrating three decades of OMEGA 60’s contributions to fusion research, high-energy-density science
Afternoon: Invited talks, a panel discussion, and facility tour
Morning: Hear from Nobel Laureates Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou, as well as leading voices in laser science and technology
Afternoon: Student poster session and facility tour
Morning: Join us in the tent for remarks from federal and state officials, the University President, leaders within the laser community, and private industry
Afternoon: Celebration picnic on the lawn
Together with our sponsors and the University of Rochester, LLE has been built by the people who show up every day to do the work — and this milestone belongs to all of them.
We’re inviting employees, alumni, partners, sponsors, collaborators, and friends of the Laboratory to add a photo to our live photo mosaic, a growing collective portrait of the LLE community.
Submit a photo online anytime before the celebration, or add one in person on-site during the Milestone Celebration. Watch the mosaic come together in real time, both on the big screen at the event and right here on this page.
30 Years of the OMEGA 60 Laser System
| Time | Session / Activity | Speaker | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00–9:00 AM | Registration & Continental Breakfast | ||
| 9:00–9:30 AM | Welcome | Christopher Deeney, Director, LLE | Seminar Room |
| 9:30–9:45 AM | LLE: A Research Pillar of the University | Stephen Dewhurst, VP for Research, University of Rochester | Seminar Room |
| 9:50–10:20 AM | Remarks | Michael Sheehy, NNSA | Seminar Room |
| Break | |||
| 10:30–11:15 AM | OMEGA’s Enduring Impact at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Vincent Tang, Principal Associate Director, NIF & Photon Science, LLNL | Seminar Room |
| 11:15–11:45 AM | Decades of Collaborative Science with CEA & OMEGA 60 | Alexis Casner, HED/ICF Project Manager, CEA DAM | Seminar Room |
| Noon–1:00 PM | Participant Lunch | ||
| 1:00–1:30 PM | OMEGA’s Role in the High-Energy-Density Community | Carolyn Kuranz, Director, CHEDRAL, University of Michigan | Seminar Room |
| 1:30–2:00 PM | OMEGA’s Role in Fusion | Mike Campbell, President, MCM Consultants | Seminar Room |
| 2:00–2:30 PM | MIT and LLE: A 30-Year Partnership | Johan Frenje, Senior Research Scientist & HEDP Division Head, MIT PSFC | Seminar Room |
| 2:30–2:40 PM | Break | ||
| 2:45–3:45 PM | Panel: Student to Scientist
Developing a Workforce Through OMEGA Experiments
|
Moderator: Carolyn Kuranz
David Bishel, Gerrit Bruhaug, Alison Christopherson, Maggie Huff, Channing Huntington, Katarina Nichols |
Seminar Room |
| 4:00–5:00 PM | Facility Tours | Seminar Room |
40 Years of Chirped-Pulse Amplification
| Time | Session / Activity | Speaker | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00–9:00 AM | Registration & Continental Breakfast | Seminar Room | |
| 9:00–9:05 AM | Welcome | Christopher Deeney, Director, LLE | Seminar Room |
| 9:05–9:15 AM | Remarks | Sarah Nelson, NNSA | Seminar Room |
| 9:15–9:20 AM | Significance of CPA | Sarah Mangelsdorf, President, University of Rochester | Seminar Room |
| 9:30–10:30 AM | Keynote: A Few Picoseconds That Changed Science | Donna Strickland, University of Waterloo and Gérard Mourou, École Polytechnique | Seminar Room |
| 10:30–11:00 AM | Q&A with Nobel Laureates | Seminar Room | |
| 11:00–11:10 AM | Break | ||
| 11:10–11:30 AM | Opportunities in Intense Ultrafast Lasers: Reaching for the Brightest Light
Virtual |
Phil Bucksbaum, Stanford University | Seminar Room |
| 11:30–11:50 AM | Invited Talk: Petawatt Lasers in the UK | Rajeev Pattahil, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory | Seminar Room |
| 11:50 AM–12:10 PM | Extreme Light Infrastructure: Capabilities and Achievements with CPA Lasers | Leonida Gizzi, Extreme Light Infrastructure | Seminar Room |
| 12:10–1:15 PM | Participant Lunch | Seminar Room | |
| 1:15–2:00 PM | Open / Networking | ||
| 2:00–2:30 PM | NSF ZEUS and Ultra-Intense Laser-Based Science in the U.S. | Louise Willingale, Director, NSF ZEUS, University of Michigan | Seminar Room |
| 2:30–3:00 PM | NSF OPAL: The Next Generation Experimental User Facility | Jon Zuegel, Laser Materials & Technology, LLE | Seminar Room |
| 3:00–3:05 PM | Closing Remarks | Christopher Deeney, Director, LLE | Seminar Room |
| 3:15–3:30 PM | Mural Celebration: A Tribute to the Nobel Laureates | Christopher Deeney, Director, LLE and Nicole Sampson, Provost, University of Rochester | Atrium |
| 3:30–5:30 PM | Student Poster Session | Atrium | |
| 4:00–5:00 PM | Guided Facility Tours | Atrium |
50 Years of LLE
| Time | Session / Activity | Speaker | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00–9:00 AM | Refreshments | Outdoor Tent | |
| 9:00–9:10 AM | Welcome | Christopher Deeney, Director, LLE and Sarah Mangelsdorf, President, University of Rochester | Outdoor Tent |
| 9:20–10:00 AM | Remarks by Federal, State, Local & Industry Representatives | Congressman Joe Morelle; David LaGraffe, NNSA; Kim Budil, LLNL, Stephane Seznec, CEA, Senator Jeremy Cooney; Assemblymember Sarah Clark; Vincent Esposito, Empire State Development; Leah George VanScott, GRE | Outdoor Tent |
| 10:00 AM | Closing Remarks | Christopher Deeney, Director, LLE | Outdoor Tent |
| 10:15–10:30 AM | Ribbon Cutting: The Next 50 Years of LLE | East Entrance | |
| 10:30–10:50 AM | Ribbon Cutting: MTW OPAL Target Chamber | West End | |
| 11:00 AM–1:00 PM | Facility Tours | West Lobby | |
| 4:00–7:00 PM | Celebration Picnic | Back Yard |
* Schedule subject to change. TBD speakers to be confirmed.
The Milestone Celebration takes place at:
Laboratory for Laser Energetics
250 E. River Road
Rochester, NY 14623
Suggested area hotels:
Hilton Garden Inn
30 Celebration Drive
Rochester, New York 14620
Staybridge Suites Rochester University
1000 Genesee Street
Rochester, NY 14611
Courtyard by Marriott Rochester Brighton
3 Corporate Woods Drive
Rochester, NY 14623
