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Milestone Celebration

This summer, LLE brought 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:

Live Mosaic

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 August 10.

About the 3-Day Celebration

July 15-17, 2026

Day 1

30 Years of the OMEGA 60 Laser System

 

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

Day 2

40 Years of Chirped-Pulse Amplification

 

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

Day 3

50 Years of LLE
on E. River Road

 

Morning: Remarks from federal and state officials, the University President, leaders within the laser community, and private industry

Afternoon: Celebration picnic on the lawn

Agenda

 

Wednesday, July 15

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

Thursday, July 16

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

Friday, July 17

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.