2026 Symposium Agenda
Thursday, March 5
UCF Campus
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
CREOL 102/103
4:00 pm
CREOL Lab Tours
5:00 pm
Distinguished Speaker
Mikhail Lukin
Harvard University, QuEra Computing, Inc.
6:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Student-Affiliate Mixer
Bounce House, 12100 Challenger Pkwy
Friday, March 6
Fairwinds Alumni Center
8:30 am
Welcome and Introduction to CREOL
Biomedical Photonics
9:15 am
Optical Technologies: New Opportunities for Accelerating Innovation in Biomedical Research
Bruce Tromberg, Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health
Biophotonics: From Effective Diagnostics to Untraditional Biomarkers
Aristide Dogariu, CREOL Professor
10:15 am
Coffee Break
Industry Focus
10:45 am
Optica Industry Update
Gisele Bennett, President, Optica
Relativity Networks Presentation
Jason Eichenholz, Founder and CEO, Relativity Networks
SPIE Industry Update
Kent Rochford, CEO and Executive Director, SPIE
Company Spotlight Presentations
12:00 pm
Student Poster Elevator Pitches, Part 1
12:15 pm
Lunch Break & Company Exhibits
1:15 pm
Student Poster Elevator Pitches, Part 2
1:30 pm
Student of the Year Talk and Award
State Quantum Initiative (Florida Alliance for Quantum Technology, FAQT)
1:45 pm
FAQT Overview
Jason Mahon, Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Chief Manufacturing Officer, Florida Department of Commerce
CREOL’s Quantum Leap Initiative
Andrea Blanco-Redondo, CREOL Professor
Unlocking the Value of Quantum Computing
Paul Parazzoli, Public Sector Business Development, IBM Quantum
Pioneering Quantum Infrastructure
Noel Goddard, CEO, Qunnect
Howard Lock
IonQ
3:15 pm
Awards
3:30 pm
Ending Reception & Poster Session
Saturday, March 7
Lake Claire Recreational Area, UCF Campus
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Spring Thing Picnic
Hotels
Ask for UCF rates.