Cyclospora, an intestinal parasite, has sickened more than 22,000 Americans. The recent outbreak has been linked to contaminated lettuce from central Mexico that was later distributed in the U.S., with some researchers saying sewage contamination is the likely cause. Machine vision could prove to be vital in tracing food issues back to their original source. In this episode of All Things Photonics, BioPhotonics Senior Editor Douglas Farmer is speaking with Robb Robles, director of machine vision product management at Zebra Technologies. Robb discusses how machine vision technologies, with AI assistance, can help prevent widespread contamination of food products in the future by tracking them from the point they are harvested to when they are selected by the consumer. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: Hamamatsu – www.Hamamatsu.com

For young professionals in the optics and photonics industry, it can be hard to feel seen. There are long nights in the lab and big ambitions that drive these individuals to try and leave their mark in this ever-evolving field. Fardin Ahmed is a graduate student at the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS-EMT) in Montreal. His research focuses on developing deterministic, room-temperature single-photon emitters in gallium nitride (GaN) and it’s already turning heads, earning him the honor of winning the 2026 Teddi C. Laurin Scholarship presented by SPIE. In this conversation, we discuss the moments that steered him towards a career in photonics, the mentors that influenced his work, and the advice he would give to other students who are hungry to prove themselves. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: Hamamatsu – www.Hamamatsu.com

One of the most exciting technologies being commercialized in the photonics space is the metalens. Metalenses are flat, lightweight optical components that manipulate light with tiny structures on their surface. They're able to replace traditional glass lenses in a lot of applications, making imaging systems lighter and more compact. In this episode, we speak with Myrias Optics’ CEO, John Fijol. The conversation covers some of the immediate applications, some that are a little bit further off, and the timeline to scaled manufacturing. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: Hamamatsu – www.Hamamatsu.com