[visionlist] 2013 OSA Vision Meeting - October 4-6, 2013

[Porter, Jason]

We are pleased to announce the 13th Annual Optical Society of America (OSA) Vision Meeting, scheduled to take place at the University of Houston College of Optometry from the 4th to the 6th of  October, 2013. Abstract submission is now open!!!  (http://www.osavisionmeeting.org/2013/conf/submit.php)  Please note the abstract submission deadline is July 15, 2013.  Registration will soon be open in the next couple weeks, with an early-bird registration deadline of August 21, 2013.

Since 2001, the OSA Vision Meeting has grown as a high-quality, low-cost conference focused on all aspects of the visual system. This year, we are excited to host the meeting in Houston for the first time.  We are fortunate to have generous support from OSA, Cambridge Research Systems, Bioptigen, Inc., and Boston Micromachines Corporation.

This year's meeting includes five invited sessions, two contributed talk sessions, and a variety of contributed poster presentations. The confirmed program of invited speakers is listed below.  In addition, we are pleased to announce the return of "The Classics of Vision Science" in which four distinguished vision scientists each present one of their classic papers from a personal perspective.  This year we are honored to have Christine Curcio, Joel Pokorny & Vivianne Smith, Robert Shapley, and George Sperling taking part in this event. Last, but not least, we are pleased to announce that Dr. John S. Werner from the University of California, Davis has been chosen to deliver this year’s Boynton Lecture, named in honor of Robert M. Boynton.

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Melanoposin, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), and their role in vision.
It is now well-established that mammalian ganglion cells can exhibit intrinsic photosensitivity mediated by the photopigment melanopsin. How these cells contribute to visual function, and how they combine melanopsin signals with those from other types of photoreceptor, are topics of much current investigation. This symposium will feature talks that consider the role of melanopsin for conscious visual perception, how melanopsin contributes to the pupillary reflex, and the functional properties of intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells.

Moderator: Joel Pokorny (University of Chicago)
Speakers: Paul Gamlin (University of Alabama, Birmingham), Robert Lucas (University of Manchester), Jonathan Winawer (Stanford University), Kwoon Wong (University of Michigan)


Measuring visual cortex without vision.
The structure and function of visual cortex can be revealed with neuroimaging techniques that eschew visual stimulation itself. These studies reveal fundamental principles of cortical organization absent the imposed correlational structure of visual stimuli. In addition to basic science characterization, the techniques have enormous practical applications, from simplifying studies of normative visual processing to providing a translational avenue to patients with visual impairments and fixation deficits that preclude traditional retinotopic mapping techniques.

Moderator: Alyssa Brewer (University of California, Irvine)
Speakers: Geoffrey Aguirre (University of Pennsylvania), Marina Bedny (MIT), Koen Haak (University of Minnesota), Sjoerd Stuit (University of Utrecht)


The impact of abnormal visual experience during development and its treatment.
Abnormal visual experience has been shown to lead to abnormal development of the neural visual system. This session will go beyond classical work in early cortex to explore the effects of abnormal experience at later stages of processing. It will also address surprising recent insights into manipulation of experience in treatment, both during and beyond the traditional critical period.

Moderators: Vallabh Das & Ruth Manny  (University of Houston)
Speakers: Susan Cotter (Southern California College of Optometry), Robert Hess (McGill University), Lynne Kiorpes (New York University), Anthony Norcia (Stanford University)


New developmental cues and corrections in myopia.
The prevalence of myopia is increasing rapidly worldwide. This session will explore recent work detailing the roles of optical, genetic and environmental cues in the development and progression of refractive errors. Speakers will also shed light on treatment strategies whose goals are to minimize or eliminate the development of myopia.

Moderator: Earl Smith (University of Houston)
Speakers: Jay Neitz (University of Washington), Frank Schaeffel (Ophthalmic Research Institute), Jeffrey Walline (Ohio State University), Christine Wildsoet (University of California, Berkeley)


Visual Blur - Friend or Foe?
Blur has long been regarded as a necessary evil, something that we are stuck with as a result of the laws of optics. But with regards to blur, the visual system again shows its facility to turn lemons into lemonade by adapting away some of the perceptual effects of blur and exploiting blur as a cue to depth. This symposium examines the visual mechanisms involved in the detection and discrimination of defocus and higher-order aberrations, along with the subsequent processing of these signals.

Moderator: Ray Applegate (University of Houston)
Speakers: Arthur Bradley (Indiana University), Wilson Geisler (University of Texas), Susana Marcos (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Jack Yellott (University of California, Irvine)


We look forward to welcoming you in Houston!

Jason Porter (Chair, Houston 2013 Local Organizing Committee)
Joe Carroll (Chair, OSA Vision and Color Division)

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Jason Porter, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Houston
College of Optometry
505 J. Davis Armistead Bldg.
Houston, TX 77204-2020

Phone: 713.743.1806
Fax: 713.743.2053
E-mail: jporter at optometry.uh.edu<mailto:jporter at optometry.uh.edu>
Web page: http://www.opt.uh.edu/faculty/jporter


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