Advances in optoelectronic technology, component miniaturization and photonic integration have lead to a broad range of highly sophisticated photonic circuits and while much of the driving force behind the technology has come from the telecommunication sector, exciting applications are emerging in a much broader range of fields. It can therefore be particularly valuable for researchers starting out in photonic integration to engage with experts across disciplines. The Winter School environment provides a great opportunity for researchers to develop a firmer understanding of a subject, bridge the gaps between research fields, delve behind the conference highlights, and gain insights into the methodologies, terminologies and research approaches.
The first ePIXnet Winter School took place in Pontresina, Switzerland earlier this year with seventy delegates participating with seventeen invited international speakers. The healthy mix of talks, poster sessions and discussion sessions provided a great environment to get to grips with technological details, share research experiences and discuss cutting edge technology with peers and experts alike. The School was aimed at Masters and PhD students as well as scientists wishing to move into this promising area. There was a balanced mix of contributions from both academic and industrial speakers with ample time allocated for poster and discussion sessions, in order to give delegates the opportunity to fully explore the themes-of-the-day and the contentious issues of the future. In order to promote interactions, delegates also presented a poster of their own work.
The beautiful location helped. Pontresina is located at 1800m above sea level in the Upper Engadin, Switzerland, and close to the famous resort of St. Moritz. The otherwise packed schedule did allow delegates to use the afternoons to enjoy the stunning mountain scenery and to get out onto the ski slopes.
This coming March the second Winter School will take place in Pontesina and this time the technical program focuses on the applications of photonic integration. A number of international speakers from the USA, Asia and Europe will participate addressing key topics and techniques in solid state lighting, the life sciences, metrology, sensing, industrial manufacturing and information communication technology. The school is again open to Master students, PhD students, Post-Docs and Faculty members alike. The School takes place from 11-17 March 2007, and applications complete with an abstract for the poster presentation are invited up until Sunday 10 December. Further information and online registration details may be found at www.epixnet.org.

Kevin Williams
Winter School coordinator