The 2025 International Laser Safety Conference (ILSC) included awards to several experts in the field. From left, Opticum Laser Safety Director Trevor Wheatley, Laser Safety Scientific Sessions Co-Chair; Liliana Caldero, Laser Institute (LIA) director of operations; R. DeWayne Holcomb, University of Texas at Austin, 2025 Illumination Award Winner; Ramona Gaza, Human Health and Performance lead for the Non-Ionizing Radiation Team for NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the Laser Safety Scientific Sessions co-chair; LLNL’s Jamie King, conference general chair; Ken Barat, Technical Practical Applications Seminar co-chair; Hayden Johnson of LLNL, Technical Practical Applications Seminar co-chair; Patti Owens, R. James Rockwell Educational Achievement Award recipient; and Shaun Oleson, LIA executive director. Credit: LIA
(Download Image)LLNL Laser Experts Shine at Laser Safety Conference
Laser safety experts from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) led several important sessions and presentations on the latest advances in laser technology and safety practices during the 2025 International Laser Safety Conference (ILSC).
The biennial conference brought more than 200 experts to Orlando, Florida, from March 3 to 6 to discuss the safe use of lasers in the fields of academia, government, industry, medicine, and research and development.
The conference underscored LLNL’s critical role in developing and safely applying cutting-edge laser technology.
“This gathering of experts from around the world is critical for promoting new regulations and fostering safe laser practices,” said conference general chair Jamie King, subject matter expert on laser safety for LLNL and the NIF and Photon Science (NIF&PS) directorate. “I was honored to be selected to serve in this role again.”
King tapped Hayden Johnson, deputy laser safety officer for LLNL’s Physical & Life Sciences and Global Security directorates, to co-chair the Technical Practical Applications Seminar (TPAS).
Ken Barat, an industry consultant who was NIF’s laser safety officer from 2002 to 2006, also served as a co-chair for TPAS, which is tailored for laser safety officers (LSOs) and professionals who manage lasers across a broad spectrum of power levels, from milliwatts to petawatts, and who oversee a range of users from small teams to large-scale operations with hundreds of users.
Felicie Albert, director of LLNL’s Jupiter Laser Facility, highlighted the facility’s groundbreaking research exploring extreme states of matter found in space and deep within planets. Albert also joined an international panel of experts to discuss the role of global laser facilities in advancing scientific discovery.
The conference opened with a keynote by Longview Energy Systems CEO Ed Moses, a former NIF&PS principal associate director. His talk was titled, “1960 to Today and Beyond—The Path to Laser Driven Commercial Fusion Energy.”
During a technical session on unique applications, NIF&PS laser worker Keith Kanz gave a talk on the pros, cons, and safety concerns from the use of vertical breadboards for testing laser systems.
And Eric Lawson, NIF&PS’s deputy laser safety officer, delivered a presentation on “Human Factors and Laser Incident Root Cause Analysis,” emphasizing the importance of understanding human behavior to prevent accidents in laser operations.
More Information:
“NIF Laser Safety Protocols Laid a Foundation for Historic LLNL Ignition Shot,” NIF & Photon Science News, June 7, 2023
“New Generation of Laser Safety Officers Convene for DOE Workshop,” NIF & Photon Science News, November 16, 2022
“Laser Safety Book Draws from LLNL, NIF Expertise,” NIF & Photon Science News, April 21, 2021
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