Tahoe site of high-tech conference

OptiComp Corp., an integrated optoelectronics company based in Zephyr Cove, is hosting the Advanced Microelectronics and Photonics for Space (AMAPS) conference today through Thursday.

Conference attendees will discuss the development of space technologies with microelectronic and photonic technologies.

Last year, 35 people attended the event, which has been held in Arkansas for the past eight years. At least 70 people are scheduled to attend this year's event at The Ridge Tahoe.

"The conference needed a shot in the arm," said Don Arnold, OptiComp Corp. technical staff member. "We needed a 'wow' factor."

Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki is scheduled to speak at the event, Arnold said.

Arnold explained that OptiComp Corp. saw the conference as an opportunity to maintain and assist growth in IT businesses in Nevada and the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The South Shore location also will provide conference attendees a place to bring their families and make a fun trip out of it, Arnold said.

OptiComp Corp. Chief Operating Officer William Gray would like to keep the conference at the basin and build upon it yearly.

The event is also supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the University of Nevada, Reno. AMAPS is a restricted conference, and registration is restricted to U.S. citizens who are federal government employees or contractors.