SANFORD, N.C. - Dr. Zhi M. Liao, workforce manager for the National Ignition Facility & Photon Sciences Directorate (NIF&PS) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), will visit Central Carolina Community College for a special presentation at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic & Conference Center.

Dr. Liao's expertise is in nonlinear optics, adaptive optics, and laser-induced optic damage. He has contributed to many of LLNL's successful laser projects.

Dr. Liao's contributions helped NIF successfully demonstrate fusion ignition -- the point when more energy is generated from a reaction than is used to create the reaction - in a laboratory for the first time on Dec. 5, 2022. Scientists have been researching fusion ignition for more than a century and working to achieve it for more than sixty years.

Fusion reactions provide the energy that powers our Sun and the stars. Now that LLNL has proven that fusion ignition is possible, scientists are working to find ways to use fusion on a daily basis as an energy source to replace fossil fuels.

Brandon Pasley, a CCCC Laser & Photonics graduate, worked as a member of the LLNL team in the NIF Control Room to direct the 192 laser beams used to blast a peppercorn size target in an area the size of three football fields to produce this historic event.

David Pope, CCCC Laser & Photonics graduate and LLNL employee, will join Dr. Liao for this special presentation.

This event is hosted by the CCCC STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Career Community.

Seating is limited. If you would like to bring a group, please contact Annie Bogan at abogan@cccc.edu or 919-718-7444.

The CCCC Laser and Photonics Technology program is a high-tech program that teaches students how to build, test, and troubleshoot electronics circuits and photonics systems, including lasers. This foundation in electronics and photonics prepares students to build and operate a variety of lasers used in healthcare, manufacturing, security, research, entertainment, astronomy, communications, automation, transportation, archeology, art restoration, and many other fields. To learn more about this program, visit www.cccc.edu/lasers.