On Thursday, November 13, 2025, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania hosted “Supercharging Innovation in the Lehigh Valley and in Photon Junction: Lehigh Valley Leaders x APT” at Ben Franklin TechVentures in Bethlehem. The working session brought together regional leaders and representatives of Advancing Photonics Technologies (APT) to explore how the Lehigh Valley’s innovation ecosystem can help accelerate APT’s important vision.
APT is a regional photonics collaboration spanning New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. It brings together universities, community colleges, industry partners, government agencies, workforce development programs, startup development organizations, and technology accelerators to facilitate, fund, and fuel use-inspired research, innovation, and workforce development. APT’s mission centers on increasing access to quality jobs and economic prosperity, strengthening U.S. national security and defense capacity, bolstering supply chain resiliency, and supercharging American leadership in photonics and advanced manufacturing.
Photonics—the generation, detection, and manipulation of light—underpins technologies used every day, from communications and medical devices to energy systems, consumer electronics, and advanced manufacturing. APT frames photonics as to the 21st century what microelectronics was to the 20th, and notes that photonics-based technologies are experiencing strong worldwide growth, with the U.S. market projected to reach the trillions of dollars within this decade.
The program opened with greetings from Angelo Valletta, President & CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, who highlighted our organization’s long-standing commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration. He also expressed his gratitude to APT and to Ben Franklin COO Wayne Barz for partnering to plan this important conversation.
Christine Galib, Director, Advancing Photonics, Princeton University, outlined APT’s vision, strategic objectives, and theory of change. Galib was joined by fellow APT team members:
- Robert Chimenti, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Photonics Coordinator, and Co-Principal Investigator; Rowan University
- Sacha Patera, Strategic Partnerships Specialist, Liaison for Photonics at Princeton
- Deirdre O’Carroll, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director – Departments of Materials Science & Engineering and Chemistry & Chemical Biology and Co-Principal Investigator; Rutgers University
They shared where the initiative stands today and how they are collecting feedback to forge a path forward, identifying the general areas where regional partners can help advance use-inspired research, technology translation, and workforce development in photonics.
Part of the discussion focused on the future of photonics as a transformative, enabling technology—and the urgent need to build a more robust talent pipeline to support it. Participants noted that current numbers of engineering students are not sufficient to fill the roles that will be required in photonics-related industries, underscoring the importance of coordinated workforce efforts across education, industry, and regional partners.
Representatives from Allentown’s Da Vinci Science Center added an important early-education perspective to the conversation. Serving primarily younger children, Da Vinci helps spark curiosity in science through hands-on discovery, planting seeds that can lead students to pursue engineering and other STEM careers later on. This aligned with remarks from Jen Gilburg, Deputy Secretary of Technology and Entrepreneurship of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), who referenced the success and effectiveness of the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing” program in capturing the interest of young people across the state.
The conversation then widened to the Commonwealth and regional context. Gilburg provided an overview of Pennsylvania’s statewide innovation and investment activities, emphasizing how APT’s work aligns with broader priorities. Kristin Cahayla-Hoffman, Vice President of Business Development and Attraction of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) shared key elements of LVEDC’s strategic plan, underscoring the role of the Lehigh Valley’s innovation assets and industry base in supporting APT’s goals.
The event also placed the discussion in the broader frame of the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program. Through this national competition, the U.S. National Science Foundation is selecting regional “engines” that can drive long-term innovation, workforce development, and economic growth in critical technology areas. The current round began with nearly 300 letters of intent, narrowed to 71 full proposals, then 29 semifinalists, and now 15 finalists, including APT. During the next stage, NSF will conduct in-depth, in-person interviews and due diligence with the finalist teams before they announce awards in early 2026.
This session at TechVentures offered a valuable opportunity for APT to present an important conversation about execution: how to leverage existing investment, infrastructure, and partnerships in the Lehigh Valley to “supercharge” impact-aligned outcomes and continue building a bright future for the region.
Ben Franklin Northeast is proud to stand alongside APT and our regional partners as we work to refresh, retain, and reimagine jobs in northeastern Pennsylvania. Advancing photonics isn’t just about technology—it’s about growing companies, strengthening industry, and building the photonics workforce our region will need for decades to come.