Vehicle displays are an exciting and demanding area of display applications. Sunlight readability, ruggedness, and interactivity, as well as safety, aesthetic, and ergonomic factors are just some of the special design considerations needed for these applications. The Annual Symposium on Vehicle Displays was created nearly 20 years ago to bring together scientists and engineers from the display technology, photonics, and vehicle systems communities. This year's 19th Annual Symposium, organized by the Detroit Chapter of SID and spon-sored by Continental Automotive Systems U.S., Denso International America, and Yazaki North America, will take place October 18 and 19, 2012, at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Metro Detroit Chapter of SID.

This year's Symposium will feature a keynote address by Dr. Cem Saraydar, Director of Innovation & HMI, General Motors; and a panel discussion titled "How to Achieve High Performance Automotive Display Systems and Low Energy" and will feature papers in the following areas: The Automotive Market, Display and Lighting Technologies Applicable to Vehicular Applications, Application Issues with Vehicular Displays and Lighting, Human–Vehicle Interface (HMI), and System Solutions and Touch Screens. The event will also include an exhibition with leading display industry companies such as Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Microvision, Nanofilm, Osram Opto Semiconductors, Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas, SMK Electronics Corp., Sun Innovations, Westboro Photonics, and more. For the first time, the Vehicle Symposium will include exhibitor presentations as part of the technical program. These 5-minute presentations will provide a valuable snapshot of the exhibiting company's major technology, products, and services.

According to Silviu Pala, chair of the 2012 Vehicle Symposium, "The symposium is an international open forum for automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and academia involved in HMI/visual manipulative interfaces. It's a platform that enables valuable engineering and marketing dialog related to new technologies and trends."

For additional information and to register, visit www.vehicledisplay2012.org. •