13 - 17 April 2025
Orlando, Florida, US
Plenary Event
Symposium Plenary
14 April 2025 • 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM EDT | Osceola Ballroom C, Ballroom Level 

5:30 PM - 5:40 PM:
Welcome and opening remarks

Ann Marie Raynal

Ann Marie Raynal
Sandia National Labs. (United States)
2025 SPIE Symposium Chair

Ravi Ravichandran

Ravi Ravichandran
BAE Systems (United States)
2025 SPIE Symposium Chair

 


 

5:40 PM - 6:20 PM:
Bring the future faster

Jason E. Bartolomei, Brigadier General, United States Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory (United States)

The United States and its allies face challenges posed by an increasingly aggressive, dynamic threat environment and the relentless pace of technological change. These challenges not only threaten our dominance in air and space but if left unchecked could upend our way of life. In these times of change, what remains constant is preeminence in research--the first essential of air and space power. The game-changing work of the Air Force Research Laboratory is critical to win the future.

Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bartolomei is the Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and the Technology Executive Officer supporting both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. He leads an over $5 billion science, technology and innovation enterprise in accelerating the discovery and development of solutions for Airmen and Guardians. He is responsible for formulating a comprehensive technology portfolio that anticipates future warflghter needs while promoting risk-taking and problem-solving across a 6,000-member government workforce. He accelerates the delivery of multidisciplinary solutions through partnerships with industry, academia and international allies, and executes an additional $1.4 billion in externally funded research and development. Through the laboratory's technology and functional directorates, AFWERX, and the 711th Human Performance Wing, his team produces a deep technical and medical bench, pushes the boundaries of modern technology and improves the science for tomorrow. Brig. Gen. Bartolomei was commissioned in 1997 from Marquette University's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. During his career, he has held a variety of senior acquisition positions. He served as Director of the Sentinel Systems Directorate, where he was responsible for the development, deployment and sustainment of the next-generation Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system. Additionally, he served in the Global Reach Programs Directorate as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition), where he supported the Air Force's tankers, airlift, special operations and trainer fleets. Furthermore, he served as an engineer in the F-22 System Program Office and as an assistant professor of engineering mechanics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He was also a Service Chiefs Fellow at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a Military Legislative Fellow for Senator Orrin G. Hatch, and a Chief of Staff of the Air Force Fellow, while assigned to the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. Prior to his current assignment, Brig. Gen. Bartolomei served as the Program Executive Officer for Weapons and Director of the Armament Directorate, where he was responsible for the planning and execution of all life cycle activities for air-delivered munitions.

 

6:20 PM - 7:00 PM:
R&D in an era of crisis operations

Thomas Braun, R&D Chief Scientist, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (United States)

Thomas Braun has a diverse range of work experience in various technical and leadership roles. Thomas has experience in the government sector, having worked at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) where they served as the Chief Scientist and Office Director. In these roles, they oversaw the development of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance programs, provided technical expertise, and led the development of analytic software tools. Thomas also served as a Program Manager, leading the integration of a multi-billion-dollar program and acting as the primary interface between NGA and the mission partner. Prior to their work at NGA, Braun held positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where they designed and implemented digital signal processing algorithms for real-time signal analysis, and at The Creative Group, where they developed server-side code and worked on user interface development for web applications. Thomas also has a background in academia, having worked as a GAANN Fellow at North Carolina State University, where they designed and implemented models and controllers for transducers. Overall, Braun has demonstrated expertise in areas such as synthetic aperture radar, hyperspectral imagery, data science, and remote sensing.
Thomas Braun received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Mathematics from Asbury University in 2001. Thomas then pursued further education at North Carolina State University, where they obtained a Master of Science degree in Computational and Applied Mathematics from 2004 to 2006. Thomas went on to complete a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Applied Mathematics at the same institution from 2004 to 2007.

 



Event Details

FORMAT: General session with live audience Q&A to follow each presentation.
MENU: Coffee, decaf, and tea will be available outside the presentation room.
SETUP: Theater style seating.

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