Out of This World! Former Astronaut Greg Olsen Headlines SID 2006 Roster of Speakers; LG.Philips LCD, Panasonic and Qualcomm Executives to Deliver Keynote Addresses.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- What do executives from two of the world's leading flat-panel TV makers, the CEO of the developer of some of today's hottest wireless-communication technologies, and a former astronaut have in common? This June, they'll all be speaking at the Society for Information Display's (SID) 2006 International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition (SID 2006), which will take place June 4-9 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, USA.

The line-up for the Keynote Addresses at SID 2006, which will take place Tuesday, June 6, will feature a fascinating cross-section of display technologies represented by executives from three of the larger display makers in the world. This year's keynote speakers include Bock Kwon, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Sales Officer of liquid-crystal display (LCD) TV titan LG.Philips LCD; Dr. Takeshi Uenoyama, Director of Advanced Technology Research Laboratories and Image Devices Development Center of plasma display panel (PDP) leader Panasonic and its parent company, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.; and Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, CEO of mobile-phone giant Qualcomm Inc.

"It's exciting that we will have speakers from the leaders of the LCD TV and plasma TV industry discussing the latest technology trends, business strategy and market outlook in this fastest growing segment of the display industry," said Dr. Wei Chen, general chair of SID 2006. "And Qualcomm, the leader of the wireless-communication industry and a developer of an innovative new display technology, will discuss opportunities and challenges to the display industry presented by new applications enabled by the continuing rapid increase in wireless communication bandwidth."

The first keynote speaker, Kwon will chronicle the thin-film transistor (TFT)-LCD industry's rapid growth over the past 10 years and its emergence as the display of choice for computer monitors, flat-panel displays (FPDs), and mobile devices. His talk, entitled "A Perspective on the TFT (thin-film transistor) LCD Industry," will also examine the ways in which TFT-LCD manufacturers, specifically LG.Philips LCD, have driven industry growth through innovation in products and manufacturing facilities, and will explore recent advances that will help the industry continue its snowballing growth.

Next up, Uenoyama will present "Large-Sized FPDs: The Driving Forces for Real Life," in which he will examine the shift in the consumer display market to larger-sized and higher-definition TV over the past several years, paying special attention to LCDs, PDPs, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and field emission displays (FEDs). The PDP perspective, technology, products, and business strategy of Panasonic, which is owned by Matsushita, will also be illustrated.

Qualcomm's Jacobs will wrap up the Keynote Addresses with his lecture, "A Revolution in Display Technology: Enabling Next-Generation Wireless Communications." In this forward-looking presentation, Jacobs will discuss the way mobile devices will change the way we work and play through 2010. Jacobs will explain how mobile devices must evolve past mere voice communication devices to meet the needs of increasingly graphic- and power-driven entertainment, computing, and information-access applications. He will also examine industry trends and highlight Qualcomm's plans for enabling convergence.

On June 7, attendees at SID's annual Luncheon will blast off on an adventure with former astronaut Dr. Gregory H. Olsen. In October 2005, Olsen became the third private citizen to orbit the earth on the International Space Station, performing more than 150 orbits of the earth and logging nearly 4 million miles of weightless travel over the course of 10 days in space. Olsen is expected to show breathtaking photos and video from his time in space. A former research scientist at the RCA Labs (Sarnoff Center) with 12 patents and more than 100 technical papers to his name, Olsen co-founded fiber-optic detector manufacturer EPITAXX and near-infrared camera manufacturer Sensors Unlimited. Currently, he is president of GHO Ventures in Princeton, N.J. where he manages his "angel" investments, South African winery, and Montana ranch.

In addition to the speech by Dr. Olsen, the Luncheon will also feature the announcement of the 2005 SID/Information Display magazine Display of the Year Awards, the industry's most prestigious honor. More than 100 products were nominated for the 2005 Display of the Year Awards, and the six winners will be revealed at the luncheon.

Note: High-resolution photos of all SID speakers are available upon request.

The 44th Annual SID International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition will take place Sun., June 4 through Fri., June 9 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. It is the premier international gathering of scientists, engineers, manufacturers, marketers and users in the field of electronic-information displays. For exhibitor information, contact Danielle Rocco, Exhibit Sales Manager, at 212-460-8090 ext. 218, e-mail: [e-mail]. For registration information, contact Ralph Nadell, 212-460-8090 ext. 203, e-mail [e-mail]. For press registration, contact Jessica Quandt, 212-460-8090 ext. 213, e-mail: [e-mail]. Visit www.sid2006.org for more information.

About SID

The Society for Information Display (SID) is the premier international professional society exclusively devoted to the advancement of electronic-display technology, manufacturing, and applications. Its international headquarters are located at 610 South Second Street, San Jose, CA 95112, U.S.A. Visit SID online at www.sid.org.