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ABO-NCLE Conference attendees enter
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announcement said.
According to conference officials, more than 100 hours of education were developed with academic partners National Academy of Opticianry (NAO), Opticians Association of America (OAA), Contact Lens Society of America (CLSA) and National Federation of Opticianry Schools (NFOS). Attendees of the conference's Learning Center were able to listen to presentations sponsored by Transitions, Carl Zeiss Vision, Hoya Vision Care, Essilor, Marchon, Silhouette and CIBA Vision. Additionally, ABO and NCLE review courses for both basic and advanced levels were part of the educational program, with more than 100 attendees taking part in one of the four
on-site exams.
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Transitions Poster Winners (l to r): Yasmeen Beverly of
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Keynote speaker Curtis Zimmerman during the OWA event. |
"Special thanks goes to Hoya Vision, Transitions Optical, Carl Zeiss Vision and Silhouette for their sponsorship of the conference," ABO-NCLE said in a statement.
For the first time in conference history, four hours of ABO and NCLE education were webcast live from Cincinnati to Boston where 60 members of the Opticians Association of Massachusetts (OAM) attended the event.
"Opticians were giving it a definite thumbs up. The speakers were excellent and the way they involved the Massachusetts crowd was exceptional," said Denise Cook, OAM's immediate past president. "They really felt they were a part of the meeting. It was clear to the group that the speakers in Cincinnati were the best in
the industry."
The Optical Women's Association (OWA) presented "Living Life at Performance Level" with keynote speaker Curtis Zimmerman. "In an engaging and interactive session, Curtis provided nearly 200 audience members tools and confidence to reach their potential in every aspect of their optical life," the ABO-NCLE said.
The conference was held in conjunction with the OAA's 2010 National Opticians Convention, where Diane Charles was sworn in as the organization's president for another year.
The NAO's 2010 Membership Meeting and Awards Ceremony distributed the following honors:
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OAA president Diane Charles being sworn in with
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NAO Award Winners (l to r) Mike Ward, Ellen Stoner,
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Contestants onstage during the NFOS 2010 College Bowl. |
• Michael A. Ward, MMSc, FAAO, from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, received the Beverly Myers Achievement Award
• Ed Wnuczek Jr., FNAO of Milwaukee, Wis. and Richard Davenport, FNAO, FCLSA, Charleston, S.C., were inducted into the NAO Hall of Fame
• Ellen Stoner, MALS, ABOM, a retired opticianry instructor and program director of Durham Technical Community College, N.C., received the NAO Appreciation Award
• Vivian Wnuczek of Milwaukee, Wis. received the NAO Ambassador Award
The conference was also the site of the CLSA 2010 Fall Symposium, the Opticians Association of Ohio (OAO) Annual Convention and the NFOS 2010 College Bowl sponsored by Essilor of America. Ramona Richardson of Erie Community College, N.Y., was named College
Bowl winner.
The Transitions "10 Minute Optical Skills Challenge" and the CLSA "Contact Lens Skills Challenge," featured in the exhibit hall, were won by Frank Gimbel, BA, ABO-AC, FNAO, HFOAA, and Kathy McNelis, ABOC, NCLEC, respectively. Both winners are from the University of Pennsylvania Department of Ophthalmology in Philadelphia.
Winners of the "Transitions Student of Vision Scholarship," who displayed their research and posters on-site, included:
• "Suzzie's Happy Eyes" by Yasmeen Beverly, Cuyahoga Community College
• "Children's Computer Vision Syndrome" by Leslie Ip, Raritan Valley Community College
• "Children's Vision" by Vanina Vazquez, Miami
Dade College
• "Healthy Sight for Children" by Mie Wada,
Douglas College
Cincinnati will remain the home of the fourth ABO-NCLE National Education Conference, planned for Sept. 8-11, 2011. For more information visit
ABO-NCLE-Conference.com.
