Advances in guided wave photonics and fiber optics are continuing to add new capabilities to our ability to transmit and manipulate data, and to sense various aspects of the world in which we live. In this Congress, a collection of papers will be presented which represent the latest results in the fields of data transfer and optical effects in guided wave optics and materials.  Glasses play a central role in photonics and papers will be presented which cover many physical phenomena in glasses including the fundamentals of photosensitivity, glass relaxation and poling, the fabrication and properties of grating structures, and the numerous applications that these glasses are being applied to. This Congress also covers numerous advances in integrated photonics and fiber optics including the development of integrated photonic circuits, 3-D photonics, active and passive waveguides as well as the application of these technologies to data centers and optical networks.  The new areas in fiber sensing and mid-infrared guided wave optics will also be reported on. Finally, a comprehensive group of presentations will cover both fundamental  and applied nonlinear photonics including  nonlinear effects in fibers and planar waveguide structures  , many aspects of soliton physics, nonlinear frequency conversion in waveguides , quantum effects, and the effects of nonlinearities in photonics devices and networks as impairments or as a means to regenerate, modify or switch signals. Discussions will also cover novel nonlinear materials and structures used to enhance or mitigate nonlinear effects in guided wave structures.