In June 1978 the University of Rhode Island conducted a three-day short course on Recent Advances in Fiber Optics. followed by a two-day conference on the Physics of Fiber Optics. The course contained over a dozen lectures spanning a wide range of subject matter from fundamental theory to operational systems. presented by well-known scientists from industry. government and academic institutions. The conference. on the other hand. emphasized basic research on fiber optics and related subjects. This volume contains both papers presented at the conference. as well as the majority of the lectures from the course (the written versions were solicited on a voluntary basis for this volume). In some cases the papers in this volume represent expanded or otherwise modified versions of the original presentations. One of the principal aims of the conference was promulgation of novel and/or unconventional concepts. For this reason. the papers in this volume cover subjects such as bistable optical switches. fiber acoustic sensors. extruded infrared fibers. compressively coated glass fibers. and soliton propagation in fibers.