High tech is visiting the City of Good Neighbors.

About 120 leading scientists and engineers from around the world are in downtown Buffalo this week for the 20th international EDISON conference.

EDISON — short for Electron Dynamics in Semiconductors, Optoelectronics and Nanostructures — is one of the world’s premier forums on semiconductors. Semiconductors form the basis of modern electronics; the most prominent example is silicon, the material responsible for the computer revolution, solar power and more.

“These are leading scientists from Germany, China, the U.S. and elsewhere,” says UB faculty member Jonathan Bird, the conference’s organizer. “Their work ultimately supports leading technology companies, such as Google or Solar City, by providing them with knowledge they need to create and improve products we use daily.”

Bird, professor and chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering, submitted a bid to host the conference, which occurs every two years. Previous locations include Spain, Japan, Boston and California.

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase Buffalo to people from around the world. We’re going tell them about the region’s history of innovation, including Nikola Tesla’s work here, as well as show them exciting new developments, such as Solar City, the rebuilding of downtown and Niagara Falls,” Bird says.

More information on the EDISON conference is available on the conference’s website.