Special Events

The Student Leadership Experience is a program that brings together 100 student members from around the world. It occurs in conjunction with FiO LS and serves as a fantastic way for students to immerse themselves in an environment full of professional development and technical content, networking and fun.

This program connects Black undergraduate and graduate students in physics and engineering with research and career opportunities in optics and photonics. It includes specialized sessions, professional development and participation in FiO activities. Students engage with world-renowned lecturers, attend the APS Division of Laser Science Symposium on Undergraduate Research and join networking events. The program aims to highlight the latest research, technology and career paths — fostering a diverse and inclusive community in the field.

Attendance is based on a competitive application process and advanced registration. Registration is closed.

Join us for a round-table event for student chapter and technical group leaders to brainstorm potential avenues to collaborate and boost the activities of their communities. This interactive session will provide a platform for these leaders to discuss and forge collaborative relationships that benefit both parties. The discussion will present an excellent way for student leaders to learn first-hand from technical group leaders how to continue serving with Optica after graduation, opening doors to additional roles within the Society.

Join Optica Publishing Group’s journal editors for informal discussion and a snack. The editors welcome your queries, concerns and ideas for any of our journals, as well as your questions about becoming a reviewer. All attendees are welcome.

The 2023 winners of the Optica Foundation Challenge in the information category will present their progress along with a special keynote from David Moss. Topics include silicon photonics, holographic augmented reality, metasurfaces and photonic deep learning.

Presenters

• Ahmed Dorrah, TU Eindhoven
• Alejandro Velez-Zea, Universidad de Antioquia
• David Moss, Swinburne University of Technology
• Ying Xue, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Zaijun Chen, Unversity of Southern California

Organizers:
Hal Metcalf, Stony Brook University, USA
Samir Bali, Miami University of Ohio, USA

The Symposium on Undergraduate Research has been a feature of the annual meeting of the Division of Laser Science of the American Physical Society (APS-DLS) for 17 years and has showcased the research of more than 500 students during that time.

Students’ presentations often describe their work during the previous summer. The NSF has played a vital role by providing the research opportunities for many of the students through its REU programs, as well as by direct support of the event. The symposium has been generously supported by the DLS, Optica, NSF, SPS and the University of Maryland (JQI), along with corporate sponsors Thorlabs, Photonics Industries, East Coast Optical Technologies and Bristol Instruments.

Join the Optica Ultrafast Optical Phenomena Technical Group for this special event highlighting research being done in this topic area by students and early career professionals. The event will be an opportunity to network with colleagues and hear rapid-fire presentations of work to be presented during the conference poster sessions. Please RSVP to let us know you will be attending this event.

Presenter: Tian Gu
Talk Title: Design for Quality: Multifunctional Metasurface Flat Optics
Tian Gu will discuss the prospects and hurdles of utilizing multifunctional metasurfaces across various applications. Leveraging advanced designs and materials, we demonstrate ultra-compact meta-optics with high performance and new functionalities. The judiciously engineered metasurfaces have shown to significantly lower the size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) of optical systems.

Presenter: Ravitej Uppu
Talk Title: Integrated Sources of Multiphoton Entanglement
Photonic quantum interconnects offer the most promising route for scaling up quantum systems to hundreds or thousands of qubits necessary for near-term technologies. A key barrier to progress is the lack of entangled multiphoton sources that satisfy the requirements on efficiency, fidelity and the size of the entangled state. Ravitej Uppu will discuss progress towards overcoming these challenges.

The 2023 winners of the Optica Foundation Challenge in the environment category will present their progress along with a special keynote from Mark Brongersma. Topics include plasmonics, nanoplastics, greenhouse gas sensing and frequency combs.

Presenters

• Justus Ndukaife, Vanderbilt University
• Mark Brongersma, Stanford University
• Yicheng Wang, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Join the Optica Board of Directors for the Society’s Annual Business Meeting, and learn more about Optica. An update on the Society’s activities will be presented, and the results of the Board of Directors election will be announced.

Recognizing and celebrating outstanding contributions to our field is an important part of the missions of the APS Division of Laser Science and Optica. The ceremony will include the presentation of the 2024 Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Prize, Optica Honorary Member, Society Fellows and other Optica, Optica Foundation and APS recognitions.

This event is invitation only.

Join the Optica Ultrafast Optical Phenomena Technical Group for an event that highlights research being done in this topic area by students and early-career professionals. The event offers an opportunity to network with colleagues and to hear rapid-fire presentations of the work individuals will present during the conference poster sessions.

Maximize your career opportunities by visiting the FiO Career Zone. Take advantage of personalized sessions with professionals offering mock interviews, resume writing assistance and LinkedIn profile reviews. Whether you want to polish your interview skills, refine your resume or optimize your LinkedIn presence, the FiO Career Zone is here to help you succeed. Don't miss this chance to elevate your career.

We invite you to join us at the Optica Booth. Connect with fellow professionals, exchange ideas and expand your network. The booth is open daily during exhibit hours, so stop by and engage with the Optica community. Additionally, don't miss our Members and Ambassador Happy Hour from 16:30 - 17:30 on Wednesday, 25 September. It's the perfect chance to relax, mingle and enjoy refreshments with colleagues.

This panel is comprised of experts in quantum information science and technology (QIST) and social scientists studying the impacts of QIST on society. We will explore the current and future implications of QIST on society, including topics of law, governance, standards and science communications, as well as the ethical and economic impacts of QIST. The aims of the panel include raising awareness of the effects of QIST on society; building a community of informed stakeholders from various communities involved in QIST, including industry, national laboratories, academia and government; and identifying key issues that will drive future activities in this critical cross-section of science, technology, education, business and government.

Organizers

• Brian Smith, University of Oregon, USA
• Sarah Young, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

Panelists

• Lincoln Carr, Colorado School of Mines, USA
• Kaelyn Ferris, IBM, USA
• Johannes Galatsanos-Dueck, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
• Sir Peter Knight, Imperial College London, UnitedKingdom
• Nathan Wiebe, University of Toronto, Canada
• Sarah Young, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

Optica Polarization Management and Propagation Technical Group members are invited to join the group for a networking event during FiO. The event will provide an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees who share an interest in this field and to learn more about this technical group. Please RSVP to let us know you will be attending.

Members of the Optica Holography and Diffractive Optics Technical Group are invited to join us for a networking event on Tuesday. The event will provide an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees who share an interest in this field and to learn more about this technical group.

Please RSVP here to let us know you will be attending.

Meet with Optica Ambassadors from academia, industry and government as they debate the opportunities, benefits and challenges of working in the different segments of the optics community.

Everyone knows about Einstein's theory of relatively, and we all know Theodore Maiman created the laser. But do you know who invented the windshield wiper? Or who patented the laser phaco probe? (By the way, this medical device is used to ablate and remove cataract lenses.) Join us to test your knowledge while we celebrate the scientific community's incredibly diverse history (present and future).

The 2023 winners of the Optica Foundation Challenge in the health category will present their progress along with a special keynote from Adam Wax. Topics include optical coherence tomography (OCT), biosensors, light-based biomarkers, cancer, glaucoma and spectral fluorescence imaging.

Presenters

• Adam Wax, Lumedica
• Fei Xia, CNRS
• Fernando Zvietcovich, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
• Nirosha Murugan, Wilfrid Laurier University
• Samantha Grist, The University of British Columbia

The Colorado Photonics Industry Association (CPIA) is an association of industrial, university and government entities involved in research, development and/or the sale of products or services that involove photonics technologies. Join us for a presentation on local Colorado photonics activities.

Speaker

• Damon Lenski, President, CPIA, USA

Join us at the Colorado Photonics Industry Association (CPIA) Happy Hour. Hosted at exhibit booths from Optica (117) and CPIA (319), attendees can grab a drink and connect with local CPIA members and participating industry representatives from the Denver area. Plus, arrive early to see CPIA President Damon Lenski present on local Colorado photonics activities. 

RSVP to attend the Happy Hour. >
To participate, you will have to register for  FiO LS and pick up a badge at registration. Complimentary Events + Exhibit Pass Registration is available.

Please join us for the APS Division of Laser Science (LS) business meeting.

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the FiO Conference Reception. Enjoy delicious food, engaging conversations and unparalleled networking opportunities with fellow attendees. 

Explore the latest in optical clocks and their role in revolutionizing precision measurement. Learn from experts about advancements in quantum sensing and metrology and their impact on fields like fundamental physics and global positioning systems.

Presenter:
Gabrielle Thomas, Menlo Systems GmbH, Germany

Current and previous FiO presenters based in Africa, Asia and South America will discuss their experience, impact of their research and the current landscape of photonics technology in their respective regions. This panel aims to provide a deeper understanding of photonics advancements in emerging economies, highlight how Optica Membership supports researchers in these regions and offer networking opportunities.

Panelists

• Ashim Dhakal, Co-Founder, Chief Scientist, Phutung Research Institute, Nepal
  How Nepal Has Started to Participate in Photonics Advancements from Zero
• Saroch Leedumrongwatthanakun, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand
  Photonics Research Groups in Thailand
• Isaac Nape, Lecturer, University of Witwatersrand, SouthAfrica
  How Optica is Unlocking Talent in South Africa
• Alejandro Velez-Zea, Profesor Universitario Asistente, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia
  Holographic Augmented Reality Research in Colombia: Facing reality

Discover how combining machine learning with physical principles enhances quantum system modeling. This talk will highlight the practical applications of these methods in quantum computing, material science and more — offering new solutions to complex quantum phenomena.

Presenter:
Zachary H. Levine, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA

Can you explain your research in three minutes or less? Everyone should have an elevator pitch in which they can discuss their work quickly with audiences that may or may not be in their field. Join Optica Ambassador Gavrielle Untracht, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark, to get tips and tricks to giving a strong 3-minute thesis.

Members of the Optica Technical Group on Display Technology are invited to join us for a networking event. The event will provide an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees interested in this field and learn more about this technical group. Please RSVP to let us know you will be attending.

Join us for networking, popcorn and Radioactive, a movie about the true story of Marie Sklodowska-Curie and her Nobel Prize-winning work that changed the world. Watch the trailer here. >