238 Student Chapters composed of more than 6,400 members in 47 countries worldwide
Over 220 SPIE students gathered for the Student Leadership Workshop Conference at SPIE Optics + Photonics; facilitated by Jean AbiNader, Senior Advisor with Cultural Savvy (shown, right),
BELLINGHAM, Washington -- Students at six additional universities can now access diverse career-boosting growth and leadership programs as members of new SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, Student Chapters, approved by the Board of Directors of the Society at their October meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
The newest SPIE Student Chapters are at:
SPIE has added 26 chapters in 2013 at schools such as Johns Hopkins University, Utsunomiya University, Institute FEMTO-ST, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and University of California, Irvine, and now boasts 238 Student Chapters composed of more than 6,400 members in 47 countries worldwide.
"As the SPIE Student Chapter program continues to grow we welcome new chapters from all over the world. Creating leaders in industry, government, and academics, SPIE student chapters are involved in hosting excellent student conferences and annually inspiring thousands of students with education outreach programs," said Tasha Chicovsky, SPIE Student Activities Coordinator. "We are continually grateful to our students for their commitment to the field and their work in raising awareness and interest in optics and photonics."
SPIE welcomed three new Chapters SPIE Optics + Photonics in August as well:
"The Johns Hopkins chapter is excited to join the SPIE family and looks forward to a great turnout at the SPIE conferences this year! Since summer 2013, we have hosted a number of recruitment events as well as an educational session for high school students on medical imaging. We have a few exciting projects in the works, including industry visits, lecture series and building interdepartmental student relationships in optics, photonics and medical imaging. In summary, we look forward to an exciting and productive year ahead," said Carmen Kut, Founding Member and President of JHU Chapter 2013-2014
The SPIE Student Chapter program encourages students of optics and photonics to create and engage in a diverse array of career development opportunities with funding for officer travel to SPIE meetings, student leadership workshops, a Visiting Lecturer program, and activities that promote participation in the optics and photonics community.
At the recent Optics + Photonics, the 12th annual Student Chapter Leadership Workshop provided professional development, networking and mentoring opportunities for 196 student chapter members led by 24 early-career professionals and alumni workshop facilitators. Participants represented 37 countries.
Seventeen student groups showcased top optics and photonics demonstrations from student chapters worldwide at the popular Optics Outreach Games. The judge's choice -- also selected for the People's Choice Award, was "Waves, Waves Everywhere," Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, using a wave table to illustrate principles of light.
Networking opportunities with experts at SPIE meetings are a significant benefit to student members, who pay reduced conference and professional development short courser registration fees, and may be invited to serve or sit in on conference program and Society committees.
The Visiting Lecturer series offers students an opportunity to interact with world-class scientists and engineers at the leading edge of technological advances in optics and photonics. Next on the schedule, Prof. James Wyant, College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, will speak with the Universidad del Vallé, Cali, Colombia SPIE Student Chapter in November.
SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. The Society serves more than 235,000 constituents from approximately 155 countries, offering conferences, continuing education, books, journals, and a digital library in support of interdisciplinary information exchange, professional networking, and patent precedent. SPIE provided over $3.2 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2012.
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