SPIE community at Photonics West

Meet colleagues at the Moscone West Community Park throughout the week to reconnect and expand your network

Welcome to the community

While at SPIE Photonics West, join us in Moscone West, Level 2 – a place for everyone. You can attend networking and professional development events, learn how diversity drives success on global collaborations. Or, just relax and recharge between sessions.

Moscone West Level 2 – Community Activities

Artful tree with many colors in the background, representing the diversity of our community

How do you connect? Choose your community experience.

Family care while attending the meeting

SPIE believes that individuals with significant caregiving responsibilities should have an equal opportunity to share their research and participate in conferences and symposia.

SPIE Family Care Grants are designed to supplement caregiving costs incurred by SPIE Members who are registered to attend an SPIE meeting, either in person or virtually. See hotel details in the reservation system to find hotels that offer onsite childcare. 

Find information and apply for an SPIE Family Care Grant

Recent progress. Ongoing efforts. More room for improvement.

Women in Optics—our story is far from over

  • 44% of the SPIE Board and 43% of Standing Committee roles are now filled by women
  • 14.2% of SPIE Senior Members and 12.2% of SPIE Fellows are female
  • In 2024, 38% of our Society Award recipients were women
  • You can help! Nominate yourself or others for the Women in Optics notebook, SPIE Senior Members, SPIE Fellows, and SPIE Society Awards. Elevate women to leadership roles within the Society and feature them as event speakers. Together. We can.

A group gathers in the Moscone West Community Park at Photonics West

Advocacy and accommodations

All in-person SPIE meetings will now have:
o Quiet room (prayer, decompression, meditation)
o Privacy room for nursing mothers
o Gender neutral restrooms whenever possible
o Anti-harassment signage and policies co-sponsored with Optica

Learn about SPIE Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

SPIE believes in the development of collaborative environments that value participation from individuals with different ideas and perspectives, which ultimately have a positive impact on the science of light. Our programs reflect these core values. At our events, we aim to provide resources, guidance, and education to build a more inclusive optics and photonics experience for all our attendees. Find out more about what SPIE is doing.

In a crowd, a male with glasses tilts head and smiles, while listening to an EDI presenter at Photonics West

Diversity tools and tips

Filled with links to articles and templates, these PDFs extend the learning: