Previous Articles

Would you like to have a member of SPIE Student Services attend your next chapter meeting? While we can't guarantee an in-person visit, we would enjoy being involved through a phone or video conference. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact SPIE Student Services (students@spie.org) to make arrangements.

A new SPIE-SCHOTT Lecture Program is bringing valuable work-world insights as well as field-proven technical knowledge to SPIE Student Chapter members. SPIE is working with its Student Chapters to match speakers with opportunities. This year’s series will be offered to chapters on the U.S. East Coast.

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Over 90 Ph.D. students from 15 countries met this October 13-15 at Stanford University for IONS NA-3. Organized by the Stanford Optical Society, a student chapter of SPIE & OSA, this conference was part of the recently established IONS conference series for students in optics and photonics.

The Photonics West experience is more than technical papers and the Exhibitions. A week filled with networking and focused technical sessions awaits you. This includes student lunches, chapter meetings, entrepreneurship challenges, and social events. Browse everything else going on at Photonics West.

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Join the SPIE Student Services team to learn about changes to chapter funding that will start with the 2012 funding cycle. New resources will be available and some old resources are going away. Get tips on how to make the most of your funding and connect with other SPIE chapter officers.

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Several adjustments have been made to chapter benefits that will start with the 2012 funding cycle. New resources will be available and some old resources are going away. Learn about the changes that affect your Activity Grant, Travel Grant, and Conference Grant before they are implemented.

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Seven new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors last month. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 181 Student Chapters comprised of more than 4,500 members in over 35 countries.

The US Congress and the debt supercommittee are currently looking to reduce projected deficits by more than 1.2 trillion dollars over the next decade. While this will help secure America’s finances, these measures will be painful and must be chosen with forethought. Grad students, former grad students, and all other supporters of science are encouraged to sign the letter.

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Among its findings, the study, from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, shows that science and engineering graduates enjoy high demand in a variety of fields, with a bachelor's degree in a science major commanding a greater salary than a master's degree in a nonscience major.

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Today's doctoral programs continue to prepare students for a traditional academic career path despite the inadequate supply of research-focused faculty positions. To better support this branching career pipeline, it is recommended that national standards for training include an emphasis on career planning and professional skills development to ensure the success.

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SPIE is seeking 1 or 2 members with a passion for Scouting who would like to be an instructor for the Engineering Merit Badge at the 2013 National Jamboree, to be held at the new Summit Camp in West Virginia. Candidate must be a registered Adult Scout Leader and have experience teaching Scouts. Preference will be given to student & early career SPIE members. The SPIE instructors will join an existing team and be given the opportunity to develop new ‘optics/photonics’ content. For more information please contact June Thompson (june@spie.org) or H. Philip Stahl (h.philip.stahl@nasa.gov).

In April and May of 2011, SPIE conducted a Global Earnings Survey of the optics and photonics community - the largest survey of its kind. The survey yielded over 7,300 valid responses, examining professional focus, level of education, type of employer, earnings level, and much more.

View survey results...

At Photonics West this year, the SPIE Board of Directors approved the formation of a new SPIE Committee to provide input into the direction of student and early career professional programs at SPIE.  Meet the new committee members.

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You've been slaving away in the lab for months and the results of your research could revolutionize an industry. But once you publish your research, is it over? What do you do if you want to see this idea move out beyond the lab? Events at Photonics West 2012 can help you take the next step on the pathway to technology entrepreneurship. 

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To mark the 10th Annual Student Chapter Leadership Workshop, SPIE Student Services invited ten SPIE members who were formally involved in student chapters. While not all could make it to San Diego, they all wanted to share something with the ever-growing student chapter community.

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During the recent Student Chapter Leadership Workshop at SPIE Optics + Photonics, student chapter leaders discussed a variety of chapter issues. They talked about several problem areas and brainstormed solutions. The result is a series of videos designed to help guide new and established chapters through the challenges of chapter management.

See the videos...

200 students invaded San Diego this year to take part in the 10^th Annual Student Chapter Leadership Workshop at SPIE Optics + Photonics! The workshop began early on Saturday, 20 August at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina.

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Two new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors last month. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 174 Student Chapters comprised of more than 4,500 members in over 35 countries.

Great leadership doesn't come from learning techniques in a class or by mimicking someone else's style, but rather from developing clear values and goals to direct the organization, says Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO of the ICLIF Leadership & Governance Centre and author of "Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders." "To become a leader, one must feel deeply about the inadequacies of current reality and decide to do something about it -- and these things come from within," he says.

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Join SPIE Student Services in San Diego this summer for Optics + Photonics. This is our most student-focused conference and 2011 promises to be a monumental year of activities. The week kicks off on Saturday, August 20 witih the Student Chapter Leadership Workshop (SCLW). Now in its 10th year, the SCLW is expected to be larger than ever with close to 200 students from SPIE chapters in over 30 countries. In addition, we'll welcome back SCLW alumni from the last decade.

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Congressional Visits Day is a two-day annual event that brings scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, and technology executives to Washington to raise visibility and support for science, engineering, and technology. Uniquely multi-sector and multi-disciplinary, the CVD is coordinated by coalitions of companies, professional societies and educational institutions and it is open to all people who believe that science and technology comprise the cornerstone of our Nation's future.

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SPIE has entered the blogosphere with a new blog titled "Photonics for a Better World." The blog reaches out to photonics professionals and others in the field who may or may not be familiar with SPIE, and focuses attention on some of the many ways photonics applications enable a better quality of life around the globe.

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The students at the College of Optical Sciences have had a busy year. We hosted an IONS conference (a conference organized by students for students), a week long workshop in Chile over spring break and a large outreach event held in the building on top of normal yearly activities. Additionally we also made an effort to include undergraduate students in SOCk (Student Optics Chapter) which was traditionally seen as a graduate student organization.

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In many areas of modern industrial manufacturing, it is possible to use the laser for protecting resources and for improved energy efficiency. The Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) will present examples of green photonics at the LASER fair in Munich, from May 23rd to 25th, 2011.

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For many years, I didn't think that I had much in common with my father career-wise. He was a commercial artist for comic books, magazines, and the like. Art is something for which I have no discernible talent; give me a ruler and I can barely draw a straight line. It therefore came as a surprise, and a welcome one, when someone pointed out that the bridge between art, entrepreneurship, and inventing certainly does exist: Creativity.

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Earlier this year, the free online strategy game "Power of Research" was unveiled. The game allows you to play the role of a scientist working in a virtual research environment. Experience simulated situations encountered by scientists in the real world and engage in medical research projects. You can perform microscopic examinations or DNA experiments and isolate proteins, publish your findings, participate in conferences, and access sophisticated laboratory equipment. The platform is designed to be used by over 100,000 players and focuses on communication, cooperation, and competition.

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Five new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors last month. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 165 Student Chapters comprised of more than 4,500 members in over 30 countries.

With a best-ever attendance, warm weather, and busy show floors, Photonics West 2011 reflected a strong mood of optimism. The sunshine helped, as it always does, but what really put a smile on the faces of the 1162 exhibitors was the level of traffic and interest in the two giant exhibition halls within the Moscone Center.

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The final count was close to 19,390 people who attended Photonics West this year -- that's 6% higher than the previous high count, set just last year. There were increases in both the technical program and day visitors, and comments from people leaving Moscone Center at the end of the day were 100% positive.

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At Photonics West, SPIE’s Board of Directors approved the creation of an advisory committee composed exclusively of students and ECPs to advise the Society on issues of concern to this growing community of SPIE members. Currently being assembled, the initial challenges for the committee will be to define their structure, succession plan, and to choose a project that they believe will most help engage student leaders in the operation of the society.

More news to come...

Laser Camp V, part one of a two-day event for high school students, hosted over 50 students from four eastern CT high schools on November 11, 2010. The annual event is a full day of mainly student run activities that encourage high school students to explore the science and technology of optics/photonics, learn about career opportunities in the region, and engage in teamwork with students from other schools. TRCC’s SPIE student chapter members facilitated most events.

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A potentially life-saving optical test to screen for lung cancer has won a “Dragons’ Den” style challenge for aspiring biophotonics entrepreneurs at the Photonics West BiOS conference. Nineteen researchers with an eye on setting up a new venture went head-to-head in front of a panel of judges, with only the top three “elevator pitches” being selected for sponsorship at the UC Davis Biomedical Engineering Entrepreneurship Academy.

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One of several professional development programs at Photonics West this year was “Getting a Job in 2011 and Beyond,” a panel discussion held for the benefit of employment seekers of all stripes. Held in conjunction with the SPIE Job Fair, which itself was more successful than any in many years, the discussion provided expertise on job search tactics from people directly involved in the hiring process.

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Three new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors last month. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 164 Student Chapters comprised of more than 4,500 members in over 30 countries.

Beginning Oct. 10, the festival launched 75 satellite events, contests, and exhibits across the country; culminating in the two-day grand finale expo in Washington, D.C. SPIE was in the middle of it all with a booth about Putting Light to Work.

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For the third consecutive year, and with the help of an SPIE grant, graduate students in Optics & Photonics at Laval University (Québec City, Canada) held the Photonic Games, a friendly outreach competition involving over 130 grade 11 students from 3 local high schools. The activity aims at introducing them to optics and photonics through the hands-on application of physics principles and problem-solving.

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As SPIE’s largest meeting, PW brings together over 18,000 students and professionals for five days of learning and networking. SPIE Student Services has designed several events to help students plan their career in optics and photonics with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, business, and industry. 

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Students of the Michigan Tech SPIE student chapter explored a local mystery in hopes of explaining an optical phenomenon, known as The Paulding Light. There are several legends as to the origin of the mysterious light and tourists visit year-round just hoping to catch a glimpse of it.

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More than 90 students gathered in Tucson for IONS-NA 2, a student organized optics conference held at the University of Arizona's College of Optical Sciences.

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Over the past few months, SPIE Student Services has added several new faces to the Visiting Lecturer directory. Take some time and get familiar with the newest volunteers.

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LaserFest grant money has been distributed worldwide. If your chapter was awarded a grant, please help the Laserfest organizers by completing a brief survey on the outcome of your LaserFest event. The more information you can provide, the better we are able to support and justify future programs.

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Six new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors at SPIE Optics + Photonics. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 161 Student Chapters comprised of more than 4,500 members in over 30 countries.

Students from SPIE Student Chapters throughout the world competed in an Optics Outreach Olympics on Sunday evening, demonstrating the educational projects they have organized to illustrate and promote optics and photonics in everyday life.

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The Optics + Photonics 2010 Student Chapter Leadership Workshop was the largest one ever with 155 students from 27 countries! The 9^th annual two-day workshop began early Saturday morning at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina.

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By week's end, more than 4,250 scientists, researchers and developers of technologies that will transform the future had brought their latest advances to SPIE Optics and Photonics. With reports on significant new work in green photonics technologies such as photovoltaics for solar power, and solid-state and organic light-emitting diodes lighting as well as longstanding conferences on nanotechnology, photonics devices, and optical engineering, the event fulfilled its role as a unique synergetic forum for the field.

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Join students this fall in Tucson for IONS-NA 2, a student optics conference to be held at the University of Arizona's world-renowned College of Optical Sciences. Enhance your knowledge of cutting-edge optical research, and connect with companies hiring optics talent in the Tucson ("Optics Valley") area and beyond.

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The Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, hosted by Lockheed Martin, will be the country’s first national science festival and will descend on the Washington, D.C. area in the Fall of 2010. Opening on 10/10/10 with a gala concert of amazing science songs performed by over 200 children and adults at the University of Maryland, the Festival promises to be the ultimate multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary celebration of science in the United States.

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SPIE awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to 135 outstanding individuals, based on their potential for long-range contribution to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. Award-winning applicants were evaluated and selected and approved by the SPIE Scholarship Committee. To date, SPIE has distributed over $3 million dollars in individual scholarships. This ambitious effort reflects the Society's commitment to education and to the next generation of optical scientists and engineers around the world.

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Biophotonics Week is an exciting series of scientific events in the beautiful city of Québec, Canada. The events will be held in two different locations. Frontiers in Neurophotonics, Biophotonics for Infectious Disease, and ICOB-2 will be held in the heart of the Old City at the Hotel Le Chateau Laurier. The Biophotonics School and the OWLS meeting will be held 5 km (3 miles) from downtown on the campus of Université Laval.

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Five new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors last month. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 155 Student Chapters comprised of over 4,300 members in 30 countries.

Join SPIE Student Services for a weekend of networking and professional development opportunities to kick-off this year's Optics + Photonics conference. The two-day event will feature dynamic speakers, informative workshops, and chapter outreach demonstrations.

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The student chapter pages on SPIE.org have undergone serious upgrades. We've introduced an interactive world map, chapter organization by country, easier logo access, and an alumni list.

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The 2,150 international photonics experts who convened at Square Conference Centre in Brussels presented the latest advances in a field designated by the European Commission (EC) as one of five "Key Enabling Technologies."

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Photonics Europe featured more student events than ever before, and this year, even natural disasters!

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This spring, the CREOL Association of Optics Students (CAOS) and the SPIE student chapter at UCF came together to host the three day event, CREOL LaserFest. In addition to celebrating the 50th anniversary of lasers, the purpose was twofold - to educate local K-12 students on optics and lasers; and to foster networking and research connections with students in related graduate programs in the southeast region.

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Several student chapters applied for a LaserFest Outreach Grant last month. SPIE decided to support twenty of them in their endeavors to demonstrate laser concepts around the world.

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It's fine to think about graduate school as an aesthetic experience, like the Grand Tour of Europe that people like Henry James used to take, if you can afford it. Spending a year in graduate school is surely more laudable than buying an expensive sports car. But most people do not have that kind of economic freedom; I am mostly concerned with the majority of students who do not have the safety net of wealth or connections—those for whom a bad choice in one's early 20s can have life-long consequences.

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Students often think of an internship as just another college requirement. However, there are many hidden opportunities within an internship. For one, it is surprisingly easy to launch a career using an internship. These days, more companies are treating internship programs as extended job interviews for permanent positions.

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Engineering majors dominate the list of top-paid bachelor’s degrees, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). NACE’s Winter 2010 Salary Survey shows that engineering disciplines account for eight of the 10 most highly paid degrees.

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Seven new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors last month. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 150 Student Chapters comprised of over 4,300 members in over 20 countries.

SPIE is offering grants to encourage the global network of SPIE Student Chapters to organize public outreach events during LaserFest, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the laser. Chapters are invited to submit an application for funding to support their proposed outreach activities.

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As SPIE’s largest meeting, Photonics West presents a unique opportunity for students to interact with peers and professionals from around the world. Several events were offered to student attendees, including professional development seminars, networking lunches, social outings, and receptions.

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Calling all student photographers! Several SPIE/OSA chapters are holding a photography contest for 12-18 year olds with some great prizes! The deadline for entries is March 1, 2010.

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A member of the Tec de Monterrey SPIE Student Chapter has started a community service project that consists of taking scientific experiments to kids from elementary school.

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Innovention Toys is partnering with SPIE to offer tournament sponsorship programs to any student chapter interested in hosting a Khet tournament at your school or in your community. Teach a lesson on basic optics with a Khet educational kit or simply challenge your labmates to a strategic game!

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Curious about SPIE's President for 2010? Learn about the work of Ralph James, a senior pysicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Through SPIE and other scientific societies, James has organized over 20 international conferences to bring the community together and create forums to solve problems. His entrepreneurial spirit and drive to see research results lead to new businesses and products have led to more than 40 CRADA partnerships.

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Have we seen the end of the global economic downturn? Unemployment is still running high, especially in Europe and the United States. However, industries enabled by photonics technologies have seen glimmers of promise for a recovery in research funding awards, job-training and job-creation programs, subsidy projects, and the like in the last few months.

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The NSF-funded Engineering Research Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN) will host a paid summer research program at 5 of our partnering universities: University of Arizona, Colombia, University of California Los Angeles, Berkeley, and San Diego. Eligibility includes undergraduate students from all disciplines of engineering, physics, and math.

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Six new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors last month. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 147 Student Chapters comprised of over 4,300 members in over 20 countries.

Begun as a collaboration between the American Physical Society, the Optical Society, and SPIE, LaserFest is a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the laser, which was invented in 1960. From DVD players to eye surgery, the laser is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century—one that has revolutionized the way we live.

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As SPIE’s largest meeting, PW brings together over 17,000 students and professionals for five days of learning and networking. SPIE Student Services has designed several events to facilitate an optimal environment for students searching for a career in optics and photonics.

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Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the invention of the laser at Photonics West will definitely be educational, but will it be fun? If you like to game and compete against other conference goers for some nice prizes, then the answer is clearly "yes!" The makers of Khet will host a World tournament on Wednesday of Photonics West for people looking to test their skills of logic and beam steering.

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Every other year, SPIE Europe organizes one of the largest European optics conferences. Photonics Europe presents an interesting look at the photonics market in Europe and draws researchers from across the globe. In 2010, the conference will be held in Brussels, Belgium and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel SPIE student chatper has been busy preparing student events.

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Students are the engine that makes the Solar Decathlon run, and their nearly boundless energy kept spirits high during the final rainy days of the event in October 2009 in Washington, DC. SPIE visited the event and compiled this composite "tour" highlighting the different components of a typical house, as told by student tour guides at several houses.

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The Photonics21 Student Innovation Award will be presented during the Photonics Europe conference in Brussels on 12-16 April 2010. As with the first award, the photonics community is looking for innovative and outstanding work in photonics with a high industrial impact. To be eligible for an award, the work must be performed in Europe and within the framework of an EU education programme or a regular course of studies at a European university. The closing date for applications for the Student Innovation Award 2010 is 10 February 2010.

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The optics industry has seen many advances in technology and applications. Continued innovation and discovery is dependent on a stream of new researchers and engineers educated in optics. The optics community needs to play a role in understanding how these new knowledge workers are trained. As individuals, we can contribute to this process by sharing our passion for optics and science with students of all ages.

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Over the past few months, SPIE Student Services has added several new faces to the Visiting Lecturer directory. Take some time and get familiar with the newest volunteers.

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The roots of modern laser technology go back to a burst of innovation in the years following Theodore Maiman's demonstration of the ruby laser in 1960. Most major types of lasers were first demonstrated in those early years, but their technology has advanced greatly since then and today is on a roll.

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Five new Student Chapters were approved this summer by the Board of Directors. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 141 Student Chapters comprised of over 4,300 members in over 20 countries.

The Optics + Photonics 2009 Student Chapter Leadership Workshop was the spot to meet and network with peers in optics from around the world! The 8^th annual two-day workshop began early Saturday morning when 130 students from around the world gathered to share experiences and ideas.

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SPIE Optics+Photonics 2009 kicked off with special programming aimed at students and early career professionals, showcasing SPIE's commitment to growing the next generation of scientists, researchers, and innovators.

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Innovention Toys is partnering with SPIE to offer tournament sponsorship programs to any student chapter interested in hosting a Khet tournament at your school or in your community. Teach a lesson on basic optics with a Khet educational kit or simply challenge your labmates to a strategic game!

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The first North-American meeting of the IONS will be held in September 2009 at the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. As the host, the UM SPIE-OSA Student Chapter is committed to take every measure towards organizing a dynamic platform for networking and academic interaction.

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This year the Stanford University OSA/SPIE Chapter is hosting a student photography competition to generate interest in optics among pre-university students. We are hoping to expand the competition to the international community and we invite other student chapters to partner with us in this outreach effort!

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More than 100 students from the top optical science schools in India, Russia, the Ukraine, the UK, the United States, Singapore, Poland, Turkey, Canada, Mexico, and Australia have been awarded SPIE scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year.

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The career center website SPIEWorks has been named among the Top 100 job boards and career portals by a leading employment-industry guide publisher.

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SPIE will launch a series of online courses on photonics topics, offering flexibility and more opportunities for ongoing, professional education.

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I've been involved in many negotiations in my career. They've all been different in some ways, and alike in others. But through them all, I've identified four "golden rules" to be the most helpful towards productive negotiation outcomes.

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Five new Student Chapters were approved last month by the Board of Directors. These new chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 136 Student Chapters comprised of over 4,600 members in over 20 countries.

This year marks the 8th Annual Student Chapter Leadership Workshop at SPIE Optics + Photonics. The SCLW is a two-day workshop to kick-off the Optics + Photonics conference. It is designed for chapter leaders and brings together students from all over the world for food, fun, and fellowship.

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Many chapters have made an extra effort to get out into their community and help foster interest in the fields of optics and photonics. See what's happening at the Univ. of Calcutta, Univ. California San Diego, and Univ. Texas Austin.

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Held in Quebec City from March 5 to 8 2009 at the Center for Optics, Photonics and Lasers (COPL, Laval University), Photonics ToolkiT attracted graduate students in optics from ten universities in Canada and the United States. The collaboration of four student chapters brought this conference to life in Canada’s largest optics photonics university research center.

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For the first time, all Stanford photonics students, post-docs, and faculty were invited to gather together for a weekend retreat on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula.

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Congratulations to Nicolaus Copernicus for receiving the the second Collaborative Conference Grant of 2009! This funding will support professional development opportunities at the Fourth International Student Chapters Meeting held 14-16 May in Torun, Poland.

The next Collaborative Conference Grant applications are due 1 July.

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Congratulations to the best student poster award winners at the 2009 Joint Annual Conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSBP/NSHP). Each year SPIE sponsors awards for promising students presenting their research at conferences.

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Has a professor significantly impacted your life? If you would like this person to be recognized, consider nominating him/her for the SPIE Educator Award.

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Move over Facebook... SPIE.org has a new feature. We're proud to introduce SPIE Profiles; a professional networking platform for optics and photonics professionals worldwide. For a good example of a profile, check out Gabrielle Thériault (you must sign in to see her full profile).

Sign in now to access and easily manage your own profile.

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Scientific and technological innovation is being championed as a major driver for revitalization of the global economy, but a shortage of scientists and engineers, combined with a declining number of young people interested in studying science and engineering, could become a major restraint to economic recovery.

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One new Student Chapter was approved at the Board of Directors at SPIE Photonics West in San Jose, CA.  This new Chapter joins the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 131 Student Chapters comprised of over 4,600 members in over 20 countries.

You never know who you'll meet in San Jose!

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The students chapters from Universite Laval and Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal are inviting you to Photonic ToolkiT, a four day event taking place in Quebec City, Canada on March 5-8. This event is organized specifically to offer a wide variety of tools for your future career, as a graduate student and as a professional in the field.

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Student participation at SPIE Photonics West was in evidence as numerous optics and photonics students presented their papers in San Jose. Among the winners of various awards:

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Over the past few months, SPIE Student Services has added several new faces to the Visiting Lecturer directory. Take some time and get familiar with the newest volunteers.

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One of my closet recruiter colleagues says that job fairs are for the “unemployed and unemployable.” That’s pretty harsh but there is definitely some truth to it. Of course, if recruiters didn’t actually hire people from job fairs then one would have to question the existence of the job fair industry. There is value for both the job seeker and the potential employer. I recently attended the SPIE Photonics West Career Fair in San Jose, California and noticed some interesting things.

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We may be losing some of the most talented potential academics before they even arrive for a job interview. In the eyes of many doctoral students, the research university has a bad reputation — one of unrelenting work hours that allow little room for a satisfying family life.

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You’ve just accepted an assistant professor position. Congratulations! One of the first and biggest challenges awaiting you is the task of building a productive laboratory. If you’re like me, you will be shown an empty room, given a startup fund, and told to “go make great things happen.”

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Have you ever wanted to turn off gravity? Four ambitious undergraduates got that opportunity when they participated in the Microgravity University program put on by NASA last June. Microgravity University is a summer program that allows undergraduate students to propose, design, fabricate, fly in, and evaluate a reduced gravity experiment.

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Photonics Research Education and Training of the Photonics21 Technology Platform have established a prize for students in the field of photonics in order to promote research in photonics especially related to R&D with industrial impact.

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Four new Student Chapters were approved at the Board of Directors meeting in Bellingham, WA.  These new Chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 133 Student Chapters comprised of over 4,600 members in over 20 countries.

With the year rapidly coming to a close, we would like to take some time to highlight the good work coming from SPIE Student Chapters. Many chapters have made an extra effort to get out into their community and help foster interest in the fields of optics and photonics.

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SPIE Asia was an initial step towards bridging the communication gap between the student chapters across Asia. Being the organizer of the first student conference of its kind in Asia I had a lot of responsibilities to portray myself and my chapter well in front of the visiting international community.

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The papers submitted at SPIE APOC this year were very competitive and there was a great deal of discussion concerning the verdict. SPIE sends congratulations to the following winners:

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Finding the right graduate adviser is important for your success in graduate school and your future career. Not only will your choice of adviser affect everything about your life during graduate school, a strong letter of recommendation from your graduate adviser will have a vital impact on your postdoctoral career.

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A computer is a pretty useful tool. It stores large amounts of information and performs complicated calculations. Fifty computers can be hooked up to share power and information. But only when connected to the outside world is their true power unleashed. Suddenly, they can be used to communicate with a worldwide network of information and resources.

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Americans see entrepreneurship as the answer to the current financial crisis—but worries about the economy are deterring them from taking the first step on that path, according to survey findings released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

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Three new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors at SPIE Optics + Photonics in San Diego, CA, USA. These new Chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 129 Student Chapters comprised of nearly 2,300 members in over 20 countries.

SPIE hosted several special events for Students and Early Career Professionals (ECPs) at the Optics + Photonics symposium over the week. Some of the most beneficial events were the panel discussions about careers in optics and photonics.

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Scientists need the public to understand what they're doing, so that good personal and public policy decisions can be made in an increasingly technologically driven world, science writer Margaret Wertheim told an overflow audience at the Women in Optics reception Monday evening.

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Congratulations to the SPIE Singapore Student Chapter for hosting their first international chapter meeting co-located with Laser Metrology 2008. Chapter Members received positive feedback from chapter representatives, school teachers, industry affiliates, and many others.

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• 1^st Place ($500): Stanford University Chapter
• 2^nd Place ($250): International School of Photonics (ISP) Chapter
• Honorable Mentions: Univ. of Texas at Austin, Singapore Student Chapter, Wroclaw Univ. of Technology

$262,000 was awarded in scholarships to 149 outstanding individuals, based on their potential for long-range contribution to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. Award-winning applicants were evaluated and selected and approved by the SPIE Scholarship Committee.  For a list of the winners and information on how to apply for 2009, please visit spie.org/scholarships.

Engineering tops the list, but 'soft skills' are also in demand

Mike Borden appreciates all the attention he's been getting from potential employers. He also knows it's not personal. They don't want him, exactly. They want his degree...

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Four new Student Chapters were approved by the Board of Directors at SPIE Europe Photonics Europe in Strasbourg, France. These new Chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 126 Student Chapters comprised of nearly 2,300 members in 20 countries.

It all started with a project launched at our university (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) that aims to get photonics engineering students acquainted with the business aspects of research and industry...

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This year SPIE Europe Photonics Europe featured a more focused student and early career professional program.  Events on entrepreneurship and career development complemented a strong scientific conference.  I traveled to Strasbourg to see where photonics in Europe is headed.

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The academic conference is stereotyped in popular culture -- not without cause -- as a confluence of the bizarre and the boring. But for faculty members, especially those on the tenure-and-promotion track, learning how to get the most out of those meetings has become an essential skill.

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Thirteen volunteers representing SPIE were among more than 250 who participated on 5 March in the annual Congressional Visits Day (CVD) sponsored by the Science-Education-Technology (SET) Working Group. The message carried to Congress last week by [these] volunteers from SPIE and other science and technology societies was clear.

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Congratulations to the best student poster award winners at the 2008 Joint Annual Conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSBP/NSHP). Each year SPIE sponsors awards for promising students presenting their research at conferences.

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Congratulations to the Singapore Student Chapter and other local SPIE Chapters in Asia for receiving the first Collaborative Conference Grant of 2008. This funding will support professional development opportunities at Laser Metrology 2008 in Singapore, Singapore from 30 June - 2 July.

Download a brochure (for Asia Region; for non-Asia Regions).

SPIE Student Services is proud to announce new additions to its student events line-up at Optics + Photonics. New for 2008 is a panel discussion on getting hired after graduation and a student chapter and exhibitor social. These events join 15 other student focused courses and events.

See the entire list of events...

Are you looking for a job or internship, maybe you know someone who is? Students looking for jobs/internships are invited to upload their resumes to SPIEWorks.com, SPIE's very own job site! Submit a resume to the Optics + Photonics career fair, even if you can't attend the conference.

Read instructions on uploading your resume while maintaining document formatting.

Five new Student Chapters/Clubs were approved by the Board of Directors at SPIE Photonics West in San Jose, USA. These new Chapters and Clubs join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 122 Student Chapters comprised of nearly 2,100 members in 20 countries.

The largest optics & photonics research conference and trade show in the world wrapped up in San Jose two weeks ago on a very positive note, despite headlines of a global economic down-turn and uncertainty in the financial markets.

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The SPIE Singapore Student Chapter will be hosting an Asia Student Chapters Meeting at Laser Metrology 2008. All student chapter members are invited to attend; travel assistance is available for students in the region. See the brochure (for Asia Region; for non-Asia Regions) for event details.

Visit the Laser Metrology 2008 website for more details about the technical conference.

Get creative with the Engineering Education Service Center 2008 Poster Contest! "Green Engineering" is the theme for this year's poster contest. Green Engineering is the design, commercialization and use of processes and products that are feasible and economical while minimizing the generation of pollution at the source and the risk to human health and the environment.

Contest deadline is 15 February; winners will be notified by 22 February. Cash prizes available for first, second, and third place contestants. Visit the contest website for details.

As you may (or may not) know, 17-23 February is National Engineers' Week in the United States. Last year, 40,000 engineers visited classrooms to share the world of engineering with students. Get involved; you won't regret it.

Find local Engineers' Week events at eweek.org. Need activity ideas? Check out the Engineers Week Solution Kits.

SPIE Student Services is proud to announce an expanded student program at Photonics Europe. Student attendees will enjoy added networking opportunities, the Entrepreneurship in Photonics workshop, new short courses, and a Chapter Breakfast.

Visit the Student Events page for detailed links to the on-site activities.

Congratulations to Wroclaw University of Technology for receiving the the first Collaborative Conference Grant of 2008! This funding will support professional development opportunities at the Third International Student Chapters' Meeting held 20-22 May in Wroclaw, Poland.

The next Collaborative Conference Grant applications are due 1 April.

Numerous conferences at Photonics West sponsor awards for the best student papers presented either orally or as posters. SPIE send congratulations to the following winners:

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Happy Lunar New Year! 7 February 2008 marks the beginning of the year of the Rat (in China) and signals the start of a new year in many other cultures in the region. Nearly 1.5 billion people will be celebrating the holiday by the time you read this. Learn more about the Lunar New Year at Wikipedia.org!

Student Chapters will notice an increased level of funding this year, enabling greater possibilities for future activities. The increased funding was approved, in part, to compensate the weaker US Dollar and to provide additional support for large active chapters. Increases affect:

• Chapter Activity Grants: No longer limited to $1100
• Visiting Lecturer Program: $1000 (up from $800)

Fourteen new Student Chapters/Clubs were approved at the Board of Directors meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. These new Chapters and Clubs join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 117 Student Chapters comprised of nearly 2,100 members in 19 countries.

Thankfully, no one stays a student forever. As SPIE student members graduate and join the world of the optics professional, their needs necessarily change. New questions about your future need new answers. How do you negotiate for a start-up package or an increase in salary? How do you write better proposals? What is the best way to manage a team of colleagues or grad students? Can I stop living on Ramen noodles?

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Humans spend much of their lives piloting cars from place to place. For millions of people who spend time stuck in traffic, the promise of one day being able to take their eyes off the road, read a book, or catch some extra sleep took a big step closer on November 3rd, 2007.

On 10 November, the Northwestern University Student Chapter hosted the "SPIE Chicago/Midwest Conference." The event was made possible with the support of an SPIE Collaborative Conference Grant and meeting space and equipment donated by the McCormick Engineering School at Northwestern University.

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Each year SPIE donates unused but unloved books to our Student Chapters. This year, we will ship an estimated 5500lbs (2500kg) of books to Student Chapters worldwide. This is one of our most anticipated fall programs and is a great opportunity for Chapter Members to gain access to valuable technical resources.

Two Collaborative Conference Grants will be available in early 2008. For schools with a short break in January or February, this is an excellent opportunity to organize an event benefiting students in your region.

Download an application and submit it by the 1 January deadline.

In 2008, SPIE Student Services will be hosting several new events including professional development speaker series, Student Chapter gatherings, off-site socials, and an increased number of student focused workshops. Join us at Photonics West (San Jose, United States) and Photonics Europe (Strasbourg, France) for fresh perspectives on entrepreneurship, career development, and skills to help you get there.

The Master of Science programme in Photonics is a multidisciplinary programme covering basic physics, material technologies, electronics and applications in different fields. Students will be trained to become specialists in the field. In addition, students will be brought in contact with European culture and languages and will get the chance to live in several European cities (Brussels, Edinburgh, Ghent, St. Andrews and Stockholm) with a long and still visible history.

Application Deadline: 15 January

Program Information
Download a Brochure  

The International School of Photonics held one of the largest student outreach events yet, hosting over 1300 students age 10 through 17 for a day of demonstrations and exhibits.

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Five new Student Chapters were approved at the Board of Directors meeting at Optics & Photonics in San Diego, California. These new Chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students. There are now 103 Student Chapters comprised of nearly 1,800 members in 19 countries.

105 Students, 11 guest speakers, 2 days, and 20 gallons of coffee later... The Student Chapter Leadership Workshop concluded with its most interactive program yet, kicking-off Optics & Photonics 2007.

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Straight from some of our best Student Leaders, learn from their experiences in  recruiting new members, energizing the Chapter, managing university politics, and more.

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Observations, words of encouragement, and a few tips from your Student Services Coordinator.

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• 1^st Place ($500): Singapore Student Chapter
• 2^nd Place ($300): Tec de Monterrey
• 3^rd Place ($200): Taurida National V.I. Vernadsky Univ.
• Honorable Mention: Univ. of North Carolina, Charlotte

$290,500 was awarded in scholarships and grants to 136 outstanding individuals and 23 educational institutions, based on their potential for long-range contribution to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. Award-winning applicants were evaluated and selected by the SPIE Scholarship Committee and approved in April by the SPIE Board of Directors' Executive Committee. For a list of the winners and information on how to apply for 2008, please visit spie.org/scholarships.

Please contact John Ballato for details.

Optical Research Associates (ORA®), Pasadena, CA, has selected the winners of their annual Student Optical Design Competition, in which awards totaling $4,000 are granted. This year, former Tec de Monterrey chapter member Manuel Guizar-Sicairos and Univ. of Arizona chapter member Joshua Jin Kim were selected as two of the top award winners. Congratulations Manuel and Joshua!

Optics in the Southeast, co-sponsored by SPIE, announces call for papers. Abstracts are to be submitted to jballat@clemson.edu electronically by Monday, August 20, 2007. Submissions need to include the title, name of author(s), and their affiliation(s), an abstract longer than 250 words, status (high school, undergraduate, or graduate) and an indication of whether or not an oral or poster presentation is preferred.

Five SPIE Student Members from the University of Arizona were awarded prestigious scholarships in recent weeks. Awards included the first ever Louise Wyant Scholarship in Optical Sciences and James M. Palmer Endowed Scholarship.

Six new Student Chapters were approved at the Board of Directors meeting at Defense + Security Symposium in Orlando, Florida. These new Chapters join the steadily increasing population of optics / physics students, bringing the total number of Student Chapters to 98.

Many current students will be instructors themselves. Here is advice on how to make that transition smoother for all involved.

You made it! You are done with your PhD and are now ready and very excited to start a promising career as an educator and a researcher. Your role has suddenly changed, and now you are the one doing the teaching. Here is some advice on making this transition…

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For many students the months of May and June signal the end of a long school year, but for newly elected Student Chapter Officers it is just the beginning. The tasks ahead of them may feel daunting at first, but with supportive Chapter Members and a few tips new officers will find the transition to be relatively easy.

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This April, over 75 students, faculty, and staff from Stanford and Berkeley participated in the first annual "Photonics @ Stanford" Day. The afternoon event featured an in-depth tour of SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center), a special seminar from the PULSE (Photon Ultrafast Laser Science and Engineering) Director Philip Bucksbaum, and a joint poster session and mixer on campus.

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Last March 8 and 9th, the 6th Symposium, Optics in Industry (SOI) took place in Monterrey, Mexico. The most important event in Mexico that links Optics and Photonics Research with Industry, takes place every two years in one of the several Optics research centers of the country. This year, the venue city was Monterrey…

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Congratulations to the Wroclaw University, Nicholas Copernicus University, and Silesian University of Technology Student Chapters for receiving the second Collaborative Conference Grant of 2007. This funding will support professional development opportunities at the Second International Student Chapters' Meeting in Wroclaw, Poland from 21 - 23 May.

The Delhi College of Engineering Chapter has created the online magazine, Opto-Informatics @ DCE to help address the need for more open-source optics resources in India. Free collaborative resources enable greater student access to peer knowledge networks that encourage sharing of ideas and networking.

Interested in contributing to Opto-Informatics @ DCE? Contact the Delhi College of Engineering Student Chapter.

Mary Masterman, a 17-year-old Westmoore High School senior from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was awarded a $100,000 scholarship for describing...

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The Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program within the Policy and Global Affairs Division of the National Academies is designed to engage graduate science, engineering, medical, veterinary, business, public policy, and law students in the analysis that informs the creation of science and technology policy and to familiarize them with the interactions of science, technology, and government. As a result, students develop essential skills different from those attained in academia and make the transition from being a graduate student to a professional.

Learn more about the program

The PS3 wonderchip does more than play games -- it saves lives

The Cell Broadband Engine is a truly versatile piece of silicon. It's inside every PlayStation 3 powering games, decoding Blu-ray movies and curing diseases with Folding@home. It's also inside a few IBM BladeCenter servers, which will soon be utilized for medical imaging. Collaborators from Mayo Clinic and IBM say that they are now using the Cell Broadband Engine to dramatically speed up the processing of 3D medical images.

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A new theoretical design using nanowires provides a way to hide devices from visible light.

A hairbrush-shaped device has been theoretically designed that would use bristles made out of nanowires to bend light around it, rendering the object invisible. The researchers who came up with the design say that it's the first practical design for an "optical cloak" to work in the visible spectrum.

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What can 1600 enthusiastic optics students do in a year? The answer might surprise you-unless you keep up on the latest chapter reports! Find out what your peers have accomplished in the last year.

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There are many reasons why students should attend conferences: to learn about new technologies from leading scientists, present original research, participate in professional development opportunities, etc. Perhaps one of the best (and sometimes forgotten) reasons is to network.

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Cali, the third largest city in Colombia, was the point of reunion for over 120 participants of the tenth National Optics Meeting and the First Andean and Caribbean Conference on Applied Optics. Old friends organize Latin-American optics conference...

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Congratulations to the Tec de Monterrey, Universidad del Valle, and University of St. Andrews Student Chapters for receiving the first Collaborative Conference Grant of 2007. This funding will support professional development opportunities at the 6th Symposium in Optics / III International Student Chapter Meeting in Monterrey, Mexico, on 8 March.

The reality of research life is that many students are unable to travel to far off conferences to present their work or attend courses. Even fewer students are exposed to career development resources that are specifically related to science and engineering. By organizing student events in their own local regions, chapters...

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In an information age emphasizing instant, yet impersonal communications, it is sometimes easy to forget how important conferences can be to student professional development. Conferences provide a venue for meaningful personal interactions between students and professionals, face to face sharing of ideas, and a way to build lasting relationships. Also, many researchers get their best job leads at conferences. As a student, how can you organize a conference at your home university and make it a success?

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The 5th Annual Student Chapter Leadership Workshop at Optics & Photonics included an all-time high of 109 students from 57 student chapters. Despite challenging travel conditions, lost luggage, and jetlag, a vast majority managed to arrive by the 8:30 am start time.

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Recent job market trends have stressed both academic achievement and strong extra-curricular involvement. Applying for a job involves not only a simple résumé/CV and cover letter, but also strong interpersonal skills and extra-curricular involvement as unwritten requirements for getting an interview.

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Tune in to Scott McCain's experience at the 2006 Congressional Visits Day in Washington D.C. Here, the focus is on science, engineering, and technology and how it relates/is incorporated into current and future policy by U.S. lawmakers.


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Carlos López-Mariscal of Tec de Monterrey interviews Dr. Eugene Arthurs on the value of networking at conferences.  Download the video (3.4MB Quicktime) or the audio (1.5MB MP3) and learn why you should try to attend at least one SPIE conference!

My vice-supervisor and I arrived in Warsaw, Poland on 27 August after a long flight from Beijing on Royal Dutch Airlines and an interchange at the Amsterdam airport. In the morning, we registered in the main hall of the Warsaw University of Technology. The Warsaw students were the main service people and I saw that they worked very professionally. What surprised me greatly about the day was...

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