Photonics Pioneers Meetup to Address Academic/Research Challenges in Optics

Posted  by GoPhotonics

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Leading photonics experts and professionals will be gathering together for the Photonics Online Meetup (POM), a free, online conference, set to take place on January 13, with a focus on challenges related to nanoscale quantum optics, integrated optics, and optical materials. The conference will be organized by Professor Andrea Armani from the University of Southern California, Professor Rachel Grange from ETH Zürich, Professor Igor Aharonovich from the University of Technology Sydney, Professor Mikhail Kats from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Riccardo Sapienza from Imperial College London, and Dr. Orad Reshef from the University of Ottawa.

The motive of this online meetup is to solve global issues using the conventional conference format. These issues include the large carbon footprint of air travel, the impact of travel on families, the increasing cost of travel and conference fees, and the challenges associated with visas. The organizers believe the new approach will have a particularly positive effect on the career trajectories of early-career researchers and will improve access to education for students.

POM will be encouraging the formation of self-organized viewing sites known as “POM-hubs” with the goal of encouraging networking at a local level to build a sense of community between researchers and students. The organizers said the schedule of the conference is optimized to be as convenient as possible for all participants, but recordings of every session will also be made available.

Leading up to the event, the organizers are hosting a virtual poster session where participants can post images of posters online with a conference hashtag and then answer questions electronically in the comments. Unlike a conventional poster session that has a fixed timeframe and limited audience, the organizers are touting the unlimited duration of their approach, which will allow the conference to grow along with its audience.

Click here for registration and more information about the meetup.
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