OSL Bulletin: NU Photonics (SPIE)
How would you describe your organization to someone who hasn't heard of it?
NU Photonics is Northwestern’s chapter of a global organization dedicated to the study of optics and photonics. Our group is comprised mostly of graduate students from a range of STEM fields. NU Photonics is known for organizing seminars where graduate students can present their research to the Northwestern student body, where free lunch is provided for attendees.
Who all is eligible to join your organization?
Any Northwestern student, graduate or undergraduate, is encouraged to join. Most of our members are graduate students in STEM fields, such as Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, and Material Science.
How does one "join" your organization?
Prospective members can join the organization unofficially by signing up for our mailing list here. After that, just attend one of our events and speak to a board member.
What can new members expect from your organization?
New members can expect to join a community of passionate scientists and engineers passionate about a variety of different fields. NU SPIE is a great place to socialize, build professional connections, and learn about different fields. Quarterly team building events for members bring us closer as a group, and bi-weekly seminars allow us to explore new and exciting research topics in a low-pressure environment.
What is your organization's biggest annual event?
Once or twice a year, SPIE will host an industry seminar, where speakers from tech/industry will come to give a talk about their field. Students are given the opportunity to meet and chat with industry speakers. These events are good places to learn about industry fields that one might not have exposure to otherwise. Additionally, these events are a good place to do some professional networking.
What is one of your most popular events/activities?
Approximately four times per quarter we organize student seminars. Graduate students give a talk on their research, and audience members get the chance to learn about topics from a wide range of different STEM fields. Questions are encouraged, and lunch is provided free of charge for attendees.
What would you say is one of your organization's biggest successes or achievements?
Our organization, SPIE, has started the recurring seminar event since 2016 and had over 100 talks organized so far. During each seminar, at least 30 – 50 attendees including students and professors are influenced by the presentation.
What impact do you think your organization has on the TGS community?
In the past, we have received very positive feedback from attendance to this series of events: the seminars allowed to bring together students from various departments to learn about the outstanding research done at Northwestern. For the student speakers, it has been a unique opportunity to train for presenting their research to a broad technical audience and to get excellent feedback from their peer graduate students. Research collaborations have also been established in the past through these student seminars. Finally, talks given by tech industry representative helped establish connections and collaboration with local companies, providing opportunities for job and career development.
What is one thing you want everyone to know about your organization?
SPIE always welcomes scholars from all related fields to share their research, practice essential academic presentation skills and connect for professional collaboration. Students and professionals are encouraged to reach to NU Photonics group (nu.spie@gmail.com) to leave a comment or be a speaker.
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