The World of Photonics Congress 2023 is offering a 5-day diversity program which will be open to all attendees of LASER World of PHOTONICS and CLEO Europe that has been designed to equip volunteers with tools and strategies to create a more inclusive industry. The effort is co-sponsored by: IEEE Photonics Society, European Optical Society (EOS), European Physical Society (EPS), Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Lasertechnik und Photonik e.V. (WLT), Optica, and SPIE.
These activities, i.e., hands-on exercises, panels, keynotes and networking, will cover a variety of topics, including: the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the photonics industry; support for early-stage researchers; DiversiWiki sessions; and, a workshop exploring the concept of privilege.
For example, Wikipedia is the fifth most visited site in the world. Still, only 18% of the 1.6 million biographies in the English Wikipedia are about women and only 16% of those individuals are tagged as scientists. During this event, attendees will learn how to be a Wikipedia editor—or hone their skills in editing, updating, or adding articles on Wikipedia. Trainers will be on hand throughout the day to provide guidance and assistance.
In the workshop address privilege, participants will be invited to think about privilege from a different point of view. When people are asked to think about their privilege, they might worry that they will be shamed for having privilege or be made to feel guilty. Instead, this Lunch and Learn activity will focus on how we can use our privilege for good, once we gain an understanding of how privilege affects us all in various aspects of our lives. Participants will learn to think about why it is important to be aware, what insights this can give in connecting with others, adopting Bystander Intervention practices, and how it impacts holding themselves or others responsible for their actions.
After completing the session, participants will have a visual and tactile aid to remind themselves of the privilege they have as it presents itself in different identity spaces. Upon recognizing our privilege, the next step is to use it to positively impact our scientific communities. The session will be facilitated by Jessica Wade of Imperial College London.
In addition, an Early Career and Diversity Luncheon will take place. Here panelists will share their career insights and journeys, and attendees will have the opportunity to openly discuss challenges or barriers they are facing in their research in a safe space with peers and researchers. The panelists are: Francesca Calegari, Leading Scientist at DESY and Professor at the University of Hamburg, Germany; Viola Vogler-Neuling, Postdoctoral Researcher at Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Switzerland; Arti Agrawal, Professor at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia; and, Florian Emaury, CEO & Co-founder at Menhir Photonics, Switzerland.
Click Here to register for the various events over the 5-Day program.
