By Winnie Ye, NTC Advisory Committee Representative & IEEE Photonics Elected Board Member
I recently had the opportunity to represent the IEEE Photonics Society at the IEEE Nanotechnology Council (NTC) Advisory Committee (AdCom) meeting in Nanjing, China, during the IEEE NANO 2026 conference. Bringing together approximately 30 Council leaders, representatives from NTC member Societies, and volunteers, the meeting provided an important forum for exchanging perspectives, discussing strategic priorities, and strengthening connections across IEEE’s technical communities.
For me, the experience was particularly valuable because of the natural intersections between photonics and nanotechnology. As advances in areas such as materials, electronics, sensing, computing, and emerging technologies become increasingly interconnected, there is significant value in creating stronger connections between the IEEE communities working across these fields.
My primary goal in attending was to bring the perspective of the IEEE Photonics Society into the conversation while gaining a better understanding of the Nanotechnology Council’s priorities, activities, and future direction. Serving as a Society representative is about more than simply attending a meeting. It is an opportunity to listen, contribute, identify areas of mutual interest, and serve as a bridge between technical communities.
Throughout the AdCom discussions, I was particularly interested in where the IEEE Photonics Society and Nanotechnology Council might find opportunities for greater collaboration. With the significant technical overlap between our communities, there is potential to explore connections through conferences, publications, educational activities, technical programming, and member and volunteer engagement.
Just as importantly, participation gives us an opportunity to learn from one another. Understanding what other IEEE communities are prioritizing can help us recognize new opportunities for our own members and identify areas where collaboration may have greater impact than working independently.
The Value of Meeting in Person
While the formal AdCom discussions were important, some of the most valuable moments happened outside the meeting agenda.
Conversations during breaks, meals, and networking activities offered opportunities to learn more about the priorities of other IEEE Societies, exchange ideas, and discover shared interests. These informal interactions can often open doors to future collaborations that may not emerge through a scheduled presentation or virtual meeting.
Holding the meeting in Nanjing also provided an opportunity to engage with colleagues in China and experience firsthand the strength and diversity of IEEE’s global technical community. Bringing IEEE leaders and volunteers together in different regions creates opportunities for stronger local connections while giving international participants greater exposure to the people and technical communities contributing to IEEE around the world.
The face-to-face environment made it possible to have deeper conversations and begin building personal relationships that are often essential to successful cross-Society collaboration.
One of my strongest takeaways from the meeting was the importance of maintaining an interdisciplinary perspective. Many of today’s most significant research questions and technology challenges do not fall neatly within the boundaries of one technical discipline. Nanotechnology is a strong example. Its applications and advancements intersect with photonics, electronics, materials science, sensing, computing, and many other fields.
For the IEEE Photonics Society, engaging with communities such as the Nanotechnology Council helps us better understand these intersections and identify where our expertise can contribute to broader technical conversations.
It also creates opportunities to introduce new audiences to photonics and connect our members with experts, resources, programs, and ideas from adjacent disciplines.
Building a More Connected IEEE Community
The experience in Nanjing reinforced for me that cross-Society engagement works best when communication moves in both directions. As a representative, my role is to bring the IEEE Photonics Society’s perspectives and priorities into Council discussions, but it is equally important to bring relevant ideas, developments, and opportunities back to our own community.
Maintaining these connections helps ensure that our members and volunteers are represented in broader IEEE conversations while creating pathways for new partnerships and interdisciplinary initiatives.
The meeting also demonstrated why investing in relationships across IEEE matters. Formal organizational connections provide a structure for collaboration, but personal relationships between volunteers, Society representatives, and technical leaders are often what move ideas forward.
I returned from Nanjing with a stronger understanding of the IEEE Nanotechnology Council, new connections across IEEE’s technical communities, and greater awareness of areas where photonics and nanotechnology can continue to intersect.
As emerging technologies increasingly cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, maintaining these connections will become even more important. By actively engaging across Societies and Councils, we can share expertise, identify common priorities, and create new opportunities that ultimately strengthen the experience and resources we provide to our members and the broader technical community.
