IONS BCN ’19

From June 26-29, 2019 ICONS welcomed students from 15 countries around the world to ICFO to participate in IONS BCN’19 – the conference in optics for, of and by students! IONS -The International OSA Network of Students – is a program initiated by the Optical Society of America (OSA) that encourages student chapters to organise and manage regional meetings which are focused on technical and professional development as well as on networking with peers and luminaries. Note that IONS started at ICFO in 2007, returned in 2009 and now has come back after 10 years.

IONS BCN’19 hosted more than 80 enthusiastic attendees spanning the master up to the professor level such as our four distinguished keynote speakers Lukas Novotny, Eleni Diamanti, Jenny Nelson and Viola Vogel who kicked off the sessions on nanophotonics, quantum optics, optical devices and biophotonics, respectively. In total the program included 28 student talks and a poster session of extremely high quality attracting intense discussions. It was our pleasure to discuss with Carlos Abellán, Co-founder & CEO at Quside, Luis José Salazar, Optics Payload & Operation Specialist at Aistech Space (both ICFO alumni), María Viñas, post-doc at the IO-CSIC in Madrid and OSA Ambassador 2019 and Simon Wall, GL at ICFO about their insights into career opportunities after the PhD. We also enjoyed the unique opportunity of visiting the Barcelona’s Supercomputing Center and of discussing why an MBA after a PhD could leverage your career at the prestigious ESADE business school one afternoon. On the last conference day Danny Krautz, another ICFO alumni, came to give us an encouraging insight into Zeiss’ R+D policies and ventures.

It was clear that, with a majority of participants being students, questions and discussions flowed more freely both inside and outside the auditorium. Not only was it stimulating to see the participation of students in the scientific discussions but it was also fantastic to see our invited speakers joining our social events, for example, the gala dinner and the Barcelona city tour. At these events these renowned researchers were willing to interact with the students and give advice both on science and professional careers, providing a forum to unwind and network.

IONS BCN ’19 extended over four amazing days resulting in unforgettable memories. It was a great experience for us, the IONS organising team, and we express our deep thank you to ICFO and everyone who made it happen.

“IONS BCN ’19 has been a very refreshing event. I could present my work with ease, in front of people who are just like me. That was the best part of the conference, of course other than the social events! The punchline is that I got to make some wonderful new friends. Wonderfully organized. Thank you ICFO and OSA.” – Surya Abhishek Singaraju, PhD student at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

“We are very happy to have The Optical Society’s IONS conference hosted back at ICFO. This program provided nearly 100 student attendees from around the globe with the ability to share their research, build cross-collaboration relationships, and hone professional and technical skills needed to enhance their careers. The student organizers at ICFO have done a fantastic job shaping a program that cultivates the next generation of scientists!” – Terence Rooney, Manager of Students and Early Career Professionals, The Optical Society.

“Having been a PhD student for two years, it’s easy to lose track of the broader photonics community. IONS was the perfect remedy – with diverse and high quality talks, food and sunshine, the atmosphere was ripe for open sharing of ideas and experimental techniques that transcend the different laboratories.”  – Jayadev Vijayan, PhD student at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Munich.

“IONS BCN ’19 was the unique opportunity to try your talk and connect with amazing people all around the world, both students and professors. I would love to go once more and the biggest thanks to the organisers.” – Kristýna Holanová, PhD student at the Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague.