EPS Young Minds Berlin section – Activities 2017
Career event “Start-Ups: An alternative Career Path in Photonics”
On October 18th 2017, the Berlin Optik Student Chapter and our industry partner, OpTecBB, hosted a career event on Entrepreneurship in Photonics. This event was part of Photonic Days Berlin Brandenburg, and an effort to promote Photonics towards the general public. Our speakers were experienced entrepreneurs who have founded their own Photonics start-ups, and they shared their experience on the challenges and rewards of this career path. Additionally, we received advice related to start-ups, such as legal advice regarding IP and funding opportunities at HU Berlin. There was plenty of time for questions, and we enjoyed the discussions and ideas that developed.
Career Event “Working in Photonics in Berlin”:
This year, we hosted our second career event with focus on Optics and Photonics, which allows students and representatives from industry, research institutes and universities to engage with each other. Students were presented with different options for career paths in Optics, while companies and institutes networked with recent and future graduates in the field of Physics for recruitment purposes.
Professors and Students Mixer Dinner:
In an effort to bring professors and students closer together and facilitate the flow of information in our group, the Berlin Optik Student Chapter hosted a mixer dinner at a nearby Korean Restaurant at the end of the last semester. The event was attended by 19 people in total, of which 5 were professors. Our group is very international, with members coming from countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, US and more. This event was a great opportunity to bring everyone together in a relaxed environment to talk about their experience with Optics and their future aspirations.
Recruitment/Social Event at Rooftop Garden:
As part of our Recruitment effort this year, we hosted various social events. Our meeting at a beautiful Rooftop Garden during the summer in Berlin served that purpose well, and some of our new members had the opportunity to meet each other for the first time and network.
Laser Tag Event:
The Laser Tag event was a celebration for our group reaching the recruitment goals we set for ourselves this year. We played in mixed groups, and the teamwork increased the bonding experience shared by our members.
End of Semester Cook Together Session:
This was our first Cook Together Session in the Student Chapter. Each of us had a task for preparing a pasta meal for the whole group, planned as a celebration for the hard work done in the past semester.
Grill Evening Event:
The Student Chapter supported a grill evening with the Experimental Optics groups from the Humboldt University, and students from our international course “Master in Optical Sciences”. The master students had the possibility to get in touch with the PhD students, post-docs and professors in a relaxed atmosphere. In this evening the Student Chapter increased awareness of the Chapter among the students and researchers in Optics -related fields and met potential new Student Chapter members.
Outreach Activities:
The Berlin Optik Student Chapter is preparing our “International Children Outreach Program”, which aims to teach Optics and Photonics to children from different nationalities recently relocated to Berlin. We are in the preparation stage, in which we prepare the materials and practice the experiments we will bring to young students. In the next months we will complete the program by visiting schools and inviting students to our campus. Our Chapter has also participated in the annual “Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften” in Berlin (transl.: Long Night of Science), where members gave several presentations to the general public. Presentations about “Quantum Jumps and Quantum Jazz” were held for visitors to the Institute. Experiments for children were demonstrated, such as transmitting sound across the room by using a laser. Children and parents were able to manipulate various optical elements to see the effects of attenuation and modulation of the light beam. Part of the materials used in this event was obtained through SPIE’s Optics Kit.
Planned Future Activities:
Our main ongoing activity is the Outreach Project, which will continue over the next months. For the next year, we plan to host the “Working in Photonics in Berlin” and the “Start-Ups: An alternative Career Path in Photonics” career events again. A few social/recruitment events will also take place, according to the funding available.
