Engraved on a glass wall at Optica headquarters are our four core values: Innovation, Integrity, Inclusivity and Impact.
This month, I want to focus on inclusivity, although I note that these values are deeply intertwined—after all, innovation and discovery are better fostered in a diverse, inclusive and global scientific community.
Let me highlight two of the many ways in which Optica is advancing inclusivity.
First, global inclusivity. Today, close to 60% of our members are based outside the United States, and our international reach continues to increase. To help support our international members, a little more than 5% of Optica’s staff are now located in Europe, working to strengthen connections in that part of the world and beyond. Our community is interconnected in multiple beneficial ways, and Optica is committed to developing and implementing the best approaches to foster global inclusivity.
Second, inclusivity across career stages. Optica has done an amazing job of fostering this second dimension of inclusivity—across different levels of seniority—and ensuring that we are engaging with students and early-career professionals. It is inspiring to see that Optica has over 400 student chapters all around the world.
I have personally participated in several of the programs that support our student and early-career professionals, including teaching three times in the Siegman International School on Lasers, twice at the Career Accelerator and most recently at the Level Up Leadership program. At each event, I found the attendees enthusiastic and grateful for the experience. Optica also has a mentorship program and a host of online opportunities for strengthening our younger members’ professional skills—you can find more details at optica.org. I only wish there had been such programs when I was a student.
What I did have as a student was access to Optica conferences, where I did feel included. I attended the very first CLEO conference in 1981, and, at the third conference, I met the person who hired me (2009 Optica President Tom Baer) at the job I still hold! I haven’t missed a CLEO conference since then. In fact, the meeting is a capsule of my career as I went from being a student, to early-career speaker, to giving back by serving on the program committee and eventually becoming conference chair. This year, I have the privilege of speaking at the special symposium on Laser Modelocking: Early History, Present, and Future. I look forward to meeting those of you who are attending the conference this year, which starts on 4 May and is being held in Long Beach, CA, USA.
My talk will be a historical perspective on picosecond and femtosecond lasers that came out of the commercial laser industry. In keeping with that theme, this month’s issue features an article by optics and photonics author and historian, Jeff Hecht, on early, federally funded laser projects. Also, in celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, we present an article on squeezed light and its potential applications in quantum sensing, communications and beyond by freelance science writer Edwin Cartlidge.
In closing, I want to encourage you to continue practicing inclusivity in your personal and professional lives. People do their best work when they feel welcomed and valued. Let’s continue to foster a community that reflects the best of Optica’s values.
—Jim Kafka,
Optica President