News From Student Sections

ICFO- OSA Student Chapter Welcomes Prof. Eric van Stryland

ICFO-OSA SC was excited to host Dr. Stryland, former president of OSA, and current director of CREOL (Center for Research and Education in Optics & Lasers, University of Central Florida).

The participants enjoyed the coffee session and took a chance to fire their questions at Prof. van Stryland.

Here you can take a peek of the conversation we had:

Student: What would be the fields in optics that hold much promise in the near future?

Dr. Eric van Stryland: Biophotonics, because - for instance in the United States - health is a big concern among people as the society has a growing older population. Other fields, such as silicon and fiber lasers are likely going to grow much bigger too.

Student: What does company look at, apart from specialty, in hiring students?

Dr. Eric van Stryland: Apart from the scientific knowledge, communication skills are the key. In my group, every week, students present their work in group meeting. This is to develop presentation skills of the students, as well. Also, writing skills to write research proposal, funding applications, and papers. Establishing a network of people you know through conferences or meetings is important.

To show our appreciation for the time and opportunity to have an informal conversation, we presented Dr. Stryland a pictorial book of Barcelona, which he appreciated very much.