Photonics During Coronavirus · of Lasers & Electro-Optics (CLEO), was offered 100% virtual. CLEO was an extremely well attended event from the num - ber of registrants, reaching

June 2020Vol. 34, No. 3www.PhotonicsSociety.org

Photonics During Coronavirus

Also Inside:• Newly Elected Member of Board of Governors• Chapter Best Practices

http://www.PhotonicsSociety.org

June 2020 Volume 34, Number 3

COLUMNS

Editor’s Column . . . . . . . . . . 2 President’s Column . . . . . . . . . . . 3

FEATURE

Research Highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 – Photonics During Coronavirus

June 2020 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 1

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Industry Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10• Life at a Photonics Startup: Lessons Learned

Get to Know Your IEEE Photonics Society Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Photonics Worldwide—This is My Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18• Statement from the IEEE Photonics Society Leadership

Against Hatred & Discrimination• IEEE Provides Free Access to COVID-19: Relevant Research Articles and

Standards in IEEE Xplore® Digital Library• #SEETHELIGHT Campaign Launched for International Day of Light • IRSC LASER-TEC Center Develops Photonics Education Kits to Support Remote

Learning for Students Nationwide

Careers and Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23• IEEE Photonics Society—Call For Nominations• Royal Irish Academy Inducts IEEE Photonics Society Fellow,

Professor Nabeel Agha Riza• Call for Nominations: IEEE Technical Field Awards and Eric Herz Staff Award

Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25• IEEE Photonics ‘Change Champion’ Speaker Series

& ‘Pride in Photonics’ Initiative • Women in Photonics Member of the Month• Luxathon 2.0: Optimizing Resources for Illumination Technology• Chapter Best Practices from the IEEE Photonics Boston Chapter • Young Professional Member of the Month

Conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33• CLEO 2020: An All-Virtual Conference Experience• BIGSS 2020

Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36• JSTQE CFP: Advanced Photonic Modulation• JSTQE CFP: Biophotonics• JSTQE CFP: Nanobiophotonics• JSTQE CFP: Semiconductor Lasers• PTL: IEEE Photonics Conference 2020• JOCN: Machine Learning Applied to QoT Estimation in Optical Networks

2 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER June 2020

PresidentCarmen MenoniColorado State University USAPhone: 970-491-8659/555 Email: [email protected]

Past PresidentChennupati JagadishAustralian National UniversityCanberra, AustraliaPh: +61-2-61250363Email: ChennupatiJagadish@anu .edu.au

Secretary-TreasurerDan M. MaromThe Hebrew University of JerusalemSchool of EngineeringEdmund Safra CampusJerusalem, Israel 91904Tel: + 972 2 658 4851Email: [email protected]

Board of GovernorsN. Fontaine A. PeacockM. Hutchinson S. RalphA. Kasukawa M. SanderM. Mashanovitch S. SavoryN. Nishiyama M. SuzukiL. Oxenlowe J. Yao

Vice PresidentsConferences—Perry ShumFinance & Admin—Xiuling LiMembership & RegionalActivities—Fatima Garcia-GunningPublications—Aaron HawkinsTechnical Affairs—Lesile Ann Rusch

Newsletter StaffEditor-in-ChiefNicolas Fontaine Nokia Bell Laboratories791 Holmdel Rd, Holmdel, NJ 07733732-888-7262Email: [email protected]

Associate Editor of AustraliaJoel CarpenterThe University of Queensland AustraliaBrisbane St Lucia, QLD 4072Email: [email protected]

Associate Editor of Central, Latin and South AmericanJuan A. Hernandez CorderoInstitute of Materials ResearchDepartment of Rheology and Mechanics of Materials

National Autonomous University of MexicoCircuito Exterior s / n, Ciudad Universitaria,AP 70-360; Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, MexicoEmail: [email protected]

Associate Editor of Asia & PacificNicholas H. L. WongGLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd.60 Woodlands Industrial Park D Street 2Singapore 738406Email: [email protected]

Associate Editor of Northern EuropeMartin LaverySchool of EngineeringRankine BuildingUniversity of GlasgowOakfield AvenueG12 [email protected]

Associate Editor of Southern EuropeIvana GasullaITEAM Research InstituteUniversitat Politècnica de ValènciaCamino de Vera, 46022 ValenciaSpainEmail: [email protected]

Student EditorNaznin AkterINSYST Integrated Nanosystems Research LaboratoryElectrical and Computer Engineering, EC-3975Florida International University10555 W Flagler Street. Miami, FL 33174Email: [email protected]

Student EditorSenta L. JantzenOptoelectronics Research CentreUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonSO17 1BJ, UKEmail: [email protected]

Staff Editor Lisa Sandt IEEE Photonics Society 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854 Tel: 1 732 465 6662 Fax: 1 732 981 1138 Email: [email protected]

IEEE Photonics Society

IEEE prohibits discrimination, harassment, andbullying. For more information, visit http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/whatis/policies/p9-26.html.

IEEE Photonics Society News (USPS 014-023) is published bimonthly by the Photonics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., Corporate Office: 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10017-2394. Printed in the USA. One dollar per member per year is included in the Society fee for each member of the Photonics Society. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Photonics Society Newsletter, IEEE, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

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Editor’s ColumnNICOLAS FONTAINE

Who could imagine the drastic changes to our social and working lives during the coronavirus pandemic and I hope everyone is staying safe and doing well. It is almost unbelievable that this is the 2nd newslet-ter during the coronavirus pandemic. I’m only about 25% productive at home, however, this means I get to spend the remaining 75% of this time with my family! Hopefully, the worst is behind us and life will get back to an improved normal!

The scientific community has been adapting relative-ly quickly to physical isolation. The CLEO conference was held entirely online, and had great attendance from around the world. Attendees are still able to watch the talks today! I hope this trend of recording the talks and making them easily accessible after the conference can continue for all future conferences. In this newsletter, there is an article about the Change Champion speaker se-ries held during CLEO and the international day of light.

For the research highlight, “Photonics During Coro-navirus” we asked many researchers to share how they still are conducting research without access to a labora-tory. Some people simply brought their work computers to their homes, others brought some basic equipment home, others built lasers at home and set up optical tables with bicycle tires, and one recent graduate started their new job without even going to the office! The creativity in some of the home lab experiments is impressive.

We have two columns run by our student editors, Naznin Akter and Senta Jantzen. Naznin Akter inter-viewed one of our new Board of Governors, Michelle Sander, from Boston University. The entire Boston chapter is extremely active and productive. Senta Jant-zen’s Photonics Worldwide column highlights three students in their labs in Mexico, Norway, and Switzer-land. If you are a student and want to get involved, please reach out to me!

The industry engagement column by Daniel Renner discusses the unique challenges facing photonics start-ups. This article describes how finances work at a compa-ny through balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements. It is geared towards someone like me who spends all their time in the lab and does not know how companies make money!

My tenure as Photonics Society newsletter editor is ending at the end of this year! My main goals are to get more people involved in contributing content. There-fore, I encourage you to reach out to me if you would like to become involved with the newsletter. Students, young professionals, and experienced members can in-quire about submitting an article!

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President’s ColumnCARMEN S. MENONI

It all seems unreal at the moment, when most of us have tran-sitioned from a working environment, in which we daily inter-acted with our colleagues, our students, and collaborators in the work place, to a ‘virtual environment’ where the interac-tions are through a screen. Nevertheless, technology is playing an outstanding role in helping us connect. We are fortunate that much of our efforts can continue from a safe environment.

Since early March, the IEEE Photonics Society has had to overcome enormous hurdles to continue supporting the profes-sional development of its members. Of all of the Society’s prod-ucts, conferences are the most affected. Within a week or so in early March, the Optical Fiber Communications Conference (OFC) successfully transitioned from an in-person event to a hy-brid event, where over 80% of the presenters were off-site. We are extremely thankful to The Optical Society who managed the platform to efficiently accommodate the virtual experience. Last month one of our largest sponsored conferences, the Conference of Lasers & Electro-Optics (CLEO), was offered 100% virtual.

CLEO was an extremely well attended event from the num-ber of registrants, reaching almost 20,000 registrants from 75 countries. There is a great highlight article, with further infor-mation, on the conference’s statistics and success in the Confer-ence Section of this Newsletter. Most talks were pre-recorded, so participants could access on-demand scientific content re-gardless of their geographical location. However, for speakers who had to be present to answer questions after their talks, the time differences made it more challenging. The virtual venue, although not perfect, helped us continue offering the oppor-tunity to authors to publish and to participants to learn of the most recent, exciting advances in Photonics.

Based on safety considerations, we have made the decision to offer most IEEE Photonics Society conferences virtual. Our first virtual experience will be IEEE Summer Topicals (SUM)

in July, 2020, with the topics: Coherent Optics for Short Reach Network; Signal Reconstruction Using Photonics (SR); Sili-con Integrated Mid-Infrared Photonics (SIMP); Space Division Multiplexing (SDM); and Structure Light Interaction with Matter and the Environment (SL). The IEEE Photonics Confer-ence (IPC), the Society’s annual meeting of its members, will be virtual as well, welcoming work from the Optical Interconnects and Group IV Photonics Conferences postponed this year.

Both virtual conferences, SUM and IPC, are being devised to better reach our members and scientific peers globally and pro-vide collaboration during these isolating times. The IEEE Meet-ings, Conferences, and Events (MCE) group, who has extensive experience in conference organization and has sourced/tested the virtual platform ON24, will support us on these efforts.

In terms of coordination, the organization of a virtual confer-ence is very demanding and very costly. To put it in perspective, it is necessary to create a web space equivalent to a convention hall, with multiple parallel sessions offered. All pre-recorded talks need to be received in advance, checked and curated for length/validity, and archived in respective session folders for de-livery during their scheduled time and for later viewing.

Like our partners in the community, it is difficult to develop a universal business model for a virtual conference, or hybrid conference, if there are still travel restrictions in 2021. We are engineers, and are trained to come up with creative solutions, thus this new reality in conferences presents an opportunity to innovate the timely and efficient delivery of technical informa-tion and dissemination. I have no doubt, however, that when we are all allowed to travel our community will flock to confer-ences, as there is no comparison to the in-person experience.

In parallel, the community celebrated the 60th anniversary of the invention of the laser with a special workshop at CLEO, orga-nized by a team, led by Past-Past President, Kent Choquette, and

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During these difficult times, we hope everyone is safe, can re-main productive and even while physically separated, can re-main close scientifically and socially. Four months have gone by since a cluster of cases of pneumonia, eventually identified as a novel coronavirus, were first reported. Since then, most countries around the globe have adopted various containment measures, including the suspension of non-essential activities. Most people have changed or at least adapted some things in our daily life in order to face the challenges imposed by these unusual conditions. While some schools and universities have mostly managed to sustain their academic duties through re-mote connections with the students, research activities have faced some additional challenges to keep things going. How-ever, as long as we remain healthy, there are plenty of things to do when working from home; aside from work-related tasks such as increasing our programming and writing duties, some of us may get the chance to diversify the equipment within the working area (e.g., including a piano for additional inspira-tion). For some of us, it may even provide some extra chores at home, and perhaps more importantly, extended time with our nuclear family. This Research Highlight is assembled by researchers from different countries sharing their experience at working from home during the pandemic.

Nokia Bell Labs in Crawford Hill New JerseyContributors: Vivian Chen, Nicolas Fontaine, Mikael Mazur

Hi! I’m Nicolas Fontaine from Nokia Bell Labs in New Jersey! Working from home has proved challenging! We have a two year old and my wife is teaching her university classes remotely. That means, I’m mostly watching the baby during the day time so she can teach her classes and then in the evenings when I am exhausted, I have some time to work! Luckily, I always have so much work to do that it does not matter if I am stuck or home. Rather than working on experiments in the lab, I am complet-ing programming/simulation tasks at home. We are very fortu-nate that both our jobs still allow us to be productive at home.

Below is my work area. I took my workstation from my of-fice and put it next to my piano. I love to play piano, especially jazz music. As you can see, it is taken over by toys.

Working from home—Mikael MazurJoining a new group, starting new projects and settling down in a new environment inherently takes time. However, it is followed by this great deal of excitement, eager to learn new things and gaining experience. In my case, I started my new position in January, just enough to enjoy about 2 months of my new workplace before the “shelter in place”-order forced everyone to start working from home.

The 15m2 room I’m renting here is located very close to the office, so never reflected over what I need to “work from home” before. However, as I’ve been realizing over and over again, although the room is good, it’s not an optical lab nor a good office. The closest thing to an optical table, match-ing roughly in size, is my bed. It is not a great substitute. Still it’s being used frequently as a lab-bench for evaluating microcontrollers and probing electronics, as my small desk is occupied by my laptop and extra screen. Height is decent, if one sits on the floor. Despite this, I end up spending most of my time programming. Find it to be the most suitable task to do from home. For those of you who are not yet into lab au-tomation, now is probably a very good time to write the basic framework (checkout https://python4photonics.gitlab.io/ and https://www.pythonforthelab.com/ ).

Highly recommend Microsoft Code remote plugin to quickly transform a laptop into something way more powerful by coding remotely on a lab server. It also enables basic device

Photonics During Coronavirus

Research Highlight

Nicolas’s 2 year old, Ari, hogging his work zone! Vivian Chen from Nokia Labs in her home laboratory.

https://python4photonics.gitlab.io/

https://www.pythonforthelab.com/


testing without actually being there. Doing small-scale experi-ments remotely works better than expected, but somehow re-lies on having it setup (and tested) before.

Looking back at my time as a PhD student in Sweden, I remember that the aspect of being allowed to work from anywhere, at any time, was something that my friends al-ways mentioned as something very special with the aca-demic environment. Although I’m very grateful with the freedom I enjoyed as a PhD student, I think everyone knows that most tasks relating to experimental work are best com-pleted in the lab and these activities will be severely limited given the current situation. On the up side, I’m impressed about how well remote participation in conferences work and I clearly think that this, especially for part of the au-dience who cannot travel, is the future! Finally, the most striking change to me is the lack of spontaneous interaction with colleagues, in the lab and in the hallway, something I believe is essential to drive and continue to develop a re-search environment.

Optical Systems Lab at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)

The NetherlandsContributors: Chigo Okonkwo, Sjoerd van der Heide, John van

WeerdenburgAs many universities around the world are also experienc-ing, in the Netherlands, Eindhoven University of Technol-ogy (TU/e) shut down all on-site activity to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. It has also been encouraging to see the world working from home and depending on the optical network infrastructure being developed by our global optical community.

Prior to the imminent shutdown, members of the High Capacity Optical Research Laboratory managed to transfer portable equipment (mainly workstations and large moni-tors) from the lab to set up home offices to keep some of our research going. Most of our work at present has shifted to re-analysing measurements already captured and improving our

Python laboratory code-base. Luckily, we got a second oppor-tunity to gather resources from the lab. This time, we went in to move some compact equipment for “in-home” labora-tories. This allows us to continue developing these portable measurement stations.

An optical vector network analyzer (OVNA) setup was taken and set up in the home of John van Weerdenburg, currently a post-doc researcher at the high capacity optical transmission lab. This has enabled him to continue develop-ing the instrument.

Within the home of PhD student, Sjoerd van der Heide, a bicycle tire is used to provide sufficient vibration dampening for a make-shift optical table to build up a digital hologra-phy setup. This setup has been designed in collaboration with Nokia Bell Labs, U.S.A, to be portable, so the continual de-velopment of the required digital domain processing with this setup will be very useful over the expected duration of the Corona crisis.

Finally, leading the activities within the High-capacity optical transmission laboratory has led to a home “nerve cen-tre” for Chigo Okonkwo to coordinate many PhD research activities, masters projects as well as teaching. Chigo’s in-home connectivity has been slightly hampered productivity, so he has started deploying an in-home optical network as a fun way to improve connectivity between his home office and router.

The portable OVNA rack contains a fast swept laser, the balanced photodetectors and trays with the interferometric setup required for the device/fibre analysis. A control PC is also inserted.

Digital holography setup including free-space optics, com-pact low-linewidth laser and a near-infrared camera with a fast frame-rate


Gabriella BoscoPolitecnico di Torino, Italy

I have been working from home for almost two months, since my university in Italy decided to stop all on-site activities in early March due to the Covid-19 outbreak. It was quite dif-ficult at the beginning, since all my family was at home, too, and we had to learn how to organize our time and space effi-ciently. Our house is quite large, but it is not often easy to find a quiet place to work, with my son and daughter calling me an infinite number of times per day for issues with their school homework and on-line lessons. Not to mention my cat Tom lying down on my laptop while I’m working and stepping in front of the webcam during important conference calls...

Nevertheless, I am managing to do almost the same activi-ties I used to do in my office at university. Each week, I record two to three hours of lectures, which my students at Politec-nico di Torino watch off-line. This works much better for me than having live on-line lessons, as many of my colleagues do, since I live in the countryside and the internet connection is not so good (no optical fiber here!). However, I must admit I am getting quite tired of talking to a computer screen for more than one hour in a row without any feedback. I really miss the interactions with the students!

My activity as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Light-wave Technology is also proceeding quite smoothly, since most of the related tasks can be efficiently performed remote-ly by all the involved people (including the Editorial Board members and the IEEE staff, who are doing an outstanding job despite all the difficulties). The number of submissions are actually quite high at the moment, even higher than in the months preceding the lock-down. I guess this is because many people have a lot of time to write papers, now that most of the photonic labs are closed. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the Associate Editor meeting that was scheduled at the OFC conference in March due to low attendance. Even-tually, we replaced it by an on-line meeting, organized in three sessions at different time slots to give everyone in the world the opportunity to attend. Virtual meetings have for sure many limitations with respect to in-person meetings but one positive side effect of this was that we have been able to score a record attendance, with almost all the Editorial Board members dialing in.

After all, I have realized that working from home has both negative and positive aspects. It is more difficult for me to focus on the work and I waste a lot of time in other activities dur-ing the usual office hours, often ending up working during the evenings and weekends. On the bright side, I am saving a lot of commuting time (three hours per day) and I have the opportu-nity of spending much more time than usual with my family!

Natalia CanasestradaTyndall National Institute and University College Cork, Ireland

I was doing experiments in the lab until March 13th when the lockdown started here in Ireland. I had a lot of data from my ex-periments that needed to be processed and analyzed. My next steps included doing a final big experiment before starting to write my thesis. However, COVID-19 changed my plans: Tyndall National Institute and University College Cork sent non-essential workers and students home until further notice. My supervisor Dr. Fatima Gunning and I discussed alternatives to do the remaining tasks. She has been very understanding and supportive. I am lucky to have plenty of work that I can do at home: organize results, ana-lyze data, write papers and start writing my thesis. I also have remote access to my computer at work, which has the software and hardware to do the simulations necessary to complete my PhD work. Tyndall National Institute and University College Cork have taken good measures to make sure PhD students have ev-erything necessary to continue our work from home, especially for those like me in the final year. I have all the tools and support I need to complete my work, write and defend my thesis.

Working from home has been a bit challenging: it is hard to keep the same level of productivity I had when I was work-ing in the lab or from my desk at Tyndall. Moreover, I am trying to be informed while finding a balance to avoid being overwhelmed, but it is hard to know how much reading is enough. On the other hand, not everything has been negative: I have been working on my resilience, meditating, and practic-ing mindfulness to cope with the stress from the situation. I also made bread for the first time and found time in my daily routine for drawing and coloring, a hobby I did not practice in a long time. And I have been in contact more frequently with my parents and sisters that live in Colombia: this situation has brought us closer, even though we had to abandon the idea to meet this summer in Ireland.


Juan Hernández-CorderoMaterials Research Institute, UNAM, México

My laboratory is located on the main campus of the National Autonomous University of México (UNAM) in Mexico City. Together with my students, we have been working on de-veloping optical fiber sensors and photonic devices, mostly intended for biomedical applications. Our devices are based on standard optical fibers post-processed to realize different shapes and geometries. These typically allocate different poly-mer composites hosting nanomaterials such as gold nanopar-ticles, rare-earth composites and carbon-based nanostructures, all of them allowing for different functionalities for sensing and/or for localized heat generation through photo-thermal effects. A couple of examples include fiber optic temperature sensors using fluorescent polymer composites, and optical fi-ber micro-heaters based on carbon nanotubes for hyperthermia applications. Their fabrication is not possible outside a labora-tory environment, so the quarantine has paused all our efforts for the time being.

As in other laboratories throughout the world, we are focus-ing on activities that are helping us to maintain a working rou-tine: most of my students were missing very few experimental data to conclude their theses; they are now concentrating on their writing, which is always somewhat of a challenge. They have left everything ready in the lab to get things going as soon as we can go back and wrap up the experimental work. I have also teaching duties; together with my colleague Amado Velázquez-Benítez (ICAT-UNAM), we are co-teaching a course on optical waveguides and photonic devices. The quarantine has led us to adapt the course material for on-line teaching platforms. This has allowed us to include new material, from videos to research articles, providing a more interactive expe-rience for both, the students and the instructors, during our bi-weekly virtual meetings.

Amado Velázquez-BenítezApplied Sciences and Technology Institute, UNAM, México

Our current research is focused on the fabrication of novel opti-cal fiber and integrated photonic devices; thus, lab facilities are essential for our work. We are exploring new techniques and fabrication methods for such devices but the processing and ma-nipulation at the micron-scale outside of the lab is impossible. One of the main undergoing projects is the construction of a home-made direct laser writing lithography system, relying on programming and assembling smart, high-precision positioning systems. During these difficult days of the pandemic, program-ming is a perfect task to be done at home. Hence, I took with me a couple of “toys” and set up a small section of my lab at home.

We are working on the control and automation of the critical positioning components of the lithography system. All the pro-gramming is based on Python and for the positioning system, we are making different adaptations to obtain an improved 3-D dis-placement of the processing material. The positioning elements are synchronized with multiple components to create an adap-tive writing laser system. These include several optomechanical modules used to obtain a reconfigurable laser spot size, dynamic polarization control (using a rotation stage) and spatial filtering through a pinhole and a slit. This is also set together with an autofocus control. All these capabilities have required upgrad-ing a preliminary version of our system from stepper motors to brushless DC linear servo motors. Additionally, sensors detect-ing optical power and imaging are used for complementing the positioning system. Several small platforms such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino are used to acquire data and for automation of small tasks. With these, the fabrication capabilities will be greatly im-proved as a modular and versatile system will allow for the design and fabrication of topological photonic devices.


Ivana GasullaUniversitat Politècnica de València, Spain

First of all, I hope you and your family are well in these hard times. Although the scenario can be quite different among countries, I think we all share somehow the same feelings and emotions, the same fears and uncertainties. That is why right now it is more important than ever to keep the sense of belong-ing to something bigger and grow as a community. And, yes, in Photonics too.

In my particular case, with the Photonics Research Labs at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) locked down, we have refocused our efforts into theoretical design work as well as writing papers and project reports. And online meet-ings, of course, hundreds of online meetings, online courses and webinars. If you feel a little bit overwhelmed by such an amount of online resources out there, you are not alone. I am too. That is why I am more convinced than ever that we need to recover our ability to focus (by the way, I recommend the book “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport) and direct our efforts to what really matters. At the end of the day, I like to see this “parenthesis” in which we live as an opportunity to rethink our goals and reformulate our path, professionally and personally.

This parenthesis will come to an end. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy.

Maks, Heide and Bruno on Behalf of Few-Cycle

Ultrafast laser science during lock-down? More than ever!Here is a short description how our young femtosecond laser company, few-cycle Inc., tries to navigate through these uncer-tain times by finding different solutions.

The lock-down in Quebec, Canada overwhelmed us on March 12 starting with school and University closures. Mon-day the 16th, we were hit by the surprise to handle the im-port and final shipping step for our expected 800fs Yb laser (AMPHOS, total shipment 580kg) ourselves. Our normal R&D and production facility is embedded inside the university whose parcel reception was closed and the storage at the carrier was charged per calendar day. We also concluded that universi-ties are unlikely to reopen soon.

So, what to do? Where to go? Based on which time frame? For how long would we need to cease operation?

Fortunately, there was remote Chalet available as well as enough ideas and enthusiasm to realize an alternative laser lab, hunting for carrier envelope phase (CEP) stable femtosecond laser pulses—in the Canadian wilderness.

What is it like to start a new job during COVID-19?

Dr Niamh Kavanagh, Consultant Scientist, Cork, IrelandI feel very fortunate to have received and accepted a job offer just before COVID-19 began to shut down society as we know it. Starting a new job from home, during a global pandemic, has had its ups and downs.

First of all, there was no need to figure out a new commute! I did not need to learn the layout of a new building, find meeting rooms, or ask anyone where the bathroom is. I have been able to create my own work environment, where I can set up my workspace as I please, wear whatever I feel like and determine my own hours. At lunch, there is no need to work out the good and bad of a new canteen menu—I can make what I want for lunch while catching a show on Netflix, reading a book or, more likely, scrolling through Twitter. All in all, with starting a new


job from home and no new surroundings to adjust to, I have found it easier to establish a routine, incorporate more things I enjoy into my day and find a way of working that works for me.

However, there are some challenges with starting a new job remotely. It can be hard to get to know new co-workers and it can be difficult to make meaningful connections with new people virtually. There are no after-work activities with

colleagues or spontaneous get-togethers. There is no bumping into co-workers by chance in the elevator or striking up con-versation with someone who gets tea at the same time as you. Instead, most virtual meetings are planned and have a purpose. Also, it can be difficult to get a feel for the organisational cul-ture of a new workplace, especially during a time when the way people work is in flux. Most companies are not set up to have such a large portion of their employees working remotely and procedures, which may have once been seamless, are now put under strain.

At the start of a new job, everyone wants to prove them-selves and it can be easy to slip into a pattern of working lon-ger hours. Currently, in Ireland (unless you are an essential worker), the government guidelines are to stay at home at all times, except for grocery shopping, medical appointments, caring duties, or brief individual exercise within 2km of your home. When your home becomes your workplace and you are encouraged to stay there (as much as possible), the work-home separation can quickly become blurred. Also, in such an un-precedented time, it can be difficult to know what expectations you need to meet, especially when getting your bearings in a new role. I think it is important to be open and proactive about communication, while also being conscious of the demand on people’s limited time and energy.

The biggest challenge that we are all facing at the mo-ment is going about our daily lives as best we can while try-ing to stay safe, healthy and sane during a global pandemic. Personally, I am worried about the health of my loved ones, I don’t know when I will be able to see my family again and, prior to the pandemic, I was in the process of moving coun-try - but now I don’t know when that can happen. There is so much uncertainty about what the future will hold. For now, I am doing my best to stay focused on what I can control—my performance in this new job, my wellbeing and, of course, washing my hands!


In the day-to-day operation of a photonics startup, or any other business for that matter, financial statements are a fundamental tool to understand the health of the company. Engineers do not generally get formal training on this topic and must learn how to read and interpret financial statements on the go. The intent of this two-part article is to help engineers that have become budding businesspeople in this learning process.

There are three main financial statements:• Balance Sheet• Income Statement• Cash Flow Statement

Balance Sheets show what a company owns and what it owes at a fixed point in time.

Income Statements show how much money a company made and spent over a period of time.

Cash Flow Statements show the exchange of money between a company and the outside world, also over a period of time.

This is an important first distinction to keep in mind. Bal-ance Sheets are a snapshot of the company value at an instant in time. Income Statements and Cash Flow Statements cover financial transactions over a period of time.

This is the second part of an article covering the topic of Fi-nancial Statements which will discuss Income Statements and Cash Flow Statements in detail. Balance Sheets were discussed in the first part of this series, published in the April 2020 is-sue of the IEEE Photonics Society Newsletter (Vol. 34, No.2; pages 11–14). I suggest that you read the previous part first, if you haven’t already done so, before continuing with this sec-ond part.

The IEEE Photonics Society Newsletter is published in print and also online, here: https://www.photonicssociety.org/images/files/publications/Newsletter/Photonics_Apr2020_Web.pdf

We explained the structure of Balance Sheets and how to read them in the previous article by following the story of Nortel Networks from 1997 to 2001 as an example. Nortel Networks Corporation was one of the dominant suppliers of telecommunications equipment in the 20th century with worldwide presence. In the year 2000, as a major participant in the “telecom bubble” burst, Nortel self-destructed, with tens of thousands of people losing their jobs and investors losing billions of dollars. We will use the Nortel story in this article as well, to learn about Income Statements and Cash Flow State-ments. You will find a detailed account of what happened to Nortel during the “telecom bubble” in the previous part pub-lished in April 2020.

Income StatementsLet us have a close look at the Nortel Income Statements over those crucial years, from 1997 to 2001. The table below shows data for the five Income Statements corresponding to that pe-riod. Each Income Statement shows how much money the com-pany made and spent from January 1st through December 31st of the corresponding year. Typically, when you look at an Income Statement it will only show one year, the year being discussed, and the previous year for comparison purposes. The informa-tion shown in the tables comes from Nortel Networks Annual Reports [1–3]. An Income Statement can also be referred to as Profit and Loss (P&L) Statement, Revenue Statement, Earnings Statement, Statement of Financial Performance or Statement of Operations. Different names for the same document!

At the top of the Income Statement is the total amount of money brought in from sales of products or services during the period in question. This top line is often referred to as Revenue or Sales.

The next line after Revenue shows the direct cost of gener-ating the items sold, the Cost of Revenue. This number tells you the amount of money that the company spent to produce the goods or services it sold during the period.

The next line subtracts the Cost of Revenue from the Rev-enue to arrive to a subtotal called Gross Profit. It is considered “gross” because there are certain expenses that have not been de-ducted from it yet, such as administration, sales and R&D costs.

The next section deals with operating expenses. These expenses go toward supporting a company’s operations for a given period—for example, salaries of administrative person-nel, costs of researching new products and marketing expenses. Operating expenses are different from “costs of sales” or “costs of revenue”, which were deducted above, because operating expenses cannot be linked directly to the production of the products or services being sold.

Industry Engagement

Life at a Photonics Startup: Lessons LearnedTopic: Financial Statements—The Language of Business—Part 2A regular column by Daniel Renner

Nortel Networks diode laser module.

https://www.photonicssociety


Depreciation or Amortization is also deducted from gross profit. Depreciation takes into account the wear and tear on some assets, such as machinery, tools and furniture, which are used over the long term. Companies spread the cost of these assets over the periods they are used. This process of spreading these costs is called depreciation or amortization. The “charge” for using these assets during the period is a fraction of the original cost of the assets. Intangible assets, such as patents, copyrights and goodwill are also amortized.

There are two more items under Operating Expenses: Stock options and Special Charges. Many companies, particularly high tech start-ups use stock option compensation to incen-tivize employees. Stock options are an expense and they also appear, most commonly, under Operating Expenses. A Special Charge is a large one-time expense that the company does not expect to recur in future years; these are write-offs that are sup-posed to be one time events. They can be restructuring charg-es, discontinued operations charges or goodwill write-offs, for example. When analyzing the Income Statement, the nature of these write-offs needs to be understood as they can signifi-cantly distort company evaluations.

After all operating expenses are deducted from gross profit, you arrive at operating profit before interest and income tax expenses. This is often called “Income from Operations”.

Next, companies must account for income and expenses from interest and other sources. Interest income is the money companies make from keeping their cash in interest-bearing savings accounts, money market funds, and the like. On the other hand, interest expense is the money companies paid in interest for money they borrow. Some income statements show

interest income and interest expense separately. Some income statements combine the two numbers.

There are several other income and expense items that can appear in this section. For example, many companies have in-fluential, but noncontrolling investments in other firms (associ-ated companies). They will account for income from these asso-ciated companies as a proportional share of the earnings in a line called “Equity in net earnings of associated companies” on their Income Statement. Also, if the company sold some businesses during the year, the gain or loss would appear in this section.

The interest and other income and expense are then added or subtracted from the operating profits to arrive at earnings or loss before income tax.

Finally, income tax is deducted and you arrive at the bot-tom line: net profit or net loss. (Net profit is also called net income or net earnings.) This tells you how much the company actually earned or lost during the accounting period. Notice that it is customary in accounting to show negative numbers in parentheses. We can have a Net Profit or (Net Loss).

Most income statements include a calculation of profit or earnings per share (EPS). This calculation tells you how much money shareholders would receive for each share of stock they own if the company distributed all of its net profit for the period.

Comments on the Nortel Income Statements:• Nortel showed a healthy net profit in 1997, which was

quickly turned into a loss in 1998 because of exces-sive spending in hastily acquired companies, part of the “telecom bubble”. Nortel posted a loss for every year from 1998 to 2001.

NORTEL NETWORKS CORPORATIONConsolidated Income Statement

Years Ended December 31st(millions of U.S. dollars, except for share amounts)

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

RevenueCost of Revenue

$15,4499,111

$16,8579,645

$21,28712,063

$30,27517,103

$17,51114,167

Gross Profit 6,338 7,212 9,224 13,172 3,344

Operating ExpensesSelling, general and administrative expenseResearch and development expenseAmortization Stock option compensationSpecial charges

2,7142,147

48—95

2,9834,288

651—

313

3,9793,2441,893

—160

5,6965,4964,813

135271

5,9113,2394,955

10915,781

Income from Operations 1,334 (1,023) (52) (3,239) (26,651)

Interest and Other Income and ExpenseEquity in net earnings of associated companies Other income—netInterest expense Long term debt Other Gain on sale of businesses

14(14)

(131)(38) 102

(64)189

(107)(115) 258

41219

(93)(71) 131

(33)875

(86)(83) 174

(134)(351)

(196)(115) (112)

Earnings (Loss) before income taxes

Income tax provision (benefit)

1,267

438

(862)

420

175

526

(2,392)

1,078

(27,559)

(3,252)

Net Profit (Loss) 829 (1,282) (351) (3,470) (24,307)

Profit (Loss) per common share 1.56 (0.56) (0.13) (1.17) (7.62)


• The loss for 2001, at the time the bubble burst, was an aston-ishing $24.3 billion dollars, mostly driven by special charges that ballooned to $15.8 billion, which corresponded to good-will write-off, the realization that the companies acquired over the previous three years were not worth as much as touted.

• The large Amortization increase in the years 2000 and 2001 was also due to the acquisition of overvalued com-panies. The large increase in Goodwill driven by these acquisitons stepped up Goodwill amortization.

• Revenue grew continuously from 1997 to 2000 but in 2001 it fell to almost half of what it was on the previous year. Nor-tel did not adjust its manufacturing, administrative, sales and R&D expenses fast enough, making the loss for 2001 even worse. Whilst the revenue in 2001 fell to almost half of that in 2000, the cost of revenue only went down by about 17%.

• In 2001, Nortel had a tax benefit, rather than a tax pay-ment, of $3.2B. Otherwise its losses would have been even larger, at $27.6B. The tax benefit originated mainly from the goodwill write-off and R&D credits.

• In 1997, Cost of Revenue was 59% of Revenue; selling, general and administrative was 18% of Revenue; R&D was 14% of Revenue. These are fairly typical percentages of a well run high tech company.

• In contrast, by 2001, Cost of Revenue was 81% of Rev-enue; selling, general and admisnistrative was 34% of rev-enue; R&D was 19% of Revenue. Clearly not a sustainable business situation.

Cash Flow StatementsLast but not least, we will have a close look at the Nortel Cash Flow Statements from 1997 to 2001. The table below shows data for the five Cash Flow Statements corresponding to that period. Each Cash Flow Statement shows the company’s inflows and outflows of cash, from January 1st through December 31st of the corresponding year. Typically, when you look at a Cash Flow Statement it will only show one year, the year being dis-cussed, and the previous year for comparison purposes. This in-formation comes from Nortel Networks Annual Reports [1–3].

Cash Flow Statements are important because a company needs to have enough cash on hand to pay its expenses and

purchase assets, needless to say. While an Income State-ment can tell you whether a company made a profit, a Cash Flow Statement can tell you whether the company generated cash over the period in question. This is an important distinc-tion, you should not confuse profit and cash flow. Just because a business is profitable doesn’t necessarily mean that it has sufficient cash flow to sustain itself. Profit is defined as rev-enue less expenses and it is the subject of the Income State-ment analyis, as we just described. Earning revenue does not always increase cash immediately and incurring an expense does not always decrease cash immediately. Payment terms can delay cash inflow from revenue recognition by a month or two or even more. The same delay exists between recognition of purchases and cash outflow. If the company cannot finance its cash needs through regular business operations, it might need to get a loan. So, as you can see, cash flow is somewhat decoupled from the profit and loss generating events. Cash flow management is key to the survival of the business and the tool to help on this is the Cash Flow Statement.

The bottom of the Cash Flow Statement shows the net in-crease or decrease in cash and cash equivalents for the period. Cash equivalents are any short-term investments that have ma-turity periods of 90 days or less, i.e. investments that readily convert into cash. Generally, Cash Flow Statements are divided into three main parts. Each part reviews the cash flow from one of three types of activities: (1) operating activities; (2) invest-ing activities; and (3) financing activities.

Profit and Cash Flow are not the same—It is important to un-derstand the distinction

NORTEL NETWORKS CORPORATIONConsolidated Cash Flow Statement

Years Ended December 31st (millions of U.S. dollars)

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year $730 $1,371 $2,281 $2,153 $1,644

Cash flows from (used in) operating activities

Net cash from operating activities 800 1,586 1,047 40 425

Cash flow from (used in) investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities (153) (105) (1,394) (921) (1,502)

Cash flows from (used in) financing activities

Net cash from (used in) financing activities (6) (571) 219 372 2,946

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 641 910 (128) (509) 1,869

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year $1,371 $2,281 $2,153 $1,644 $3,513


The first part of a Cash Flow Statement, related to operating activities, analyzes a company’s cash flow from net profits or losses. For most companies, this section of the cash flow statement rec-onciles the net income (as shown on the Income Statement) to the actual cash the company received from or used in its operating activities. To do this, in addition to taking into account the delays to receive cash mentioned earlier, it also adjusts net profit for any non-cash items, such as adding back depreciation expenses.

The second part of a Cash Flow Statement, related to invest-ing activities, shows the cash flow from all investing activities, which generally include purchases or sales of long-term assets, such as property, plant and equipment, as well as investment securities. If a company buys a piece of machinery, the cash flow statement would reflect this activity as a cash outflow from in-vesting activities because it used cash. If the company decided to sell off some investments from an investment portfolio, the proceeds from the sales would show up as a cash inflow from investing activities because it provided cash.

The third part of a cash flow statement shows the cash flow from all financing activities. Typical sources of cash flow include cash raised by selling stocks and bonds or borrowing from banks. Like-wise, paying back a bank loan would show up as a use of cash flow.

Comments on the Nortel Cash Flow Statements• Net cash generated from operating activities fell sharply

in 2000 and 2001, compared to previous years. This is because, as mentioned in the previous part of this article, sales came down, customers took longer to pay or eventu-ally did not pay at all.

• Net cash used in investing activities grew significantly in 1999, 2000 and 2001 compared to previous years. Part of the Nortel buying binge over those years was financed with cash and part was financed by issuing stock.

• Net cash from financing activities was significantly larger in 2001 compared to previous years. Nortel had to raise cash through loans and selling stock. It raised almost $3B in that year, without which Nortel would have almost run out of cash.Financial Statements contain a wealth of information! I

hope that this article has stimulated you to learn more about this topic, which is absolutely necessary to managing a success-ful photonics startup. If you have any questions or comments please contact me at [email protected]

References[1] Nortel Networks; Annual Report 1998.

[2] Nortel Networks; Annual Report 2000; Unleashing the potential of the high-performance Internet.

[3] Nortel Networks; Annual Report 2002

About the ColumnThis is a regular column that explores business aspects of technol-ogy-oriented companies and in particular, the demanding busi-ness aspects of photonics startups. The column touches on topics such as financing, business plan, product development methodol-ogy, program management, hiring and retention, sales methodol-ogy and risk management. That is to say, we include all the pains and successes of living the photonics startup life.

This column is written sometimes by me (Daniel Renner) and sometimes by invited participants, so that we can share multiple points of view coming from the full spectrum of indi-viduals that have something to say on this topic. At the same time, this is a conversation with you, the reader. We welcome questions, other opinions and suggestions for specific topics to be addressed in the future.

The expectation is that this column will turn into a useful source of business-related information for those who intend to start, join, improve the operation, fund, acquire or sell a pho-tonic startup. A fascinating area that I have been one of those lucky to enjoy as a way of living for a long time.

A Bit About MeI (Daniel Renner) grew up in the wil-derness of Chilean Patagonia, which is one of the sources of my quest for adventure and for exploring new ar-eas. In my early twenties I went to the University of Cambridge in England to do a Ph.D. in Opto-Electronics, a new area at the time. Now, decades later, I have lived through the whole

range of experiences that relate to the development, manu-facturing and commercialization of complex photonic devices and systems used in communication, sensor and industrial ap-plications. My experience spans both technical and commer-cialization aspects of photonic products. This experience has included both large and small companies, which gives me a reasonable vantage point to comment on the ups and downs of life in a photonics startup.

I am currently Chief Business Development Officer at Free-dom Photonics in Santa Barbara, CA, and I look forward to the regular conversation to be carried out through this column!



Get to Know Your IEEE Photonics Society LeadershipMichelle Sander Ph.D Associate Professor ECE, MSE at Boston UniversityElected member of IEEE Photonic Society Board of Governors

What is Your Current Profession?I am an Associate Professor in the Depart-ment of Electrical and Computer Engineer-ing at Boston University, an affiliated faculty with the Materials Science and Engineering Division and a faculty member of the BU Photonics Center. It has been an exciting journey to lead my own research group, the Ultrafast Optics group, to mentor, inspire, and be inspired by undergraduate and gradu-ate students and to teach various courses in electrical engineering. My lab’s research aims at transforming ultrafast optics by design-ing innovative femtosecond fiber laser sourc-es and resolving the underlying dynamics that govern the pulse formation. By investigating photothermal light ma-terial interactions, we focus on label-free methods to exter-nally modulate neuronal activity through infrared nerve stimulation and blocking. We further utilize a mid-infrared photothermal microscope to gain insights into the chemical composition and thermal properties of various materials like biomedical tissues in a novel, label-free, non-destructive, and contactless approach.

What Do You Want To Accomplish as a Board Member This Year / Next Year?I am excited to be serving on the Board of Governors for the IEEE Photonics Society and aim to enhance the val-ue, quality and impact of our professional society. I envi-sion strengthening the role that the IEEE Photonics Soci-ety plays in the photonics community around the world by promoting excellent research through its publication channels, by offering interdisciplinary networking and research inspiration through conference programming and by bringing the most talented researchers together to grow our dynamic and diverse professional society. I aim to pro-mote our rapid, high quality journal publications through coordinating multi-disciplinary special topics editions and enhance the visibility of authors that reflect diverse gender and geographic backgrounds. I would like to support ini-tiatives to enhance diversity among conference attendees, with one focus particularly on under-represented groups and budding engineers and scientists. In addition, our local student and professional chapters provide a forum where students and early career researchers may find inspiration from outstanding research and interaction with mentors. Thus, another objective is to incentivize activities and vir-tual engagements among multiple student and local chap-ters and to strengthen local Women in Photonics networks to benefit our members and overall grow our community.

Why Photonics? What Was Your “Photonics Moment?” (More Personal Background Story, etc.)I have always been fascinated by how light interacts with various materials and how we can build novel optical devices. My decision to study electrical engineering was based on my interest in physics and math in high school combined with a desire to apply them and develop innovative and impactful technol-ogy. While my studies covered a broad range of topics, I realized that I enjoyed the electro-magnetics and optics related courses the most. I also remember hearing about femtosecond

pulses as the shortest timescales during my undergraduate studies and the new discoveries these have fueled, which I found extremely fascinating. I feel very fortunate that I could engage in various, very interesting optics-related research proj-ects throughout my studies from organic pixels, to MEMS, to laser micromachining. By the time I started research in ultra-fast optics, I was deeply hooked! Since then I have been excited to spend my PhD studies and now my career on femtosecond lasers and various laser applications.

What About Our Society’s Mission, And Work Motivates You?The IEEE Photonics Society provides an amazing professional network with a diverse global connection that enables the ex-change of stimulating scientific ideas via conferences and pub-lications. Just as importantly, the Society offers professional development opportunities and local chapter communities for all career stages. I find the enthusiasm and dedication of soci-ety members who volunteer their time and knowledge to shape their optics and photonics engineering community extremely inspiring. Thus, I feel honoured to contribute alongside their efforts. I think the society’s efforts to creatively reshape ex-isting programs to address current challenges while embrac-ing diversity and inclusion captures the spirit and innovation shared by its members.

What Specific Assets Do You Bring to the Table as a Board Member?My career trajectory combined with my various contributions to society engagements, have provided me with unique perspec-tives to offer valuable insights and input as a Board of Gov-ernors Elected Member. I have been dedicated to providing professional development opportunities for early career mem-bers, e.g. as OSA Ambassador 2017, and to help nourish a group of enthusiastic and diverse next generation researchers in photonics. Overall, I have been actively engaged in various

Michelle Sander


committees within the IEEE Photonics Society and the larger photonics community. I have served on several conference committees (e.g. as CLEO subcommittee chair), am a mem-ber of the IEEE Photonics Publication Council and have been a member of the Technical Planning Committee of the IEEE Boston Photonics Society Chapter. As part of those activities, we launched the Boston Women in Photonics Networking Series in 2015, which contributed to the IEEE Photonics So-ciety Boston chapter winning the “Society Most Innovative Chapter Award” in 2016.

Mention One Thing That You Have Changed and One Thing That You Want To Switch To Improve The IEEE Photonics Society?In the local section of the IEEE Boston Photonics Society chapter, together with another member of the Technical Plan-ning Committee, Dr. Jade Wang, we started a Women in Pho-tonics Networking Series for the larger Boston area in 2015. This new initiative fosters networking connections to empow-er women in the field of optics and photonics in the Boston area across all ranks and career stages from academia and in-dustry. It has been exciting to plan events that provide profes-sional development opportunities while showcasing successful female role models and their inspiring career trajectories. We are currently considering how to grow and strengthen the im-pact of these Women in Photonics events even further.

Can You Name A Person Who Has Had A Tremendous Impact On You As A Leader? Maybe Someone Who Has Been A Mentor to You? Why and How Did This Person Impact Your Life?I feel very grateful towards several inspiring mentors that supported me throughout all stages of my studies and pro-fessorship and provided me with strong role models. Grow-ing up in Germany and belonging to a handful of female students interested in physics and electrical engineering, reading biographies about pioneering women scientists bolstered my decision to pursue an electrical engineering career path. When I came to the US for graduate studies, I got to interact personally with women professors in en-gineering for the first time, which I found very inspiring and empowering.

How Would You Advise Members Who Want To Become More Involved in the Society?There are numerous avenues to become involved in the So-ciety, which can all be rewarding in several ways. It is im-portant to think about how much time one can dedicate to volunteering and to identify committees or activities that match well with one’s personality and interests. Overall, ev-eryone, regardless of background, ethnicity or gender, can make significant contributions and any volunteering will be welcomed by the Society. Thus, I would recommend that members (or non-members) start by talking to the amazing IEEE Photonics Staff at conferences, reach out to editors to volunteer as reviewer, or to chairs of committees within the Society outreach or conferences. The local student or regional chapters provide another great resource with several oppor-tunities to participate in seminars, help organize professional events or get engaged in outreach efforts.

Why Do You Think Members Should Be Involved as Society Volunteers? What Are the Benefits?Volunteering time to work with other members towards a common goal provides a natural way to connect with profes-sionals in the optics community. At the same time, it can be personally very rewarding to have been instrumental in orga-nizing an event as part of a team and to witness its success knowing that one has made a tangible contribution. Further, volunteering can help to build stronger interpersonal skills by working in international teams, to improve time management and to engage in fruitful discussion on research and other top-ics. Personally, I find it empowering to be able to contribute to the overall mission and success of the Society and to give back to my community, especially through outreach and mentoring.

What Advice Would You Give Someone Going Into a Leadership Position For The First Time?I think it is important to become familiar with the environ-ment and committee one wants to lead. This could entail hav-ing several conversations with team members or others in simi-lar or previous leadership positions to identify core missions and successful practices so far and to understand better the his-tory of the particular committee. There is usually a wealth of

Michelle Sander with her team.

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Michelle Sander with the panel discussion from our kick-off Women in Photonics Event.

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expertise available and drawing on those resources and knowl-edge can make it much easier to get started. At the same time, I would advise that one shares their vision clearly and thinks creatively how this can be accomplished.

When You Faced With Two Equally Qualified Candidates, How Do You Determine Whom To Choose?When there are two candidates with similar academic back-ground, I think it is important to consider their socioeconom-ic, geographical and cultural circumstances, gender as well as their dedication for the position. Taking diversity criteria into consideration, I aim to find out what challenges they might have faced to reach their current career stage. If someone was very successful while being a minority in their chosen field, they probably could have developed stronger determination, grit and passion, and thus could be more successful in the fu-ture. Overall, I believe that innovation is fuelled by bringing together diverse researchers, so it is important to build up di-verse teams on a local scale.

What is One Characteristic That You Believe Every Leader Should Possess?While vision, expertise, good interpersonal management and communication skills should form a foundation for every lead-er, I think a great leader will stand out by being able to moti-vate and inspire others. While this can be challenging to rise

up to, I believe being personally invested in the various causes or projects, making time for team members, addressing chal-lenges in a timely manner and with empathy and behaving with honesty and integrity can be essential to infuse others with motivation.

What is the Biggest Challenge Facing Leaders Today?I think that the COVID-19 pandemic and all the associated uncertainty will provide a challenge to rethink how conferenc-es, academic learning and other events that have traditionally brought members together face-to-face will shape our future interactions within the professional network.

What is One Mistake You Witness Leaders Making More Frequently Than Others?I think sometimes accomplishments are not properly acknowl-edged or enough credit is not always assigned to team mem-bers or collaborators. From my point of view, science and in-novation can benefit greatly from open discussions, listening to all kinds of different opinions in an inclusive atmosphere and sharing resources and information.

Tell Us Something Fun About Yourself!I enjoy playing the piano, engaging in chamber music and go-ing to concerts. In addition, I’m a big fan of outdoor activities in general and love down-hill skiing.

Michelle Sander with the Women in Photonics Networking event that featured Dalma Novak, had Paul Juodawlkis attending and includes also Jade Wang, who helped found the Women in Photonics Events.

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Photonics Worldwide—This is My LabEven though many labs and universities across the world were affected by closures in the last couple months, it is a pleasure to look through the pictures of early career researchers and PhD students in their labs and hear what drives and fascinates them about their journey. I would like to introduce you to Nayeli Casillas Rodríguez, a PhD student at the CICESE research cen-ter in Mexico, David André Coucheron, who is about to sub-mit his thesis at the Arctic University of Norway, and Svenja Mauthe, who’s doing a PhD in corporation with IBM Research and ETH Zurich.

My name is Nayeli Casillas Rodríguez and I’m a Ph.D. can-didate at the CICESE research center, located in Ensenada, Mexi-co. From a very young age, I started to have an interest in science. I remember my maths and physics lessons in high school from a physicist friend of my family. He always encouraged me to un-derstand and analyze a problem until I’d “find the most elegant solution”. Thanks to him, I decided to become a physicist and eventually get involved in research as a PhD. My current project is related to different non-linear coherent quantum optical effects on acetylene gas. To achieve these effects, it’s necessary to contain the gas in the very small diameter hollow-core of a photonic crys-tal fiber. My primary interest in working in this area is for the potential applications in high sensitivity optical measurements in the optical telecommunication range.

Along with my investigation, I enjoy participating in the ac-tivities of my student chapter or playing basketball in CICESE’s team. Every day I feel motivated to learn something new with my research and from the people who share my interest. This is why I love to belong to this lab and this amazing community.

My name is David André Coucheron and I am currently only a few months away from submitting my Ph.D. thesis at UiT—The Arctic University of Norway. The last four years I have been part of a new lab of young researchers developing super-resolution optical microscopy using photonic integrated circuits. The whole idea behind the research is to excite the sample using the evanescent field of optical waveguides rather than through a microscope objective lens and free space optics.

I did my master’s thesis on semiconductor core optical fibres and have always had an interest for materials science and photon-

ics. Going into biological applications and imaging was a daunt-ing task, and to my surprise, cells are a bit more unruly than optical fibres tend to be... However, I have found it extremely re-warding to work in such an interdisciplinary field together with chemists, biologist and medical professionals. Being exposed to a vast range of scientific disciplines has really challenged me and helped me adapt different perspectives on challenges.

Doing my Ph.D. at the group in Tromsø has been great. All lab members help create a warm and enthusiastic atmosphere despite Tromsø being without any sun for two months of the year!

My name is Svenja Mauthe and I am a PhD student at IBM Research and ETH Zurich. I studied physics at the Karlsruhe In-stitute of Technology and participated in the FemaleTalents@KIT mentoring program. Through this program and with the help of my mentor, I got in contact with IBM Research Zurich. My re-search focuses on integrating scaled lasers on Si for future on-chip optical applications, such as communication or sensing. The chal-lenge is to shrink the laser down to match the size of electrical devices. By developing a novel materials integration technique, we are able to epitaxially grow high quality III-V materials on Si for scaled optical applications. My work really fascinates me, since we’re pushing the boundaries of light confinement and are work-ing on the next big step in integrated optical communication.


News

The IEEE Photonics Society leadership and volunteers con-demn any form of discrimination and are passionate advocates for equity, diversity and inclusion for all worldwide. In par-ticular, we acknowledge the frustration and pain experienced by Black members and peers in our community, resulting from social injustice.

This reinforces the IEEE’s Presidents Statement, that “IEEE remains strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and we see no place for hatred and discrimination in our communities.”

The IEEE Board of Directors also adopted a new IEEE Di-versity Statement, approved in November 2019, for incorpora-tion into IEEE’s formal policies. This change to IEEE policy reflects IEEE’s longstanding commitment to ensure the engi-neering profession maximizes its impact and success by wel-coming, engaging, and rewarding those who contribute to the field in an equitable manner.

In reflection, we, the IEEE Photonics Society, reaffirm our mission of creating opportunities to support the participation, engagement and advancement for all in the photonics and optics community, through our specific ‘Commitment to Diversity’:

“A commitment to providing equal opportunity to scientists and engineers, regardless of ethnicity, race, nationality, disability, socioeco-nomic status, sexual orientation, religion, gender, age, and/or personal identity. Our policy is to continually improve our practices in order to build and maintain an environment that reflects the rich diversity of the photonics and optics scientific community.”

We celebrate the common bond that unites us as explorers and seekers of knowledge and solutions that will improve the lives of all sharing this planet.

Furthermore, we are here to listen as well as act to address the needs of the photonics and optics community, including all of our members of all ethnic or racial origins.

IEEE Photonics Society Board of Governors Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Elected Members

Carmen S. Menoni

President IEEE Photonics Society

Chennupati Jagadish

Past-President IEEE Photonics Society

Arti Agrawal

Associate Vice-President of Diversity Diversity Oversight Committee, Chair

IEEE Photonics Society

For more information on the IEEE Board of Directors new IEEE Diversity Policies: https://bit.ly/2zyJUsY

For more information on the IEEE Photonics Society’s Commitment Diversity: http://bit.ly/2tB221U

Statement from the IEEE Photonics Society Leadership Against Hatred & Discrimination

https://bit.ly/2zyJUsY

http://bit.ly/2tB221U


IEEE is committed to sup-porting the global response to COVID-19. The organiza-tion is providing free, direct access to a collection of various COVID-19 related research articles and standards to help researchers understand, man-age and combat the different aspects of the pandemic.

IEEE recognizes that many are directly or indirectly en-gaged in the fight against COVID-19 and its effects on global health and safety, research, infrastructure, communications and more. Therefore, during the pandemic, IEEE is making avail-able the following at no charge:

• COVID-19 related articles in the IEEE Xplore Digital Library with additional rights for all types of reuse, including full text and data mining and analyses. IEEE is consistently monitoring the situation for further developments and will update and add to the IEEE Xplore content as necessary.

• Standards that may aid researchers with the management of various aspects of the pandemic and technologies that can best be utilized to combat it. This collection can be found at no cost in the IEEE Xplore Digital Library.

IEEE thanks the entire research and technology community for your work in the fight against COVID-19 and your support of our shared mission to advance technology for humanity.

© Copyright 2020 IEEE Newsroom

IEEE Provides Free Access to COVID-19: Relevant Research Articles and Standards in IEEE Xplore® Digital LibraryHelping researchers understand, manage and combat different aspects of the pandemic

Other IEEE COVID-19 ResourcesIEEE Standards for Responding to Global COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

IEEE is providing no-cost public access to important IEEE standards, used by technologists, engineers, scientists, manufacturers, as they respond to the global COVID-19 public health emergency.

Relevant “Medical Device/Equipment Related Standards” Available: 1680.2-2012—IEEE Standard for Environmental Assessment of Imaging Equipment; 1680.2a-2017—IEEE Standard for Environmental Assessment of Imaging Equipment—Amendment 1; C63.27-2017—American National Standard for Evaluation of Wireless Coexistence; etc.

Relevant “3D Printing Relevant Standards” Available: 3333.1.2-2017—IEEE Standard for the Perceptual Quality Assessment of Three-Dimensional (3D) and Ultra-High-Def-inition (UHD) Contents; 3333.2.1-2015—IEEE Recommended Practice for Three-Dimensional (3D) Medical Modeling; etc.

If you are looking for inclusion of a different standard to further developmental research in response to COVID-19, the IEEE Standards website includes an intake form.

Learn more, here: standards.ieee.org/covid-19

IEEE Spectrum COVID-19 Resources HubAs we weather the COVID-19 pandemic together, IEEE Spectrum is sharing details on IEEE members develop-ing technologies to fight the virus, the resources available to you from across IEEE, coping strategies from en-gineers around the world, and opportunities to get in-volved in the fight.

The resources available in-clude an up-to-date listing of major virtual events and presen-tations now available on-demand.

There are also a number of IEEE Spectrum and IEEE The Institute articles to read while social distancing, including: “How Control Theory Can Help Us Control COVID-19”; “3D Printed Ventilator Could Support Up to 20 COVID-19 Patients at One Time”; “Can Plasma Destroy Coronavirus in HVAC Sys-tems?”; “Tips to Help Your Startup Survive the Coronavirus Pan-demic”; etc.

Learn more, here: spectrum.ieee.org/static/covid19-ieee-resources


Conferences & Events: COVID-19 Update

Governments around the world have issued restrictions on trav-el, gatherings, and meetings in an effort to limit and slow the spread of the virus. The health and safety of the IEEE commu-nity is our first priority and IEEE is supporting these efforts.

We request that all members avoid conducting in-person activities in areas impacted by the coronavirus threat and in-stead maximize the use of our online and virtual alternatives.

IEEE provides many tools to support our membership with virtual engagement, including our online collaboration space IEEE Collabratec (https://ieee-collabratec.ieee.org/).

Following the advice of local authorities, most IEEE confer-ences and meetings have already been postponed or replaced with virtual meetings.

IEEE publications continue to accept submissions and publish impactful cutting-edge research. Our online publi-cations remain available to researchers and students around the world.

IEEE educational activities continue to offer online instruc-tion and IEEE’s pre-university educational resources (https://tryengineering.org/) may be of assistance to families of stu-dents whose classroom activities have been disrupted.

All IEEE operations are continuing. At many of our global offices, IEEE staff will support IEEE’s mission while telework-ing from their homes to minimize risk.

Learn more, here: https://bit.ly/3grW07Z

© Copyright 2020 IEEE Newsroom

#SEETHELIGHT Campaign Launched for International Day of Light

The International Day of Light (IDL) Secretariat, and the founding partners Optical Society (OSA), SPIE and the IEEE Pho-tonics Society, are delight-ed to share a variety of new resources and materials that are now available to the pho-tonics community.

In particular, new ma-terials have been released as part of the #SEETHE-LIGHT campaign, which was established for the In-

ternational Day of Light as a worldwide message to celebrate the importance of the science of light and light-based technologies in our lives. The partners encourage you to share these resources throughout your networks and community to help maximize the impact of the global celebrations for IDL 2020, and into 2021.

The broad theme of light allows many different sectors of society worldwide to participate in activities that demonstrate how science, technology, art and culture can help achieve the goals of UNESCO—education, equality, and peace.

In 2020, the laser also turns 60 years old. The laser is a perfect example of how a scientific discovery can yield revolu-tionary benefits to society in communications, healthcare and many other fields. The International Day of Light, however, is not just about science—the themes cover all areas of light in its general sense, including art, culture, and development.

#SEETHELIGHT VideoThe partners welcome you to enjoy and share the new 2020 International Day of Light #SEETHELIGHT Video, created by the Optical Society (OSA), SPIE and the IEEE Photonics Society with support from the IDL Steering Committee. This video message addresses how light science and technology can provide efficient solutions to current global challenges.

Watch here: www.lightday.org/seethelight

#SEETHELIGHT ArticlesThis campaign has also published four new articles by distin-guished specialists that highlight the role and applications of life: “Cleaner Energy” by Donna Strickland, University of Waterloo, Canada; “Sustainable Farming” by Cather Simpson, University of Auckland, New Zealand; “Better Diagnostics and Treatments”, Jürgen Popp and Ute Neugebauer, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology e.V. Jena, Germany; “High-speed connectivity”, by Imrana Ashraf, Quaid-i-Azam Univer-sity, Pakistan.

Learn more here: www.lightday.org/seethelight

How did the International Day of Light come to be? The International Day of Light is a follow-up to the Interna-tional Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015. This UNESCO-led international year was highly successful in rais-ing global awareness of the achievements of light science and its applications through more than 13,000 activities carried out in 147 countries.

Learn more: light2015.org

https://ieee-collabratec.ieee.org/

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The International Day of Light proposal was first exam-ined by the UNESCO Executive Board during its 200th Session in Paris held from October 4-18 2016, introduced by sponsors Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand and the Russian Federation. A favorable decision was taken with 15 addi-tional co-sponsors from: Argentina, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nicara-gua, Serbia, Nigeria, Paraguay, Qatar, Vietnam, and Uganda. The UNESCO General Conference formally proclaimed the International Day of Light during its 39th session on the 7 November 2017 with additional support being expressed by: Colombia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Finland, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Su-dan, Sweden, Togo, Zimbabwe.


IRSC LASER-TEC Center Develops Photonics Education Kits to Support Remote Learning for Students NationwideQuick adaptation to the changing environment during the spread of COVID-19 led the LASER-TEC Center at Indian River State College (IRSC) to create a method to address the challenge of continuing students’ photonics laboratory prac-tice. The Center developed and manufactured photonics edu-cation kits to send to students at every Optics and Photonics College Network (OPCN) college nationwide at no cost to students.

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE), LASER-TEC re-sponded to the nationwide shift to remote learning. Staff at the Center developed, assembled and mailed a photonics education kit, or Light and Optic Experiment Kit (LOEK), to students in photonics programs at institutions in their college network across the country. The Center directly mails the LOEK to the home of teaching faculty and students—minimizing their ex-posure to the virus.

“Developing the LOEK allows students across the nation to continue with experiments and the hands-on learning required for their photonics and optics studies,” shares. Dr. Chrys Pan-ayiotou, Executive Director and Principal Investigator. “Our students like the fact that they can do the experiments at their own pace and repeat them as many times as needed until they master the concept or the skill. OPCN instructors appreciated that the kits allow students to experiment remotely and learn all the practical skills of the course.”

Each LOEK supports a majority of experiments found in the textbook, Fundamentals of Light and Lasers, allowing stu-dents to complete 18 experiments from home. To date, the LASER-TEC Center has delivered 116 kits to students at 11 colleges in Florida, Montana, Georgia, Michigan, Iowa, Washington, New York, California, Puerto Rico, and even Canada.

“Using the LOEK has been a unique, fun experience, and I really like doing the labs.” shares Luis Morales of Ai-bonito, Purto Rico. Morales is a student of the Photonics Institute of Puerto Rico, Engineering Technology in Pho-tonics & Lasers at Universidad, a member institution of the OPCN. “Being under quarantine, I have been able to ex-periment with the laser and the other components. It has been a cool opportunity.”

An experiment manual developed and published by the LASER-TEC Center at IRSC is included as part of each kit,

and the LASER-TEC Center will additionally develop videos to guide students through the experiments supported by the kits. The videos will be made available on the LASER-TEC Center YouTube channel.

For more information about LOEKs or the LASER-TEC Center at IRSC, visit www.laser-tec.org.

About The Center for Laser and Fiber Optics Education, LASER-TECHeadquartered at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida, The Center for Laser and Fiber Optics Education, LA-SER-TEC, was founded by the National Science Foundation in 2013 and is an association of community and state colleges, universities, high schools and technical centers, trade associa-tions, and laser and fiber optic (LFO) companies that serves the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. LASER-TEC in-vites academic and industry partners to join in its mission to meet the demand for a trained laser and fiber optics workforce across the Southeastern United States.

John Anderson, LASER-TEC technologist, manufactures laser stands using resin and rubber-silicon casting. The stands will be part of the Light and Optics Experiment Kits (LOEK)s manu-factured by the LASER-TEC Center housed at Indian River State College. The kits provide every student in The Optics and Pho-tonics College Network (OPCN) nationwide with a kit allowing them to conduct experiments required to complete their labo-ratories from the safety of their homes during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The LASER-TEC Center has sent 116 kits to students at 11 colleges across the country.

Careers and Awards

IEEE Photonics Society—Call For Nominations2021 John Tyndall AwardThis award, which is jointly sponsored by the IEEE Photonics Society, the Optical Soci-ety, and is endowed by Corning, Inc., is presented to a single individual who has made outstanding contributions in any area of lightwave technology, including optical fibers and cables, the optical components employed in fiber systems, as well as the transmis-sion systems employing fibers. With the expansion of this technology, many individu-als have become worthy of consideration. Nomination deadline is 10 August, 2020.

2021 Young Investigator AwardThe Young Investigator Award was established to honor an individual who has made outstanding technical contributions to photonics (broadly defined) prior to his or her 35th birthday. Nominees must be under 35 years of age on 30 September of the year in which the nomination is made. Nomination deadline is 30 September, 2020.

Please visit the on-line awards platform to submit your nomination.

https://ieee.secure-platform.com/a/page/society_awards/ieeephotonicssocietyawards

http://www.laser-tec.org


Careers and AwardsCareers and Awards

IEEE Photonics Society—Call For Nominations2021 John Tyndall AwardThis award, which is jointly sponsored by the IEEE Photonics Society, the Optical Soci-ety, and is endowed by Corning, Inc., is presented to a single individual who has made outstanding contributions in any area of lightwave technology, including optical fibers and cables, the optical components employed in fiber systems, as well as the transmis-sion systems employing fibers. With the expansion of this technology, many individu-als have become worthy of consideration. Nomination deadline is 10 August, 2020.

2021 Young Investigator AwardThe Young Investigator Award was established to honor an individual who has made outstanding technical contributions to photonics (broadly defined) prior to his or her 35th birthday. Nominees must be under 35 years of age on 30 September of the year in which the nomination is made. Nomination deadline is 30 September, 2020.

Please visit the on-line awards platform to submit your nomination.


Royal Irish Academy Inducts IEEE Photonics Society Fellow, Professor Nabeel Agha Riza

IEEE Photonics Society Fellow and Chair Professor of Electri-cal & Electronic Engineering, Nabeel Agha Riza of Univer-sity College Cork, Ireland was inducted into the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) on May 22, 2020. Induction to the Academy in the highest honor awarded to scholars in Ireland across all disciplines that including physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, and medicine. The RIA was founded in 1785 and famed past members include mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton and physicist Erwin Schrödinger. Riza is ac-knowledged for his contributions to both research and educa-tion internationally and in Ireland as a photonics inventor im-pacting key areas of technology in imaging, communications, energy and aerospace systems.

For RIA May 22,2020 Press Release Please Go To https://www.ria.ie/news/membership/29-new-members-admitted


https://www.ria.ie/news/membership/29-new-members-admitted

https://www.ria.ie/news/membership/29-new-members-admitted


Nominations are due 15 January annually for the IEEE Tech-nical Field Awards (TFA) and the IEEE Eric Herz Outstanding Staff Member Award. IEEE TFAs are awarded for contributions to or leadership in a specific field of interest of the IEEE and are among the highest awards presented on behalf of the IEEE Board of Directors. The IEEE Herz Award recognizes sustained contributions by a present or past full-time staff member of the IEEE with at least ten years of service.

All IEEE members are encouraged to submit a nomination for a worthy candidate within their technical fields. Nomi-nation guidelines, award-specific criteria, and components of a nomination form can be downloaded from https://www.ieee.org/about/awards/information.html and http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/recognitions/recognitions_herz.html. All nominations must be submitted through the online nom-ination portal.

Since 1917, the IEEE Awards Program has paid tribute to technical professionals whose exceptional achievements and contributions have made a lasting impact on technology, soci-

ety, the engineering profession, and humanity. By this means, the image and prestige of the organization, its members, and the profession are all enhanced.

For more information visit www.ieee.org/awards or e-mail [email protected].

Call for Nominations: IEEE Technical Field Awards and Eric Herz Staff Award

President’s Column(continued from page 3)

Symposium Organizer, Mercedeh Khajavikhan. There have been enormous advances over the last six decades since the first demon-stration of the ruby laser by Theodore Maiman. Lasers operating at wavelengths spanning from tens of microns to keV, and pro-ducing the shortest pulses are enabling a myriad of fundamental studies and novel technologies that are impacting society in many different ways. A measure of the impact of the laser is the six No-bel Prize awards received by pioneers in the field since the first one in 1964 to Charles H. Townes (IEEE Life Fellow), Nicolay Gennadiyevich Basov and Aleksandr Mikhailovich Prokhorov, “for fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle.” Invited speakers for the CLEO Sym-posium were: Federico Capasso, Harvard University, USA; Paul Daniel Dapkus, University of Southern California, USA; and Amnon Yariv, California Institute of Technology, USA.

We also celebrated the International Day of Light, which is held on May 16th every year in tribute to the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser. This is typically an event that involves in-person gatherings around the world to highlight the impact of light science and technology to wide and multigenerational audiences. Such events still continued, but online. This year, our celebration also went virtual in the form of an online campaign and video, “SEE THE LIGHT”, sponsored by the IEEE Photonics Society, The Optical Society and SPIE. #SEETHELIGHT is a worldwide message encourag-ing all to celebrate the importance of the science of light and light-based technologies in our lives, including light’s impact

on Sustainable Farming, Cleaner Energy, Better Diagnostics, and High Speed Connectivity. Learn more about this at Light-Day.org and later in this Newsletter issue.

Furthermore, the Society’s membership activities have continued, stronger than ever, reaching new potential members and remote re-gions of the world. We have assessed all our products and services in an effort to deploy as many virtual solutions as possible, including: An E-Mentor Match, Mentor Hours, Research Highlight Spotlights, Chapter Leadership Forums, DIY STEM Experiments and Lessions, Women in Photonics Online Symposiums, COVID Tech Sessions, E-Learning Course discounts, professional development coping strat-egies on work/life/volunteer balance from home, “Chat with an Ex-pert” social media forums, etc. The Society has also partnered with internal and external Societies, on such projects, to inclusively reach isolated and marginalized groups in STEM regardless of association. The main goal has been open access learning.

Though our community and the world has been tasked with difficult decisions, during unprecedented times, I believe our Society, volunteers and members have met the challenge hon-orably and resourcefully by using this time as an opportunity for growth and technological advancement.

I wish you good health as we slowly transition back to our normal activities.

Warmly,Carmen S. Menoni

Colorado State [email protected]

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Membership

The IEEE Photonics Society Membership Council established a ‘Change Champion’ program in 2019 to showcase volunteers and leaders facilitating positive change and empowering oth-ers in the photonics and optics community. Such volunteers advocate for diversity and inclusion; lead altruism projects; or-ganize strategy sessions to implement new ideas; have proven professional development practices to share; etc.

In conjunction with the International Day of Light 2020 and the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), this year the Society supported a ‘Change Champion’ Speaker Se-ries, showcasing a variety of pre-recorded talks.

Trusted ambassadors and influencers, who provide leader-ship and create new avenues for engagement in the commu-nity, gave the following talks (which can be viewed on-demand on the IEEE Photonics Society website): Dr. Leslie Rusch (She/Her), AVP of Technical Affairs, “Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Photonics Education”; Natalia Cañas Estrada (She/Her), AVP of STEM Outreach, “How to Plan an Outreach Activity”; Dr. Stanley Ikpe (He/Him), AVP of Young Professionals, “Cham-pion Change Through Action”; and Dr. Arti Agrawal (She/Her), AVP of Diversity, “The Role of Social Networks: Building Community”.

Furthermore, the IEEE Photonics Society is committed to providing equal opportunity to scientists and engineers,

regardless of ethnicity, race, nationality, disability, socioeco-nomic status, sexual orientation, religion, gender, age, and/or personal identity. Our policy is to continually improve our practices in order to build and maintain an environment that reflects the rich diversity of the photonics and optics scientific community.

In support, the IEEE Photonics Society’s Diversity Over-sight Committee in 2018 launched an inclusive ‘Pride in Photonics’ initiative, in conjunction with The Optical So-ciety (OSA), inaugural at CLEO. The founding organizers, Dr. Arti Agrawal and Dr. Niamh Kavanagh, devised this initiative in order to showcase and celebrate the scientific and social impact contributions of LGBTQIA+ people in STEM, especially in the fields of photonics, optics, physics and engineering.

This year the week following CLEO, and throughout the month of June (International LGBT Pride Month), the IEEE Photonics Society is spotlighting and celebrating the work of LGBTQIA+ people in STEM, through a parallel virtual speak-er series. The initiative’s virtual events create a welcoming at-mosphere for LGBTQIA+ people to be their authentic selves, in the company of allies, with the aim of inspiring collabora-tion, open conversation, education, networking and technical dissemination.

IEEE Photonics ‘Change Champion’ Speaker Series & ‘Pride in Photonics’ Initiative

The collaborative team of Dr. Arti Agrawal, at the University of Technology Sydney, share their vision to create and lead social change, so that study and career journeys in Engineering & IT are not limited by gender.

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The Pride in Photonics featured talks and speakers, in-clude: “PRISMA: Sexo-Affective & Gender Diversity in STEM” by Dr. Aitor Villafranca Velasco (He/Him); “How to Speak Up & Step Up: Advocate for Diversity” by Dr. Niamh Kavanagh (She/Her); “Publishing STEM with Pride” by Dr. Daniel Payne (He/Him); “Diversity & Inclusion - Bringing Your Full Self to Work” by Kimberly Bartlett, AMILP MIET (She/Her); “Queer

Pride and Quantum Photonics” by Dr. Alex Moylett (They/Her); and “The Role of Social Networks: Building Community” by Arti Agrawal (She/Her).

A Code of Conduct has been devised and outlines our expectations for all those who participate and/or view our Pride in Photonics initiative content. It is designed to cre-ate safe and positive experiences for everyone and encourage

Informative slides from the pre-recorded presentations of Dr. Daniel Payne and Kimberly Bartlett.


productive collaboration; not to intimidate participants from interacting with each other.

Learn more, here: https://bit.ly/2X5qMvMThe lists of pre-recorded talks, for both initiatives, can be

found here:Change Champion: https://bit.ly/2LGR9SjPride in Photonics: https://bit.ly/2XbVh1J

Interested in Volunteering? The IEEE Photonics Diversity Oversight Committee has created a speaker database where members can actively sign up to serve within their technical and/or professional subject areas. The database is used to recruit volunteers for committees, councils, conferences, etc.Learn more (http://bit.ly/2Ok6awP) or contact [email protected] for more details.

Parolari received a Degree in Telecommunication Engi-neering in 1997 and PhD in Electronic and Communica-tion Engineering in 2001, both from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Since 2000, she has held a permanent position as a researcher in the Optical Communication System Laboratory of Core-Com, a consortium between the Politecnico di Milano and Pirelli & C. Parolari is also a

senior researcher in the Optical Communication Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano, Department of Electronics Information and Bioengineering (DEIB).

From 2012 to 2014, she was a work-package leader of the FP7 EU funded project ERMES, and she is now the Project manager of the H2020 EU project PASSION.

Her main research interests include the study of advanced modulation formats (e.g. DMT) for short-medium reach trans-

mission and the development of access network technologies including WDM and OFDM PON and new optical fiber ar-chitectures to support the mobile fronthaul networks.

Moreover, Parolari is a co-founder of the startup, Cohaeren-tia. Cohaerentia has developed an innovative diagnostic system that allows real-time monitoring of plants, machineries or civil infrastructures to improve the quality and efficiency of produc-tion processes in manufacturing industries and security in the civil sector. In particular, Cohaerentia technology combines the known multi-domain and multi-parametric sensing capabili-ties of optical fibers with an innovative coherent demodulation scheme of optical signals that exploits the latest ICT technolo-gies for digital signal acquisition and real-time processing.

As a volunteer, Parolari frequently acts as a reviewer for in-ternational technical journals. She served in the TPC of the conference Photonics in Switching and Computing, has co-au-thored more than 130 papers in leading journals/conferences, and she holds 13 international patents.

For the co-sponsored IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Tech-nology (JLT), Parolari is the Publicity Editor, promoting JLT on social media platforms and the journal’s published papers broadly to the scientific and engineering community.

Women in Photonics Member of the MonthPaola Parolari, Researcher at Politecnico di Milano, Co-Founder of Cohaerentia.

The founding organizers, Dr. Arti Agrawal and Dr. Niamh Kavanagh, devised the Pride in Photonics Initiative to showcase and celebrate the scientific and social impact contributions of LGBTQIA+ people in STEM.

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Following the big success of the event held in 2019, the IEEE Student Branch College of Engineering Karunagappally (IEEE SB CEK), together with the Power and Energy Society Student Branch Chapter in India, successfully organized Luxathon 2.0. Held during the first week of March, Luxathon is a 24-hour hackathon aiming at designing and developing an illumina-tion system under prescribed technical specifications opti-mizing the available resources. The 2020 edition of the event incorporated 12 teams from different parts of the country, in-cluding IEEE Chapter Sections from Hyderabad, Bombay, Ma-dras, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Gujarat.

Luxathon 2.0 comprised of three days, one to formally kick-off the event and provide mentoring as well as the guidelines for the participants, one day for the actual hack-athon and a final day to present the winners and the closing remarks. The inaugural session included the IEEE SB CEK chair Akshay Krishnan, Prof. V K Damodaran [director of Team Sustain Ltd. Kochi; Life Senior Member, IEEE (NY); Fellow, IE (India)], Er. Ajith Gopi (Vice Chair of IEEE PES Kerala Chapter), Mr. Shanu N (SDLP coordinator of IEEE Kerala Section) and Er. Haseena P Y, (Advisor of IEEE SB CEK). Mentoring was provided by two young professional IEEE members, Anish MS and Sharan KS, covering topics on microcontrollers and electrical systems. Mr. Akshay Krish-nan (Chair, IEEE SB CEK) and Mr. Hari Prasad (Chair, IEEE PES SBC CEK) covered topics on Machine Learning and Illu-mination System Designing, respectively. In addition to the technical sessions, a sand art show was organized for the par-ticipants in the seminar hall, as well as a dinner accompanied with some musical and dance performances.

The 24-hour electrical illumination hackathon began with a short networking and brainstorming session to promote com-munication and interaction among the students, thereby cre-ating a comfortable environment for all the participants. The projects were evaluated by a panel of judges including Prof. Deepa A K, Prof. Haseena P Y, Prof. Sabeena K and Prof. Rad-hika. The panel further included Mr. AnandhuS Kumar (Sr. Light Design Engineer at Wipro Lighting, IEEE YP), Ms. Staji Wilson (Assoc. Engineer at Tata Consultancy Services, IEEE YP), Mr. Anish M S (IEEE YP) and Mr. Saran K S (IEEE YP). A session on the IEEE Photonics Societywas organized by Mr. Anandhu S Kumar, and on Women in Photonics held by Ms. Staji Wilson. The title winner of Luxathon 2.0 was team Govt. Model Engineering College, Thrikakkara (IEEE Kerala Sec-tion). The second prize worth Rs.5000 was won by team Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kottayam (IEEE, Kerala Sec-tion). The third prize worth Rs.3000 was won by team Sree Chitra Thirunal College of Engineering, Trivandrum (IEEE Kerala Section).

Luxathon 2.0: Optimizing Resources for Illumination Technology

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION

Winners of Luxathon 2.0

First Runner-up of Luxathon 2.0

Second Runner-up of Luxathon 2.0

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The IEEE Photonics Boston Chapter is a community of pho-tonics professionals working in the Boston area that pro-vides a venue for members to form professional connections, broaden their technical backgrounds, learn about develop-ments in the field, and keep their finger on the pulse of the photonics community generally. The chapter enjoys a highly engaged membership and meets throughout the year for sev-eral activities.

The chapter runs a monthly seminar series during the aca-demic year with a wide range of speakers and topics and an annual “Hot Topics” workshop over five weeks. Finally, the chapter organizes an outreach event for women in photonics to help promote diversity in the field. One of the main strengths of the chapter is that it has a large and actively engaged Techni-cal Planning Committee (TPC), with 13 members, all of whom contribute their time, positive energy, and talent. The Boston Chapter members are consisting of a diverse range of people from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Mitsubishi, Photonic Systems Inc, Analog Devices Inc, UMass Lowell, Xeresearch Corpora-tion, Boston University, and Verizon. The chapter has an active membership and provides networking time before all events to provide a space where people can make friends, find sup-port, and possibly even partnerships for technical proposals, job changes, product launches, company acquisitions, and other similar activities.

Could You Give an Overview of the Activities Your Chapter Organizes? What Seem to be the Most Successful Activities You Organize?The IEEE Photonics Boston Chapter organizes three main activities, and these are monthly meeting lecture series, yearly “Hot Topics” workshop, and a yearly woman in a photonics outreach event. Re-cently, the chapter has included optical telecommunications, free space laser comm, quantum photonics, biophotonics, integrated photonics, and spectroscopy in the monthly meeting series (A list of seminars can be found here: http://www.bostonphotonics.org/seminar.aspx). The “Hot Topics” workshop focused on the contempo-rary, emerging technical topics in optics and photonics, including machine learning in optics. These workshops bring together ten top-notch speakers, including Nobel laureate over five consecutive Wednesday nights, to help educate our members on a topic of cur-rent interest, thus broadening their technical knowledge of the field. (More information about the workshop here: http://www.bostonphotonics.org/workshops.aspx).

What Resources Provided by the Larger IEEE Photonics Society Have Been Particularly Helpful in Realizing Your Chapter’s Success?The larger IEEE Photonics Society has helped the Boston Chapter in setting up the registration for workshops in many years, and has also tapped members of the society for advice and guidance, and, in the past, has taken advantage of the distinguished lecturer program to get speakers for the monthly meetings. And, of course, the annual financial

subsidy from the IEEE helps most of the Boston chapter activities possible.

Do You Have Any Suggestions or Expectations That The Larger IEEE Photonics Society Can Provide To Improve Your Chapter’s Success or Any Other Chapter Success?Although the IEEE Boston Chapter is getting enough support still, it would be great if the larger IEEE Photonics Society could encourage more interaction between the various chap-ters, especially ones that are geographically close. It seems like there should be many opportunities to meet new people and possibly even hold a joint event.

Do You Have Any Other Partnerships (Academic, Industrial, etc.) that Have Been Instrumental in Improving Your Chapter?The IEEE Boston Chapter occasionally has partnered with the New England OSA (maybe once or twice a year) to host a joint meeting—this is useful in providing cross-pollination between the chapters. Most of the meeting has been generously hosted free of charge in MIT Lincoln Laboratory facilities. MIT LL and MERL (Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs) have also gen-erously helped sponsor the “Hot Topics” workshop. The work-shop is low cost with registration fees set to cover refreshments and travel expenses, so the MIT LL and MERL donations along with chapter grant money are essential for keeping registration fees low and attendance high.

What Advice Do You Have for Other Chapters that Are Seeking to Improve Their Outreach, Membership, and Overall Impact?One of the biggest keys to having a successful chapter is engage-ment through regular meetings and communications. Having many people able and willing to help allows the chapter to do much more than it could otherwise. The large committee also produces a list of potential speakers and topics from a wider variety of areas within photonics than one or two people could produce. The chapter put a fair amount of thought into the selection of talks and workshop topics to attract the right audi-ence. The chapter is also benefited from many universities and companies in the Boston area that give a large pool from which to draw members and speakers.

Your Chapter Has Been Applauded for Its Diverse Membership, Especially Concerning Gender Balance. Do You Believe You Do Anything Special to Encourage Diversity?IEEE Boston Chapter believes that having diversity is the key to the success of any chapter. In the Boston chapter, 25% of the TPC members are women and is the current chair, and this representation also helps.

Chapter Best Practices from the IEEE Photonics Boston Chapter

http://www.bostonphotonics.org/

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IEEE Photonics SocietyBoston Chapter Presents:

Women in Photonics: Navigating a Career in Photonics Tuesday March 5, 6:30–8:30 PM, Registration check-in starting at 6.15pmBoston University Photonics Center, 9th Floor, Room 901, 8 Saint Mary’s St., Boston, MA 02215

The IEEE Boston Photonics Society is delighted to invite you to participate in a Women in Photonics Networking event at the Boston University Photonics Center, on Tuesday, March 5th at 6:30PM. This panel discussion features speakers from industry and government who will talk about their technical careers and offer career advice and strategies for women working in photonics today. Dinner will be provided and there will be a discussion / networking session after the panel. Come out, network, and learn useful strategies on how to succeed in your career in photonics!

All are welcome. The event is free but registration is required. Please visit our web page at https://goo.gl/forms/Rr63z4BZcrikteHO2 for more information and to register.

Panel Members:

Dr. Katherine HalesDr. Katherine Hales is currently the ‘Optical Microscopy Technology Center’ Lab Head for Pfizer Kendall Square. She directs the application of advanced optical imaging techniques, from macroscopic to super-resolutions, to support deep mechanistic biological studies to better understand molecular targets and structures involved in human diseased conditions. The state-of-the-art imaging center is used to support pre-clinical studies performed by the Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical’s Research Units across therapeutic areas. She has over 15+ years of research experience in the area of optical microscopy with extensive experience working across disciplines, including chemistry and cell biology.

Dr. Raji ShankarRaji Shankar is a senior member of the technical staff at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After earning her Ph.D. in engineering sciences from Harvard University in 2013, she worked for three years as a research scientist at Schlumberger-Doll Research, a research lab of the oilfield services giant Schlumberger. Since early 2018, Raji has been a staff scientist in the Quantum Technologies and Applied Physics group at Draper, a non-profit research and development organization focusing on national security, space exploration, health care and energy.

Dr. Emily PetersonEmily Peterson works in the Active Optical Systems group at MIT Lincoln Lab, designing building and operating novel lidar systems. She has a PhD in AMO physics from the University of Michigan, with a specialty in ultrafast lasers and pump-probe measurements of ionization processes. This developed into a postdoc at Argonne National Lab's APS synchrotron creating X-ray probe movies of optically pumped samples. She then worked in industry R&D at Osram-Sylvania lighting for several years using her background with spectroscopy and plasmas. With this varied experience, Emily is looking forward to discussing pros and cons across the spectrum between academia and industry.

https://goo.gl/forms/Rr63z4BZcrikteHO2


Genç is a Research Assistant at Abdullah Gül University, which is a leading new generation university that focuses on social impact in ad-dition to education and research. He complet-ed his MSc. focusing on quantum dot LEDs and display technology in 2016, which is the year that he also joined the IEEE Photonics So-ciety. In 2017, Genc began his PhD program, respectively, at Abdullah Gül University in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

By contribution of the Society’s mentor-mentee program, conferences and online events, Genc has decided to work on low-cost optical sensors with integrated artificial neural net-works especially for the environmental appli-cations. He always shares all the information, experiences and innovative ideas gained, with his students. During the IEEE conferences, he noticed that the Society provides outstanding opportunities, especially for students, and is now leading an effort to start new chapters in Turkey.

Genç also has been representing the IEEE Photonics Society as one of the Young Global Changers 2020, a part of the Glob-al Solutions Initiative. The program aims to empower

young changemakers from around the world to become a distinguishable voice on the most pressing global issues—not only to make their ideas heard but also to present their own approaches to finding “global solutions” for a better future. Global Solutions Initiative provides research-based policy advice to the Group of 20 (G20) each year.

He has been selected as a Young Global Changer for both his project with an inter-national team leading by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung—REMENA, on “Circular Economy in the Middle East-North Africa Region (CE-MENA-Net)” and his research on optical sens-ing and classification of microplastics in liquid

samples within the framework on water-energy-food nexus. Genç says, “Under today’s Covid-19 circumstances, I have

been conducting experiments for my PhD research in the labo-ratory, alone or from a safe social distance, and attending online discussions with people around the world, for a sustainable fu-ture. All while, utilizing the network given to me by the IEEE Photonics Society, which has helped shape my vision, life, and career for the better.”

Young Professional Member of the MonthSinan Genç, Research Assistant, Abdullah Gül University, Turkey.

IEEE Photonics Commitment to Diversity Opportunities

Women in Photonics Scholarships & GrantsMerit-based recognition for outstanding students and early career women in the

photonics community.

Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships & GrantsMerit-based recognition for

student members, young professionals and volunteers championing diversity and

inclusion e�orts in the photonics community.

Multicultural Outreach & Globalization Grants

Grants for chapters and research centers to support academic exchanges and to

address international and cross-cultural scienti�c

understanding.

For more information, email:[email protected]



Conferences

At the all-virtual 2020 Confer-ence on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), 11–15 May, over 33,320 minutes of programming were presented, which equated to more than 2,000 scientific presenta-tions—all delivered in a combi-nation of live and pre-recorded sessions. The presentations dem-

onstrated a wide breadth of advancements and discoveries, reaching almost 20,000 registrants from 75 countries.

The conference, originally planned as an in-person event, was transitioned to an all-virtual format to ensure registrants have access to the high-quality, peer-reviewed technical pro-gram. The Plenary presentations covered diverse topics from flexible display technology to silicon photonics.

In his talk titled “Silicon Photonics,” plenary speaker John Bowers, director of the Institute for Energy Efficiency and pro-fessor, University of California Santa Barbara, USA, provided an overview of recent research and prospects for future results. Silicon photonics has become a mainstream technology for high-volume, low-cost manufacturing of photonic devices and integrated circuits for a wide variety of applications.

Plenary speaker Paul Kwiat, professor, University of Illi-nois at Urbana-Champaign and Director of Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center (IQUIST), USA discussed near-term prospects for multi-photon quantum

processing in his talk titled “Advanced Resources for Optical Quantum Information Processing—the Next Generation.” Re-cent advances in sources, detectors and memories hold promise for a new generation of QIP, with enhanced rates and complex-ity orders of magnitude beyond current capabilities.

Plenary speaker Bill Liu, Chairman and CEO, Royole Cor-poration, China and USA talked about “The Future of Flexible Electronics” particularly fully flexible displays, flexible sensors and their fast-growing applications. The next generation of human-machine interactions or HMI pivots on the wide adop-tion of flexible technology.

In the plenary talk titled “Intelligent Optical Synthesizer: Versatile Control of Optical Waves with Frequency Combs To-wards Innovative Applications,” Kaoru Minoshima, professor,

CLEO 2020: An All-Virtual Conference Experience

Plenary speakers: Paul Kwiat on the next generation of optical quantum information processing; Bill Liu on Flexible Display Tech-nologies; Kaoru Minoshima on the versatile control of optical waves with frequency combs; and John Bowers on Silicon Photonics.

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The co-sponsors would like to recognize the visionaries behind the all-virtual conference, the CLEO 2020 Program Committee.

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The University of Electro-Communications, Japan, discussed how full use of comb properties has opened up broad applica-tions such as direct study of full properties of materials, adap-tive sensing and rapid 3D imaging.

There were 13 special events, market updates and Product Showcases conducted virtually at CLEO, including: “Lidar De-sign Trade-Offs and Selection Criteria for Autonomous Applications”; “M&A and Financing Activity in Sensors and ADAS and Autono-mous Mobility”; “The Brightest Light Initiative: The Future of Ul-trafast Lasers in the United States”; and “Manipulating Quantum

Systems: An Assessment of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in the US by the US National Academy of Sciences”.

The CLEO Exhibit Hall was converted to an online mar-ketplace featuring over 140 exhibitors and corporate sponsors.

The CLEO session recordings are now available on the con-ference website for individuals who registered.

Learn more, here: cleoconference.org

Excerpts from CLEO®: Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics® & Copyright © 2020 Novus Media Today Group, LLC. press release.

Nearly 20,000 registrants and speakers from 75 Countries.

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www.PhotonicsSociety.org

IEEE Women in PhotonicsLeading a Brighter Future

IEEE Photonic Societyʼs Women in Photonics program provides educational development that supports the participation, engagement and advancement of women in the photonics and optics community.

The Women in Photonics program is also seeking to diversify the range of individuals and perspectives influencing the photonics technology and information of tomorrow.

• Encourage and support next generation of women in photonics through STEM outreach and mentorship.

• Encourage gender inclusion within photonics community and Society; editorial boards, conference committees and leadership positions.

WIPGOALS

• Create new volunteer opportunities, local affinity groups and recognition programs to empower women members.

• Develop diverse educational programs, outreach initiatives and training resources.

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http://www.PhotonicsSociety.org


Dates: August 25th - 29th 2020This is our eight Biophotonics and Imaging Graduate Summer School. It is an important opportunity for graduate students in 2020 to access the kind of close contact with leading professors that only this kind of environment facilitates.

Tutors for BIGSS 2020 will include:

Martin Booth (Oxford): Advanced MicroscopySteve Jacques (Washington): Tissue OpticsCaroline Boudoux (Montreal): EndoscopyDavid Sampson (Surrey): OCTSarah Bohndiek (Cambridge): PhotoacousticsArjun Yodh (U. Penn): Brain-NeurophotonicsBrian Wilson (Toronto): Photo Medicine, Radiation Medicine

and Nano MedicineWei Chen (Oklahoma): Photoimmunology

http://tomi.nuigalway.ie/; [email protected]

Copyright © BIGSS 2020 Conference Secretariat, All rights reserved.BIGSS 2020

Deadline for abstracts: 16th March 2020Course corresponds to 5 ECTS

http://tomi.nuigalway.ie/



Publications

Announcing an Issue of the IEEEJOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS on

Advanced Photonic Modulation: Devices, Systems & Techniques

The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) invites manuscript submissions in the area of Advanced Photonic Modulation: Devices, Systems & Techniques. Electro-refraction and electro-absorption light modulation – induced e.g. by carrierdispersion, the Pockels, or Quantum Confined Stark Effect – are at the forefront of modern photonic circuits. Optical modulators are central to most photonic applications including optical telecommunications, Datacom, quantum information processing, deep learning, Lidars, to name just a few. Device specifications required for advanced modulation systems are increasingly difficult to achieve and some strategies such as hybrid integration have been developed to further extend their performance. Alternatively, modulation formats have also been adapted to increase data rates given state-of-the-art component and system characteristics. This special issue focuses on the recent progress of advanced photonic modulation from devices to systems. Topics include

Optical modulation in silicon photonics platforms (plasma dispersion effect, electro-absorption in Ge-based materials) Physical effects for light modulation (Pockels, Kerr, carrier dispersion, Quantum Confined Stark, Franz-Keldysh effects) Ferroelectric materials for optical modulation (BTO, LiNO3….) Doped polymers for ultra-high-speed integrated modulation Hybrid integration for light modulation Strained silicon photonics for Pockels effect. Pure phase integrated modulators Advanced modulator architectures such as resonant or slow wave Advanced technology for electro-optical effects

The scope of the special issue also encompasses system and integration related topics such as Complex modulation formats. Optical transceivers for next generation of high-speed circuits New light modulation paradigms Integration with drive circuitry Multiphysics modeling applied to optical modulation.

The Primary Guest Editor for this issue is Prof. Laurent Vivien, Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (C2N), CNRS, University Paris-Saclay, Palaiseau, France. The Guest Editors of the issue are: Prof. Jeremy Witzens, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany, Dr. David Thomson, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, Prof. Mitsuru Takenaka,The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, Prof. Hon Ki Tsang, Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China

Unedited preprints of accepted manuscripts are normally posted online on IEEE Xplore within 1 week of the final files being uploaded by the author(s) on ScholarOne Manuscripts. Posted preprints have digital object identifiers (DOIs) assigned to them and are fully citable.Once available, the preprints are replaced by final copy-edited and XML-tagged versions of manuscripts on IEEE Xplore. This usually occurs well before the hardcopy publication date. These final versions have article numbers assigned to them to accelerate the online publication; the same article numbers are used for the print versions of JSTQE.

For inquiries, please contact:IEEE Photonics Society JSTQE Editorial Office - Chin Tan Lutz (Phone: 732-465-5813, Email: [email protected])

The following documents are required during the mandatory online submission at: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jstqe-pho.

1) PDF or MS Word manuscript (double column format, up to 12 pages for an invited paper, up to 8 pages for a contributed paper). Manuscripts over the standard page limit will have an overlength charge of $220.00 per page imposed. Biographies of all authors are mandatory during submission, photographs are optional. See the Tools for Authors link:www.ieee.org/web/publications/authors/transjnl/index.html.

2) MS Word document with full contact information for all authors as indicated below:Last name (Family name), First name, Suffix (Dr./Prof./Ms./Mr.), Affiliation, Department, Address, Telephone, Facsimile, Email.

JSTQE uses the iThenticate software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts and previously published papers. Authors should ensure that relevant previously published papers are cited and that instances of similarity are justified by clearly stating the distinction between a submitted paper and previous publications.

Preliminary Call for Papers

Submission Deadline: August 1, 2020Hard Copy Publication: May/June 2021

Announcing an Issue of the IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS on

Biophotonics

The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) invites manuscript submissions in Biophotonics. The emerging field of Biophotonics has opened up new horizons for extensive transfer of state-of-the-art technologies coming from the areas of quantum electronics, lasers and electro-optics to the life sciences and medicine. Recently developed innovative biophotonics technologies impose significant impact on biomedical research and public health, since they provide advanced minimally invasive, rapid and cost-effective techniques for precise diagnostics, monitoring and treatment of a variety of diseases. The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics invites manuscript submissions in the area of Biophotonics. The purpose of this issue of JSTQE is to highlight the recent progress and trends in developing leading-edge biophotonics technologies. Areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

Advanced biophotonics imaging, sensing and diagnostic methods and systems Emerging biophotonics imaging techniques including cellular/intracellular, molecular, 3D endoscopic, translational clinical, photoacoustic,

photothermal, diffuse, phase-sensitive, OCT, confocal, terahertz, machine learning, microscopic and multi-photon in-vivo bioimaging Spectroscopy-based diagnostics including fluorescence, Raman, elastic scattering, evanescence-wave, near-/mid-IR spectroscopy Novel biophotonics sensing techniques Multi-modal biophotonics diagnostics

Progress in minimally-invasive biophotonics therapeutic techniques Ultrashort pulse laser tissue therapeutics Precise laser tissue manipulation in ophthalmology, dentistry, dermatology, cardiology, neurosurgery, photodynamic cancer therapy Robotic and imaging guided targeted laser surgery Novel photobiomodulation therapeutic techniques and dominant light-tissue-interaction mechanisms at cellular and tissue level Light-assisted nerve and neuron-growth stimulation, cellular/tissue repair, optogenetics, photoimmunotherapy optical and laser radiation safety evaluation and dosimetry

Development of novel laser, fiber-optic and electro-optic biophotonics tools and devices

The Primary Guest Editor for this issue is Ilko Ilev, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA. The Guest Editors are: David Nolte, Purdue University, USA; Qiyin Fang, McMaster University, Canada; Giuliano Scarcelli, University of Maryland, USA; Yuji Matsuura, Tohoku University, Japan; William Calhoun, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA; and Thomas Huser, University of Bielefeld, Germany.

The deadline for submission of manuscripts is October 1, 2020. Hardcopy publication of the issue is scheduled for July/August 2021. Unedited preprints of accepted manuscripts are normally posted online on IEEE Xplore within 1 week of the final files being uploaded by the author(s) on ScholarOne Manuscripts. Posted preprints have digital object identifiers (DOIs) assigned to them and are fully citable. Once available, the preprints are replaced by final copy-edited and XML-tagged versions of manuscripts on IEEE Xplore. This usually occurs well before the hardcopy publication date. These final versions have article numbers assigned to them to accelerate the online publication; the same article numbers are used for the print versions of JSTQE.

For inquiries, please contact: IEEE Photonics Society JSTQE Editorial Office - Chin Tan Lutz (Phone: 732-465-5813, Email: [email protected])

The following documents located at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jstqe-pho are required during the mandatory online submission.

1) PDF or MS Word manuscript (double column format, up to 12 pages for an invited paper, up to 8 pages for a contributed paper). Manuscripts over the standard page limit will have an overlength charge of $220.00 per page imposed. Biographies of all authors are mandatory, photographs are optional. See the Tools for Authors link: www.ieee.org/web/publications/authors/transjnl/index.html.


Submission Deadline: October 1, 2020 Hard Copy Publication: July/August 2021

Call for Papers


http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jstqe-pho

http://www.ieee.org/web/publications/authors/transjnl/index.html



Biophotonics

The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) invites manuscript submissions in Biophotonics. The emerging field of Biophotonics has opened up new horizons for extensive transfer of state-of-the-art technologies coming from the areas of quantum electronics, lasers and electro-optics to the life sciences and medicine. Recently developed innovative biophotonics technologies impose significant impact on biomedical research and public health, since they provide advanced minimally invasive, rapid and cost-effective techniques for precise diagnostics, monitoring and treatment of a variety of diseases. The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics invites manuscript submissions in the area of Biophotonics. The purpose of this issue of JSTQE is to highlight the recent progress and trends in developing leading-edge biophotonics technologies. Areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

Advanced biophotonics imaging, sensing and diagnostic methods and systems Emerging biophotonics imaging techniques including cellular/intracellular, molecular, 3D endoscopic, translational clinical, photoacoustic,

photothermal, diffuse, phase-sensitive, OCT, confocal, terahertz, machine learning, microscopic and multi-photon in-vivo bioimaging Spectroscopy-based diagnostics including fluorescence, Raman, elastic scattering, evanescence-wave, near-/mid-IR spectroscopy Novel biophotonics sensing techniques Multi-modal biophotonics diagnostics

Progress in minimally-invasive biophotonics therapeutic techniques Ultrashort pulse laser tissue therapeutics Precise laser tissue manipulation in ophthalmology, dentistry, dermatology, cardiology, neurosurgery, photodynamic cancer therapy Robotic and imaging guided targeted laser surgery Novel photobiomodulation therapeutic techniques and dominant light-tissue-interaction mechanisms at cellular and tissue level Light-assisted nerve and neuron-growth stimulation, cellular/tissue repair, optogenetics, photoimmunotherapy optical and laser radiation safety evaluation and dosimetry

Development of novel laser, fiber-optic and electro-optic biophotonics tools and devices

The Primary Guest Editor for this issue is Ilko Ilev, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA. The Guest Editors are: David Nolte, Purdue University, USA; Qiyin Fang, McMaster University, Canada; Giuliano Scarcelli, University of Maryland, USA; Yuji Matsuura, Tohoku University, Japan; William Calhoun, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA; and Thomas Huser, University of Bielefeld, Germany.

The deadline for submission of manuscripts is October 1, 2020. Hardcopy publication of the issue is scheduled for July/August 2021. Unedited preprints of accepted manuscripts are normally posted online on IEEE Xplore within 1 week of the final files being uploaded by the author(s) on ScholarOne Manuscripts. Posted preprints have digital object identifiers (DOIs) assigned to them and are fully citable. Once available, the preprints are replaced by final copy-edited and XML-tagged versions of manuscripts on IEEE Xplore. This usually occurs well before the hardcopy publication date. These final versions have article numbers assigned to them to accelerate the online publication; the same article numbers are used for the print versions of JSTQE.





Submission Deadline: October 1, 2020 Hard Copy Publication: July/August 2021

Call for Papers






Nanobiophotonics

The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) invites manuscript submissions in Nanobiophotonics. Nanobiophotonics is an advanced field of modern science and biomedical nanotechnology. It has been leading recently to the development of innovative nanotechnologies that provide noninvasive optical imaging, sensing, precise diagnostics and therapeutics at cellular, intracellular and molecular levels with an unprecedented ultrahigh resolution beyond the diffraction barrier in the sub-wavelength nanoscale range (below 100 nm). The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) invites manuscript submissions in the area of Nanobiophotonics. The purpose of this issue of JSTQE is to highlight the recent progress and trends in developing of leading-edge nanobiophotonics technologies. Areas of interest include (but not limited to):

Novel approaches in ultrahigh-resolution nanoimaging and nanoscopy beyond the diffraction limit in the nanoscale range In-vivo cellular/intracellular nanobiophotonics imaging and sensing Single molecule spectroscopy and imaging Plasmonic, quantum-dot, surface-enhanced Raman, and infrared nanoparticle biosensor probes Nanoparticle-enhanced optical diagnostics, therapeutics and theranostics Advanced cancer nanobiophotonics Nonlinear ultrahigh-resolution imaging and diagnostics Optical manipulation of nanoparticles Monitoring biomolecular interactions, structures, and functions on the nanoscale Novel nanobiomaterials engineered for nanobiophotonics applications Noninvasive biophotonics methods for characterizing nanobiomaterials Biocompatibility and phototoxicity of novel nanobiomaterials Emerging nanobiophotonics diagnostic, therapeutic and theranostic devices

The Primary Guest Editor for this issue is Ilko Ilev, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA. The Guest Editors are: Andrea Armani, University of Southern California, USA; James Tunnell, University of Texas at Austin, USA; Beop-Min Kim, Korea University, Korea; Wei-Chuan Shih, University of Houston, USA; Andrew Fales, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA; and Niko Hildebrandt, University of Paris, France.

The deadline for submission of manuscripts is December 1, 2020. Hardcopy issue publication is scheduled for September/October 2021. Unedited preprints of accepted manuscripts are normally posted online on IEEE Xplore within 1 week of the final files being uploaded by the author(s) on ScholarOne Manuscripts. Posted preprints have digital object identifiers (DOIs) assigned to them and are fully citable. Once available, the preprints are replaced by final copy-edited and XML-tagged versions of manuscripts on IEEE Xplore. This usually occurs well before the hardcopy publication date. These final versions have article numbers assigned to them to accelerate the online publication; the same article numbers are used for the print versions of JSTQE.





Submission Deadline: December 1, 2020 Hard Copy Publication: September/October 2021

Call for Papers






Nanobiophotonics

The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) invites manuscript submissions in Nanobiophotonics. Nanobiophotonics is an advanced field of modern science and biomedical nanotechnology. It has been leading recently to the development of innovative nanotechnologies that provide noninvasive optical imaging, sensing, precise diagnostics and therapeutics at cellular, intracellular and molecular levels with an unprecedented ultrahigh resolution beyond the diffraction barrier in the sub-wavelength nanoscale range (below 100 nm). The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) invites manuscript submissions in the area of Nanobiophotonics. The purpose of this issue of JSTQE is to highlight the recent progress and trends in developing of leading-edge nanobiophotonics technologies. Areas of interest include (but not limited to):

Novel approaches in ultrahigh-resolution nanoimaging and nanoscopy beyond the diffraction limit in the nanoscale range In-vivo cellular/intracellular nanobiophotonics imaging and sensing Single molecule spectroscopy and imaging Plasmonic, quantum-dot, surface-enhanced Raman, and infrared nanoparticle biosensor probes Nanoparticle-enhanced optical diagnostics, therapeutics and theranostics Advanced cancer nanobiophotonics Nonlinear ultrahigh-resolution imaging and diagnostics Optical manipulation of nanoparticles Monitoring biomolecular interactions, structures, and functions on the nanoscale Novel nanobiomaterials engineered for nanobiophotonics applications Noninvasive biophotonics methods for characterizing nanobiomaterials Biocompatibility and phototoxicity of novel nanobiomaterials Emerging nanobiophotonics diagnostic, therapeutic and theranostic devices

The Primary Guest Editor for this issue is Ilko Ilev, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA. The Guest Editors are: Andrea Armani, University of Southern California, USA; James Tunnell, University of Texas at Austin, USA; Beop-Min Kim, Korea University, Korea; Wei-Chuan Shih, University of Houston, USA; Andrew Fales, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA; and Niko Hildebrandt, University of Paris, France.

The deadline for submission of manuscripts is December 1, 2020. Hardcopy issue publication is scheduled for September/October 2021. Unedited preprints of accepted manuscripts are normally posted online on IEEE Xplore within 1 week of the final files being uploaded by the author(s) on ScholarOne Manuscripts. Posted preprints have digital object identifiers (DOIs) assigned to them and are fully citable. Once available, the preprints are replaced by final copy-edited and XML-tagged versions of manuscripts on IEEE Xplore. This usually occurs well before the hardcopy publication date. These final versions have article numbers assigned to them to accelerate the online publication; the same article numbers are used for the print versions of JSTQE.





Submission Deadline: December 1, 2020 Hard Copy Publication: September/October 2021

Call for Papers Announcing an Issue of the IEEE

JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS on

Semiconductor Lasers

The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) invites manuscript submissions in the area of Semiconductor Lasers. Topics can include:

UVB and UVC lasers, and quantum interband or intersubband cascade lasers, to extend operation wavelengths further into the ultra-violet and terahertz;

Nanoscale, sub-wavelength sized lasers;

Vertically emitting lasers, such as VCSELs, external cavity surface emitting lasers, and disc lasers;

High-power lasers, including beam combining, single-wavelength and multi-wavelength lasers, mode-locked and Q-switched lasers, and directly-modulated lasers;

Lasers based on novel semiconductor materials, such as germanium and silicon, transition-metal dichalcogenide, solution processed gain, and/or novel heterostructures, such as quantum dot, well and wire lasers;

Laser modeling and experimental characterization of, for example, gain, noise, nonlinearities and dynamics;

Integration of lasers on existing and non-native integration platforms, such as silicon and silicon nitride, through, e.g., wafer-bonding, transfer printing, and heteroepitaxy, and laser-enabled photonic integrated circuits.

The Primary Guest Editor for this issue is Martijn Heck, Aarhus University, Denmark, and Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. The Guest Editors are: Qing Gu, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA, Åsa Haglund, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, Jonathan Klamkin, University of California Santa Barbara, USA, Shinji Matsuo, NTT, Japan, and Marc Sciamanna, CentraleSupélec, France.Unedited preprints of accepted manuscripts are normally posted online on IEEE Xplore within 1 week of the final files being uploaded by the author(s) on ScholarOne Manuscripts. Posted preprints have digital object identifiers (DOIs) assigned to them and are fully citable. Once available, the preprints are replaced by final copy-edited and XML-tagged versions of manuscripts on IEEE Xplore. This usually occurs well before the hardcopy publication date. These final versions have article numbers assigned to them to accelerate the online publication; the same article numbers are used for the print versions of JSTQE.

For inquiries, please contact:IEEE Photonics Society JSTQE Editorial Office - Chin Tan Lutz (Phone: 732-465-5813, Email: [email protected])

The following documents are required during the mandatory online submission at: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jstqe-pho.

1) PDF or MS Word manuscript (double column format, up to 12 pages for an invited paper, up to 8 pages for a contributed paper). Manuscripts over the standard page limit will have an overlength charge of $220.00 per page imposed. Biographies of all authors are mandatory, photographs are optional. See the Tools for Authors link:www.ieee.org/web/publications/authors/transjnl/index.html.

2) MS Word document with full contact information for all authors as indicated below:Last name (Family name), First name, Suffix (Dr./Prof./Ms./Mr.), Affiliation, Department, Address, Telephone, Facsimile, Email.


Call for Papers

Submission Deadline: April 1, 2021Hard Copy Publication: January/February 2022





Announcing an Issue of the IEEE Photonics Technology Letters

Special Issue on

IEEE Photonics Conference 2020 (IPC 2020)

The IEEE Photonics Technology Letters ( PTL ) will publish a special issue featuring selected papers from the IEEE Photonic Conference 2 0 2 0 ( IPC2 0 2 0 ) , V ancouver, Canada scheduled for September 2 7 th – O ctober 1 st 2 0 2 0 . This special issue offers an opportunity to expand accepted IPC2 0 2 0 papers into IEEE Photonic Technology L etter papers, providing additional technical results and/ or further discussions and insights, expanding beyond the 2 -page IPC2 0 2 0 papers. A ll invited and contributed papers presented at IPC 2 0 2 0 conference are invited to submit the extended version ( 4 -page compliant to IEEE PTL format) of their work to this special issue. A ll manuscripts submitted to this issue will go through the standard review process according to the PTL review guidelines.

Guest Editors: Z etian M i, U niversity of M ichigan, U SA Christina L im, The U niversity of M elbourne, A ustralia Weidong Z hou, U niversity of Texas at A rlington, U SA D ominique D agenais, National Science Foundation, U SA Submissions by website: ScholarO ne M anuscripts: https:/ / mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ ptl-ieee Manuscript Type: “IPC2020” Submission questions: Sylvia H inkson, IEEE Photonics Technology L etters ( s.hinkson@ ieee.org)

Submission Deadline: January 15, 2021 Hard Copy Publication: May 15, 2021

Call for Papers

Announcement of IEEE/OSA Journal of Optical Communications and Networking (JOCN)

Special Issue on Machine Learning Applied to QoT Estimation in Optical Networks

Submission Deadline: 8 September 2020 Publication Date: Spring 2021

Machine learning (ML) has been proposed for a variety of applications in optical networks, including lightpath quality-of-transmission (QoT) estimation. ML holds promise to expeditiously and accurately evaluate the performance of a proposed lightpath. It may involve tracking, and learning from, the characteristics of live connections, and extending this knowledge to future connections (possibly through transfer learning). There are numerous aspects that need further investigation, including: minimizing false positives while also minimizing the system margin; scalability with respect to data tracking, storage, and processing; capturing the relevant optical impairments with good accuracy; application to networks requiring regeneration; greenfield vs. brownfield scenarios; application to real-time dynamic adjustment of connection parameters; application to open/disaggregated networks. Furthermore, intermediary steps towards an ML-based approach should be investigated as network operators may be reluctant to adopt a completely new operational paradigm.

The purpose of this special issue is to investigate the current status of, and future prospects for, ML-based QoT estimation, with a focus on practical application.

Specifically, the scope of the special issue includes but is not limited to the following topics: Novel practical application of ML for QoT estimation in optical networks. Must clearly demonstrate benefits

as compared to more conventional techniques and to other ML-based approaches. The application of ML-based QoT estimation in specific network environments: e.g., low-margin,

open/disaggregated, multi-domain, greenfield, brownfield, dynamic, networks requiring regeneration Modeling tools that work in concert with an ML approach to capture optical impairments Analysis of which system features provide the most ‘bang for the buck’ for data tracking ML-based classifier techniques (binary or binned) vs. finer ML-based QoT estimation methods Judicious use of probes and/or optical monitors, and the cost impact Using ML to improve the precision of input parameters for more traditional offline QoT tools Vulnerabilities engendered by the use of ML-based QoT estimation

Submissions to the special issue should be prepared according to the usual standards for the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking and will undergo the normal peer review process. Manuscripts must be uploaded through OSA's online submission system specifying from the Feature Issue drop-down menu that the manuscript is for the issue on Machine Learning Applied to QoT Estimation in Optical Networks.

Special Issue Guest EditorsYvan Pointurier – Huawei Technologies, France – Lead Guest Editor Jelena Pesic – Nokia Bell Labs, France Cristina Rottondi - Politecnico di Torino, Italy Luis Velasco - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain

https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ptl-ieee



Announcing an Issue of the IEEE Photonics Technology Letters

Special Issue on

IEEE Photonics Conference 2020 (IPC 2020)

The IEEE Photonics Technology Letters ( PTL ) will publish a special issue featuring selected papers from the IEEE Photonic Conference 2 0 2 0 ( IPC2 0 2 0 ) , V ancouver, Canada scheduled for September 2 7 th – O ctober 1 st 2 0 2 0 . This special issue offers an opportunity to expand accepted IPC2 0 2 0 papers into IEEE Photonic Technology L etter papers, providing additional technical results and/ or further discussions and insights, expanding beyond the 2 -page IPC2 0 2 0 papers. A ll invited and contributed papers presented at IPC 2 0 2 0 conference are invited to submit the extended version ( 4 -page compliant to IEEE PTL format) of their work to this special issue. A ll manuscripts submitted to this issue will go through the standard review process according to the PTL review guidelines.

Guest Editors: Z etian M i, U niversity of M ichigan, U SA Christina L im, The U niversity of M elbourne, A ustralia Weidong Z hou, U niversity of Texas at A rlington, U SA D ominique D agenais, National Science Foundation, U SA Submissions by website: ScholarO ne M anuscripts: https:/ / mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ ptl-ieee Manuscript Type: “IPC2020” Submission questions: Sylvia H inkson, IEEE Photonics Technology L etters ( s.hinkson@ ieee.org)

Submission Deadline: January 15, 2021 Hard Copy Publication: May 15, 2021

Call for Papers

Announcement of IEEE/OSA Journal of Optical Communications and Networking (JOCN)

Special Issue on Machine Learning Applied to QoT Estimation in Optical Networks

Submission Deadline: 8 September 2020 Publication Date: Spring 2021

Machine learning (ML) has been proposed for a variety of applications in optical networks, including lightpath quality-of-transmission (QoT) estimation. ML holds promise to expeditiously and accurately evaluate the performance of a proposed lightpath. It may involve tracking, and learning from, the characteristics of live connections, and extending this knowledge to future connections (possibly through transfer learning). There are numerous aspects that need further investigation, including: minimizing false positives while also minimizing the system margin; scalability with respect to data tracking, storage, and processing; capturing the relevant optical impairments with good accuracy; application to networks requiring regeneration; greenfield vs. brownfield scenarios; application to real-time dynamic adjustment of connection parameters; application to open/disaggregated networks. Furthermore, intermediary steps towards an ML-based approach should be investigated as network operators may be reluctant to adopt a completely new operational paradigm.

The purpose of this special issue is to investigate the current status of, and future prospects for, ML-based QoT estimation, with a focus on practical application.

Specifically, the scope of the special issue includes but is not limited to the following topics: Novel practical application of ML for QoT estimation in optical networks. Must clearly demonstrate benefits

as compared to more conventional techniques and to other ML-based approaches. The application of ML-based QoT estimation in specific network environments: e.g., low-margin,

open/disaggregated, multi-domain, greenfield, brownfield, dynamic, networks requiring regeneration Modeling tools that work in concert with an ML approach to capture optical impairments Analysis of which system features provide the most ‘bang for the buck’ for data tracking ML-based classifier techniques (binary or binned) vs. finer ML-based QoT estimation methods Judicious use of probes and/or optical monitors, and the cost impact Using ML to improve the precision of input parameters for more traditional offline QoT tools Vulnerabilities engendered by the use of ML-based QoT estimation

Submissions to the special issue should be prepared according to the usual standards for the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking and will undergo the normal peer review process. Manuscripts must be uploaded through OSA's online submission system specifying from the Feature Issue drop-down menu that the manuscript is for the issue on Machine Learning Applied to QoT Estimation in Optical Networks.

Special Issue Guest EditorsYvan Pointurier – Huawei Technologies, France – Lead Guest Editor Jelena Pesic – Nokia Bell Labs, France Cristina Rottondi - Politecnico di Torino, Italy Luis Velasco - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain


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Breakthroughs in the generation of light and in its control and utilization have given rise to the field of Photonics, a rapidly expanding area of science and technology with major technological and economic impact. Photonics integrates quantum electronics and optics to accelerate progress in the generation of novel photon sources and in their utilization in emerging applications at the micro and nano scales spanningfrom the far-infrared/THz to the x-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The IEEE Photonics Journal welcomes original contributions addressing issues ranging from fundamental understanding to emerging technologies and applications.

• Photon sources from far infrared to X-rays• Photonics materials and engineered photonic structures• Integrated optics and optoelectronic• Ultrafast, attosecond, high field and short wavelength photonics• Biophotonics, including DNA photonics• Nanophotonics

• Fundamentals of light propagation and interaction; nonlinear effects• Optical data storage• Fiber optics and optical communications devices, systems, and technologies• Micro Opto Electro Mechanical Systems (MOEMS)• Microwave photonics• Optical Sensors

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Photonics Society Mission StatementPhotonics Society shall advance the interests of its members and the laser, optoelectronics, and photonics professional community by:• providing opportunities for information exchange, continuing education, and professional growth;• publishing journals, sponsoring conferences, and supporting local chapter and student activities;• formally recognizing the professional contributions of members;• representing the laser, optoelectronics, and photonics community and serving as its advocate within the IEEE, the broader scientific

and technical community, and society at large.

Photonics Society Field of InterestThe Society’s Field of Interest is lasers, optical and photonic devices, optical fibers, and associated lightwave technology and their systems and applications. The society is concerned with transforming the science of materials, optical phenomena, and quantum electronic devices into the design, development, and manufacture of photonic technologies. The Society promotes and cooperates in the educational and technical activities which contribute to the useful expansion of the field of quantum opto-electronics and applications.

The Society shall aid in promoting close cooperation with other IEEE societies and councils in the form of joint publications, sponsorships of meetings, and other forms of information exchange. Appropriate cooperative efforts will also be undertaken with non-IEEE societies.

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Photonics During Coronavirus · of Lasers & Electro-Optics (CLEO), was offered 100% virtual. CLEO was an extremely well attended event from the num - ber of registrants, reaching