In total, 20 students successfully defended their master’s theses for an audience of fellow students, professors, researchers and external experts, demonstrating the research and reporting skills they learned in the 24 months leading up to this final highlight. 

The Summer Symposium also celebrated individual achievements. Arturo Fernandez Gamez was awarded the Best Thesis Award for his thesis project on ‘Silicon Nitride External Cavity Lasers enabled by micro-transfer printing’ at UGent. His work not only demonstrated depth and impact but also set a high bar for future thesis projects. 

Halewijn Van den Bossche won the Best Presentation Award. The talk on his research at VUB entitled ‘Lab-on-a-Chip for Bacterial Identification combining SERS and Machine Learning’ stood out for its clarity and engaging delivery. Halewijn’s ability to distil complex information into digestible insights for the general public convinced the jury. 

After the formal part, it was time for a joyous and well-deserved celebration! Students and professors gathered for some drinks, reflecting on their shared journey, looking back with a sense of accomplishment and making plans for future endeavours. 

The 2023-2024 Summer Symposium was more than an exhibition of academic excellence. It was also a celebration of a strong photonics community at VUB and UGent, a community committed to fostering the photonics engineers of the next generation.