“During my internships and student jobs at different companies like ZEISS, TRUMPF, and Fraunhofer ILT, I was convinced that optics is the field I wanted to pursue”, says Yamila, second-year master’s student in the photonics programme at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. “I searched for different programmes in optics and photonics, and in the end, I went for the experience abroad in Brussels. I felt very welcomed at VUB, the people of Brussels Photonics (‘B-PHOT’) are really open-hearted. Especially as a member of the B-PHOT Student Chapter, I would like to support new students and keep that good connection alive.”

“These students have all demonstrated their potential to make long-term contributions to the optics and photonics community, and we are thoroughly impressed with the students’ accomplishments”, says Brian Primeau, the 2023 SPIE Scholarship Committee chair on the SPIE website. “The committee members and I look forward to seeing what this class of students brings to the world as they begin or continue their careers in optics and photonics.”