Sydney Optica Local Section
Welcome to the new Optica Local Section in Sydney!
The Sydney Local Section of Optica (formerly OSA) was formed in 2018, with the aim of fostering collaboration and networking between researchers, scientists and engineers working in the field of optics and photonics across academia and industry in Sydney.
Upcoming Seminars in Sydney
Please share the info about upcoming seminars and events in Sydney (email: mikolaj.schmidt@mq.edu.au)
Mid-term elections (August 2022)
Our superstar Haoran Ren is off to Monash to start his DECRA. Best of luck Haoran, thanks so much for your service! Alessandro Tuniz was elected as secretary. Welcome Alessandro!
International Day of Light Speed Dating! (May 2022)
The Sydney OPTICA Local Section invites you to celebrate the International Day of Light with a session of Scientific Speed Dating!
About this event: You will get a chance to chat to your colleagues from various photonics research groups and industry representatives from Sydney, to tell them about your research, and hear about theirs. And perhaps find a question or two that excites you both? We will provide snack and drinks on the day. You just register, bring an open mind, and a head full of ideas!
Where: University of Technology Sydney, Building 4, Level 5, MAPS Foyer
Follow the map: https://maps.uts.edu.au/map.cfm?point=824#mapcontainer
(we will update you on the access to the building before the event)
When: Monday, May 16 5-7 pm
Optica Seminar Series (September-October 2021)
These were a great success! Thank you Haoran, Alessandro, and Moritz for organizing.
Elections (June 2021)
In early June 2021, the Sections has elected a new President (Mikolaj K. Schmidt) and Secretary (Haoran Ren), respectively, and asked Moritz Merklein and Alexander Solntsev to stay in their roles as the Vice-President and the Treasurer, to which they kindly agreed.
We would like to use this opportunity to thank our departing President Alvaro Casas-Bedoya for successfully leading us through the very challenging 18 months, and seeing the Section even grow in numbers at the end of his term!
Note on following the Section (January 2021)
For the latest on the activities of the Section (formal and informal events, seminar, mixers, and latest publications), please follow our Twitter account (@SydneyLocalOSA)!
Upcoming Event (December 2019)
Capture the process of a ‘PhD in photonics’ in a time span of 16 minutes!
During your research, do you ever get frustrated that you’re doing things not as efficient and effective as they should be? That a lot of your activities are wasteful, and do not contribute to improving the state-of-the-art? This is probably true for most researchers, both in industry and academia. Lean provides you with a framework that helps you highlight the origins of these frustrations and maybe even reduce the waste in your research.
When: Mon. 9 December 2019, 12:00 pm – 6:30 pm AEDT
Where: Sydney Nanoscience Hub (A31) SNH Meeting Room 4020 (20), Camperdown, NSW 2006
Registration link: Click
Seminar (Oct 2019)
A new light on quantum computing (2019 Dr Peter Domachuk Memorial Lecture)
Date and time: Wednesday 2 October, 6 – 7.30 pm
Venue: Messel Lecture Theatre (4002), Sydney Nanoscience Hub, The University of Sydney (Camperdown/Darlington Campus)
For more information, please follow the link.
Event (June 2019)
Join us for a special night of exploration Sydney VIVID and meet the local artist George Buchanan, the creator of Beetopia!
Following our success in celebrating the International Day of Light, Sydney OSA local section invites you to meet one of VIVID's artists and explore Beetopia instalation for yourself as a VIP guest on the 12th of June at 6 pm. The group number is limited to 40, so don't miss our on this opportunity! Find out more info from this link!
Past Events (May 2019)
The Sydney Optical Society (OSA) local section and student chapters are pleased to invite you to celebrate the International Day of Light 2019!
We are delighted to support this global initiative that provides a focal point for everyone with appreciation of light and passion for optics and photonics (https://www.lightday.org/).
We invite all OSA and Australian Optical Society (AOS) members in Sydney to celebrate the International Day of Light, network and hear from local optics communities. We prepared an exciting program for you and proud to officially launch our local section on the International Day of Light!
Please register your attendance by following the link!
Event (November 2018)
Networking Event with Wine & Cheese
We held our first networking event at UTS in November 2018, principally targeted at early to mid-career researchers. Many local OSA members attended and connected through 'research speed-dating' and over wine and cheese.
Committee
President: Mikolaj K. Schmidt (MQ)
Vice-President: Moritz Merklein (USYD)
Treasurer: Alexander Solntsev (UTS)
Secretary: Alessandro Tuniz (USYD)
Advisors: Arti Agrawal, Irina Kabakova (UTS), Michael J. Steel (MQ)
If you'd like to join the committee to help plan future events, or simply offer suggestions for opportunities you'd like to see, please contact us!
Optica (formerly OSA) is an international professional body offering technical, professional and community resources for those working in optics and photonics. Our Local Section of the Optica —the first of its kind in Australia—aims to extend the benefits of being actively involved in the optics community by forming a new platform for researchers and professionals in Sydney.
We have a number of social and professional development events being planned, so please check this page for updates (or subscribe to our Twitter feed). Membership is free and new members are very welcome to join! We're also keen to hear your views and ideas for fun and career-enhancing events. So please get in touch to share your thoughts or to join our mailing list.