Programs
DLS Symposium on Undergraduate Research
The 24th DLS Symposium on Undergraduate Research was held on Monday, September 23, 2024 in conjunction with the FiO LS conference in Denver, CO. There were 59 presentations, all given by students reporting on projects they performed at 30 universities and research institutes. There were a few second authors to some submissions, so the total number of student presenters were 63. Twenty four of the presenters were female, an impressive representation of 38%.
Over the years, the Undergraduate Symposia have brought over 900 students to the annual DLS meeting to present what are often the first research papers of their budding careers. In the past three years, the symposia brought together participants with students participating in a program launched by Optica called “Amplify Optics Immersion”. This program seeks to bring together Black physics and engineering undergraduate or graduate students to explore research and career opportunities within optics and photonics at the FiO LS meeting.
Student comments included: “It was very exciting to present my research at such a large conference and to see so many other students interested in optics…I'm so grateful to have been a part of this program and group, and it was an incredible experience. Thank you so much!”
“The student symposium was so much fun!! It was a pleasure meeting you all, thank you for having me be part of it.”
“I enjoyed how the undergraduate symposium was mid-day and not overlapped with other talks so I had a chance to see all of the morning events.”
“I had an excellent time at the conference! I presented a poster and I liked the layout of having the oral talk afterwards! …Thank you for this opportunity!”
“I had a wonderful time and I am very grateful for the experience. Overall, the poster presentation was great for practicing and learning what other undergraduates are doing. It was interesting and helpful to see other students in similar circumstances and get advice from them on continuing along the research path. I especially enjoyed meeting grad students and seniors since they could express their perspective.”
“Thank you for this wonderful opportunity! I had a great experience presenting my poster, meeting many incredible people, and attending some of the FiO + LS technical sessions…“
“I want to say that the symposium was really great. I met and talked to a lot of people. I also learned a lot from others. I enjoyed it very much.”
“Thank you again for organizing this amazing symposium! I got to practice presenting at a conference setting and learned a lot of interesting optics research that are not conducted in my own college…”
“This event definitely had a great impact on my academic path. This is actually my first chance to attend a formal conference and symposium section like this, and I learned valuable knowledge and experiences through both the poster section and the given talks. This is a perfect chance for me to show my work, discuss my research, and even rethink my progress. Even more important is the chance for me to meet peers who are working on similar topics…I made really good friendships through the event and learned valuable lessons as well..“
“I really valued the opportunity to meet other undergraduate physics researchers in photonics. I've never been to a conference like this before.. I feel more prepared for future conferences with this experience under my belt…I was really impressed with everyone’s work—the presenters did a wonderful job preparing comprehensible slides…. Everyone’s posters looked really professional…”
“The event was beneficial both personally and professionally…it was really nice to connect with other students with similar interests. Also, talking to other students at the poster session made me aware of so many other research areas in optics, and got me rethinking what I want to specialize for grad school. The poster/ oral scheme was laid out perfectly. Overall, the conference was great, and I hope to attend next year.”
“...the conference was amazing! I had a wonderful time meeting everyone and seeing all the amazing work being done around the world. It truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I will never forget what an amazing first conference this was!”
The Symposium is supported by DLS, NSF, Optica, AIP, the Society of Physics Students, Thorlabs, East Coast Optical Technologies, Photonics Industries, and students’ home institutions.
The Undergraduate Research Symposium has been organized for many years by Harold Metcalf, Stony Brook University, and he has been joined by co-organizer Samir Bali, Miami University, since 2019.
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