The Suzanne R. Nagel Lounge

Offered throughout the exhibit.

How do you make sense of the chaos of the show floor?  How do the players fit together into the “value chain” jigsaw puzzle?  What are the “must see” exhibits?  How do you approach exhibitors and other colleagues to learn new things and expand your network of contacts, or seek a job?  Come to the Lounge for an informal and friendly discussion and get answers to all your questions.

Speaker

Tom Hausken, Senior Industry Advisor, Optica, USA

Changing careers, starting a new job, moving locally, across the country, or across the world brings its own sets of challenges; some are obvious, and some we must learn to overcome with time. This session will focus on ‘cultural adaptation,’ and ‘planning for success’ through fostering a ‘growth mindset’ in a new environment. We will share differences between global, local, and corporate cultural expectations and how to navigate career growth amidst change.

Speakers

Rafaela Frota, Optical Engineer, IBM, USA

Faezeh Gholami, STSM, Chief Architect zSystems I/O Development and Data Center Connectivity, IBM, USA

In addition to the typical challenges one can face in research career, such as short contracts, job hunting, publishing and funding pressure, researchers coming from different countries face additional obstacles and suffer from the increased level of stress and uncertainty when making life choices. It includes both objective barriers, for example, visa costs and delays, bureaucratic issues in renting and confirming your resident status, and things, affecting mental health, as homesickness and lack of community. In the talk, we will walk through some examples, recall stories of our colleagues, try to learn from different industries.

Speaker

Anastasiia Vasylchenkova, Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow, University College London, UnitedKingdom

Offered throughout the exhibit.

Being part of a diverse group can bring various challenges particularly in times of need. It can be difficult to seek support in situations when others around you are not directly experienced the same pain. However, Optica and other organizations have provided support to their members in such times. In this session we will chat about some of the ways we can seek support or offer support in our communities or organizations.

Speaker

Faezeh Gholami, STSM, Chief Architect zSystems I/O Development and Data Center Connectivity, IBM, USA

Scientists and engineers are, by nature,  inquisitive and drawn to the newest innovations. As a parent, I understand that it is more important than ever to think about how these innovations can impact – for better or worse – our world. As we continue to make incredible advances, pressing the boundaries of physics and the conceivable limits of photonics, today’s innovations require sustainability models to be relevant. Join me to discuss how Fujitsu is working to create a sustainable mindset in our corporate goal-setting and explore how we all can help ensure the next generation of scientists and engineers must innovate with a sustainability mindset. 

Speaker

Heidi Westbrook , Senior Client Executive, Cloud Infrastructure Providers, Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc., USA

Having kids, or other family members, who depend on you can be a challenge in any field but comes with extra challenges when you must attend conferences like OFC. Come chat with OFC Program Chair Nick Fontaine about ideas for what to do with kids when you travel and the everyday challenge of raising a family with a career in Optics.

Speaker

Nick Fontaine, Nokia Bell Labs, USA

8 March is International Women’s Day. Join us for a networking reception to celebrate the incredible contributions of women to our community.

We will start 30 minutes before the show floor opens for exhibitors looking to update their headshots. 

Offered throughout the exhibit.

Taking on whatever work you are asked to do will not necessarily advance your career. Let’s talk about why women tend to be unfairly burdened with “non-promotable work,” leaving them overworked and overlooked for promotion, and what you can do to avoid that trap!  

Speaker

Alejandra Beghelli, Lecturer, Deputy Director of Equality, Diversity and, Inclusion Electronic & Electrical Engineering Department, University College London, UnitedKingdom

What you can do as an undergraduate student that will help prepare you for the corporate world and landing that dream job. Let’s chat about opportunities to take advantage of, how to expand your network in a goal-driven way, and how to job search when graduation is near. I will share what worked for me, and what I would have done differently with what I know now.

Speaker

Rafaela Frota, Optical Engineer, IBM, USA

Join Shan to discusses the lessons she has learned throughout her career and how choices she made, opportunities she took advantage of, and the people she met along the way have influenced her career. She will share why working hard is not enough, but you have to be curious, try something scary, believe in yourself and step up to lead.

Speaker

Jun Shan Wey, Distinguished Engineer, Technology Standards Planning, Verizon Communications, Inc., USA

Join Gabriella for a lively discussion on the relationship between conferences and journals and the publishing and what she has learned as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Lightwave Technology and a member of the OFC Steering Committee. She is ready to discuss volunteering as an editor or meeting committee member including what she looks for when recruiting new volunteers, the responsibilities of these positions and why you should get involved.  

Speaker

Gabriella Bosco, Professor, Politecnico di Torino, Italy

Volunteering is a two-way street; it benefits the volunteers as much as those they are serving. We will share thought and experiences about how we can grow our career, network, and skills through giving back and helping others achieving their goals.

Speaker

Faezeh Gholami, STSM, Chief Architect zSystems I/O Development and Data Center Connectivity, IBM, USA