/ Women in Photonics Technologies / Audio and Video Resources
Women in Photonics Technologies (WiPT) virtual forums are hosted every quarter via Zoom. During forums, the WiPT members come together to share their knowledge, network, collaborate, and mentor. To find the date, time, and link for an upcoming get-together, visit the WiPT landing page.
You can always access video recordings posted on this page if you don’t have an opportunity to dial in for the live event.
Women in Photonics Technologies Workgroup forum, September 7th, 2022
Featuring: Katie Schwertz
Katie serves as a Design Engineering Manager at Edmund Optics, AZ. She has over a decade of industry experience working on applied optical and optomechanical design. Her design of optical solutions found applications in various market applications: life sciences, medical imaging, defense & aerospace, infrared, R&D, and automated imaging. In addition to her primary responsibilities, Katie serves on the SPIE Board of Directors. During the forum, Katie shared her takeaways and lessons learned “Tips for Career Success in Optics and Photonics” as she navigated the optics industry.
Women in Photonics Technologies Workgroup forum, June 8th, 2022
Featuring: Desiré Whitmore, PhD.
Desiré currently serves as a Staff Physicist Educator in Exploratorium. During the forum, she shared about her academic and professional paths “What’s Light Got to Do with It? The Academic Adventures of a LASERchick”. Prior to joining the Exploratorium team, Desiré taught optics and photonics at Irvine Valley College, CA, and she is very familiar with barriers that female students face when pursuing their degrees in photonics/optics technologies.
Featuring: Desiré Whitmore, PhD.
Desiré currently serves as a Staff Physicist Educator in Exploratorium. During the forum, she shared about her academic and professional paths “What’s Light Got to Do with It? The Academic Adventures of a LASERchick”. Prior to joining the Exploratorium team, Desiré taught optics and photonics at Irvine Valley College, CA, and she is very familiar with barriers that female students face when pursuing their degrees in photonics/optics technologies.
“Light Talks” is a series of our 20-minute video podcasts that feature stories of women technicians in photonics, optics, lasers, and fiber optics. The podcasts are planned, produced, and recorded by our graduates of photonics college programs – Andrea Romig and Cierstynn Welcher.
Andrea Romig is a graduate of the Stonehill College Advanced Manufacturing and Integrated Photonics certificate program, MA. She currently works as a Photonics Technician at SiPhox Inc, a Y Combinator Start-up. After working for over 15 years in broadcasting, she’s taking an even deeper look into our world with cutting-edge photonic sensing.
Cierstynn Welcher is a graduate of the Laser and Optics Technology Program at Indian Hills Community College, IA. She is wearing multiple hats and currently works as a Beam Control Operator and Target Area Coordinator at the largest laser in the world at the National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Light Talks: Podcast 1
Featuring: Lisa Burrows
Lisa is a graduate of a college photonics program and currently serves as the Laser and Alignment Systems Engineering Work Center Supervisor at the National Ignition Facility Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the world’s largest and highest-energy laser. Lisa shared her path from the photonics college program to a senior management role in a national laboratory.