Ambassadors mentor and inspire early-career professionals and students worldwide through virtual and in-person programs
WASHINGTON - The Optica Foundation announces ten exceptional early-career members who will serve as the 2022 class of Optica Ambassadors. This year's class will join previous honorees (2016-2021) in their mission to support student chapters and host professional development events. Additionally, they are charged with promoting the importance of a diverse and inclusive science ecosystem and bridging connections between academia and industry.
"The ambassador program empowers those recognized to leverage their passion and drive to make a difference in the optics community," said Eric Mazur, Harvard University, chair of the Optica Foundation Board of Directors. "Through this program, these individuals will influence and inspire the next generation. Optica Ambassadors help retain more great minds in optics and photonics and support local communities through grassroots activities."
As emerging leaders, Ambassadors provide career advice, technical knowledge and mentorship. The previous class of ambassadors selected the 2022 ambassadors. All program participants receive a lifetime Ambassador distinction visible in the member directory for their continuing efforts.
"As an ambassador, I have been able to support various virtual and in-person events in so many different countries. When selecting this year's class, there were some hard decisions. I'm confident we have a class of change-makers committed to creating opportunities for others," said 2021 ambassador Margaret Dominguez, NASA.
The 2022 Ambassadors are:
Barbara Buades, MEETOPTICS, Spain
Brandon Buscaino, Ciena Corporation, USA
Alessandra Carmichael-Martins, Indiana University Bloomington, USA
Jhonattan Cordoba Ramirez, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil
Sangyeon Cho, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA
Faezeh Gholami, IBM, USA
Alexander Jantzen, Aquark Technologies, United Kingdom
Hyeon Jeong Lee, Zhejiang University, China
Rodrigo da Silva Benevides, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Richard Zeltner, Menlo Systems GmbH, Germany
Optica Foundation
