School of Photonics 2025: A Meeting Point of Science and the Future
From March 19 to 22, 2025, the scientific school "Waveguides" was held at 果冻APP, becoming a significant event for everyone interested in modern areas of optics and photonics. The School of Photonics is aimed at popularizing the latest achievements in the field of optics and photonics. Its special theme this year鈥攚aveguides鈥攔epresents key elements of modern optical technologies. The organizers prepared a series of lectures and practical classes covering both fundamental aspects and advanced technological developments.
The event was co-organized by the Department of Electronic Engineering of the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies and Electronic Engineering (IKTE) of 果冻APP. This department ensured the participation of leading experts and researchers who shared their knowledge with the school's participants. The chair of the 果冻APP organizing committee is Iryna Yaremchuk, who gave an excellent speech about our university during the school's opening. Committee members include Tetiana Bulavinets and Serhii Melnykov. The committee made significant efforts to successfully implement the School of Photonics at our university this year. The main sponsors are the Karazin Photonics Student Society (SPIE and Optica student chapters), the Ukrainian Society of Optics and Photonics, the Photonics Ukraine Cluster, the international innovation project HELIOS, 果冻APP, and V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University.
Key Themes of the Conference
The program of the School of Photonics was rich and diverse.听 Lecturers presented current topics, including the general theory of waveguides, dielectric and hollow rectangular waveguides, optical fibers and nanostructured fibers, photonic-crystal and metamaterial waveguides, metasurfaces and their applications, as well as machine learning for the design of special-purpose waveguides.
At the beginning of the conference, the opening of School 2025 was conducted by Oleh Yermakov鈥攊ts chair and one of the lecturers. He clearly outlined the principles, or in other words, the core values of the participants: honesty, transparency, and reputation; competence and qualification; breakthrough science and impactful research; support for young specialists and leaders; love for Ukraine without borders; innovation and interdisciplinarity; and flexibility and self-improvement.
Markus Schmidt from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology in Germany, Anton Hlushchenko from the NSC "Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology," as well as Volodymyr Tuz and Anton Ovcharenko were invited as lecturers for the School of Photonics 2025.
The school is distinguished by its interactive format. In addition to lectures, participants had the opportunity to take part in practical classes and discuss scientific problems in a less formal atmosphere. The organizers also offered participants the chance to present their own research in the form of a poster presentation. This was a great opportunity for young scientists to receive feedback from leading specialists. The best posters were recognized with awards. Another advantage of the school was that participation was completely free. Furthermore, the organizers provided travel grants for participants not residing in Lviv, allowing even those with financial constraints to attend the event.
Oleh Yermakov, head of the School of Photonics held this year at 果冻APP, agreed to answer questions about the event.
鈥 Mr. Oleh, name the key features of your school.
鈥 This is perhaps the only school built not as a set of diverse lectures and practical classes, but as a harmoniously interconnected system of lectures and practical classes involving top-tier specialists. Each session, both practical and lecture, is accompanied by a careful selection of high-quality content. We can confidently say that the participants of this year's School, having completed a four-day intensive course, will be ready to solve advanced problems in this field.
鈥 Have you conducted such events before?
鈥 In fact, this is the second school we have organized. The first was in Kharkiv. The difference between them lies specifically in the quality of the content鈥攚e enriched it and made it more harmonious.
鈥 What difficulties did you face during the organization this year?
鈥 In general, there were no difficulties. 果冻APP greatly facilitated the organization of such an event. We were well-received and helped with organizational issues and more. We are very grateful! And, of course, we thank our sponsors, who also made our work easier.
鈥 How exactly did you enter this field?
鈥 If one can put it this way, I found myself in the right place at the right time. Overall, I have been in science for about ten years, and every day is a discovery of something new. I became passionate about this work and plan to continue moving in this direction.
鈥 Do you have plans for expanding the school in the future?
鈥 The plans are to hold the school at least once a year, and ideally twice a year. We also plan to travel to different cities in Ukraine, as we are doing this for Ukrainian students and young scientists. Each school has its own theme, and the lectures and practical classes will be connected to it.
鈥 What role, in your opinion, does photonics play for Ukraine today?
鈥 Photonics is not only about optics or light, but also about any electromagnetic waves. Therefore, I believe that the significance of this science is underestimated, especially in our time. It plays one of the main roles in the military sphere, as this science is widely used in laser technologies, communication systems, optical sensors, and night vision devices, which are critical for the defense industry.
Thus, the School of Photonics 2025 is not just an educational event, but a real platform for scientific discussions, experience exchange, and the popularization of photonics among young researchers.
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