Spotlight: Tara Fortier, Project Leader at NIST

The photonics industry is booming. Technological advancements and increasing demand are driving this growth. But in America, the workforce needed to drive this boom is struggling to keep up. In this Spotlight conversation with Tara Fortier of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), we discuss the need to attract more bright young minds to this field to build the next generation of photonics professionals. Along with discussing ways to expose students to this field, we also talk about the importance of networking and what those already in the workforce need to know to advance their own careers in this area.Spotlight from "All Things Photonics"® is a special series of intimate sit-down conversations with preeminent figures in our industry.  

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From space exploration and quantum optics, to biomedical imaging and defense, today’s top scientific minds are using lasers, spectroscopy, sensors, and optics to deliver cutting-edge innovation to our society. In intimate conversations with those pushing the boundaries of human knowledge, “All Things Photonics” spotlights photonics industry progress from beyond the lab. Hear how 3D printed microscopes — and those developed for a fraction of the cost — offer our best hope for diagnosing disease in the developing world; why spectroscopy might be the most valuable tool in the crime scene technicians’ arsenal; how light can motorize drug delivery; and how the quantum cascade laser, CMOS image sensor, and robot-assisted surgery became realities. Notable guests include Nobel Prize winner Donna Strickland; Columbia University Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering Michal Lipson; inventor of the CMOS image sensor Eric Fossum; serial entrepreneur Jason Eichenholz; co-namesake of the Hockney Falco Thesis Charles Falco; and SPIE President and founder of the Vanderbilt Biophotonics Center Anita Mahadevan-Jansen. “All Things Photonics”® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. The podcast was a shortlisted finalist in two categories — Best Science & Medical Podcast and Best Technology Podcast — for The Publishers Podcast Awards in 2021. It has again earned shortlist honors in the Best Science and Medical Podcast category for 2022. Contact us at Allthings@photonics.com.