CARLA camp Bordeaux

On Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th, Institut d’Optique d’Aquitaine was pleased to host the CARLA Camp Bordeaux, on the Nouvelle-Aquitaine campus of Institut d’Optique, within the larger environment of the Université de Bordeaux. There was also an important participation from Université de Limoges, with participants traveling specifically to join this event.

The camp targeted two populations: on the first day undergraduate students, and on the second day graduate students and young researchers.

The aim was to promote career opportunities in Photonics, with a focus on women’s careers, and the diversity of career paths people can follow.

The 210 participants could get insights from more than 20 speakers with very diverse profiles regarding their professional activity (academia, company, start-up, associations…), their background (technicians, engineers, doctorates, business managers…) and , importantly, their gender. The camp focused specifically on career options for women in Photonics.

The participants could also interact with representatives from more than 10 companies and 5 research labs, through visits and a job and internship ‘speed dating’ session, and a networking dinner took place at a very nice historical location on the Compostella pilgrimage way.

The feedback from participants and presenters alike was positive: participants learned about their different career options for their future in Photonics, and presenters were delighted to share their experience and interact with a very active audience!