Second edition of CARLA camp Barcelona

The second edition of the CARLA camp hosted by ICFO took place from November 29^th through December 1^st.

Close to 200 people, including attendees and speakers from across the globe, participated in the event packed with talks, panel discussions, networking sessions and career development workshops to introduce STEM graduates, PhD students and early-stage researchers to the myriad of multidisciplinary careers in photonics.

Due to safety restrictions, the camp was once again held in a virtual format, with the exception of  students from the Master in Photonics and Europhotonics programs who visited ICFO on Day 2 of the camp for additional dedicated group activities and in-person networking with ICFOnians.

The program ran over the three afternoons and involved 27 international speakers. The first day was dedicated to introducing the photonics landscape and some of the largest European initiatives in the photonics ecosystem. The second day focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, and also included a session dedicated to students and researchers at the beginning of their career in photonics. The third and last day revolved around the photonics community at large and the camp ended with a virtual networking session.

The profile of the attendees was diverse in terms of gender, career stage, and cultural backgrounds. They came from 23 countries in 5 continents and were affiliated with 40+ institutions. A great amount of data was collected from the participants, before and after the camp, to increase the general understanding of the needs and hopes of students and researchers interested in photonics.

Participants reported that the program had a positive tangible impact, significantly increasing their knowledge of the options available for a career in photonics (76% respondees) and their overall interest towards photonics careers (72% respondees). 82% of the attendees also stated that the event expanded their network in photonics.

• Attendees said about the event:
• “I met people of different backgrounds involved in Photonics that have helped motivate me to continue studying photonics and related topics.”
• “I now feel more strongly oriented in my photonics career path”
• “I have benefited from meeting some interesting profiles that I had not considered before. Also, I benefited from the in-person networking on the second day at ICFO” (Master student)