8/14/2023 Bethan Owen
Over the summer, the NIH/NIBIB Center for Label-free Imaging and Multiscale Biophotonics (CLIMB) hosted a successful two-week summer school that taught students the fundamentals of biomedical optical imaging, including optics, quantitative phase imaging, clinical and in vivo imaging, and computational imaging.
Written by Bethan Owen
Over the summer, the NIH/NIBIB Center for Label-free Imaging and Multiscale Biophotonics (CLIMB) hosted a successful two-week summer school that taught students the fundamentals of biomedical optical imaging, including optics, quantitative phase imaging, clinical and in vivo imaging, and computational imaging.
Students learned through daily lectures and hands-on lab instruction taught by experts in the field, all geared towards enhancing their understanding of biophotonics and optical imaging topics and their applications. In addition to faculty from UIUC, speakers were invited from University of Illinois Chicago, Colorado State University, and Purdue University. Industry members were present as well, including speakers from ISS, GlaxoSmithKline, NVIDIA and Coherent.
“There are so many different types of optical imaging, and we tried to give these students a broad idea of what modalities are available and how they can use them,” said Professor Marina Marjanovic, a bioimaging expert and one of the faculty members who organized the summer school. “Our topics ranged from the basics of physics all the way to biomedical application. We wanted to offer something for everyone.”
Based on student feedback, this approach was well received. Participants reported learning everything from the overall importance of the biophotonics field to imaging fundamentals and research leads that they were interested in pursuing in the future. Presentations and labs also emphasized topics like artificial intelligence and machine learning, demonstrating where rapidly evolving tools like these fit within the field.
While this wide range of relevant topics and expert instruction was enough to attract participants on its own, practical knowledge was not the only benefit of the summer school.
“One of the highlights of this summer school is to bring students in the same or related fields together,” said Marjanovic. “It’s the first step in their networking which is important for developing their careers. It's not only about gaining knowledge but giving them confidence that they are not alone in this field. They met people here that they will probably communicate and collaborate with throughout their careers.”
The CLIMB summer school connected twenty-one students from seven different universities across the country, with some attendees coming from as far away as the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology.
The summer school prides itself on enabling students to build and foster lifelong connections rooted in a shared passion for imaging and biophotonics, both with fellow students and with presenting faculty members and industry representatives.
Marjanovic looks forward to making next year’s summer school as successful as the 2023 session, with the same high caliber of students, lessons, instruction, and opportunities to build connections within the field.
“I really enjoy interacting with the students at these summer schools,” said Marjanovic. “It’s great to be able to learn about their interests, and to give them tools that will help them start their careers in this important field.”