7/26/2024 Marina Marjanovic, Ben Libman
The NIH/NIBIB Center for Label-free Imaging and Multiscale Biophotonics (CLIMB) wrapped up its annual Biophotonics Summer School, where students enjoyed insightful lectures and hands-on labs with top biophotonics experts. The program spanned topics from optics basics to advanced biomedical applications, helping participants from around the world build lasting professional connections.
Written by Marina Marjanovic, Ben Libman
The NIH/NIBIB Center for Label-free Imaging and Multiscale Biophotonics (CLIMB) concluded our annual two-week intensive interdisciplinary Biophotonics Summer School (May 28-June 7), covering the principles of biophotonics, including in-depth lectures on cutting-edge research for practical and clinical applications of biophotonics.
The Summer School provided students with daily lectures from experts in the field of Biophotonics and hands-on lab instruction, covering topics from fundamentals of optics to quantitative phase imaging, clinical and in vivo imaging and computational imaging. In addition to faculty from UIUC, speakers were invited from University of Illinois Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis. Speakers from GSK, NVIDIA, Volk Optical, and Light Conversion gave students a valuable perspective on of biophotonics application in industry.
[“My favorite presentation was] Dr. Christine O'Brien,” said one attendee. “Very well-motivated and a clear story that tied in optics beautifully but gave great motivation. There were a lot of exciting future steps for the speaker to share with us and for the audience to think about.”
“Our goal is to give participants a broad survey of the biophotonics field with special emphasis on the current research,” said Prof. Marina Marjanovic, Education and Outreach Coordinator. “Topics ranged from the basics of physics all the way to recent biomedical applications. This year, we added more topics on artificial intelligence and machine learning, showing participants where fast evolving topics like these fit within the field.”
Prof. Stephen Boppart, Director of CLIMB and faculty member in the Departments of Bioengineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, said, “Our CLIMB Biophotonics Summer School continues to increase in popularity and impact. It was wonderful to see so many students from all across the U.S. as well as internationally, all coming together for two weeks of experiences that will last a lifetime, and will be a part of their professional networks in the future. We were thrilled to offer so many aspects and experiences in biophotonics, including not only lectures from field-leading faculty and experts, but also contributions from multiple major industries, computational programming exercises, hands-on labs, and professional development.”
“Working with these students in the lab was an enriching experience,” said Takhmina Ayupova, one of the TAs at the event. “Their curiosity and eagerness to learn created an energetic and stimulating environment. It was a privilege to be part of their journey and to witness the collaborative spirit fostered at CLIMB.”
While this wide range of relevant topics and expert instruction was the most important factor in attracting participants, practical knowledge was not the only benefit of the summer school. “One of the highlights of this Summer School is how it can bring these students together,” said Marjanovic. “It was not only about gaining knowledge but giving them confidence to connect with other young researchers in this field. They met people that they will probably communicate and collaborate with throughout their future careers.”
The CLIMB Summer School was attended by twenty-nine graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from twelve different institutions around the country and world, including University of Colorado, Fisk University, The University of Texas at Austin, Saint Mary's University of Nova Scotia, University of Wisconsin, University of Houston, University of Kentucky, Rice University, Brown University, UIUC, as well as India, Romania, and South Korea. It encouraged building and fostering lifelong connections rooted in a shared passion for imaging and biophotonics, both among fellow students and with speakers and faculty with whom they interacted.
One student sums it up best: “Great two weeks. The best part was getting to know the people in the field, both students and professors.”
We are looking forward to making next year’s summer school even more successful, with the same high-quality instruction, and opportunities to build connections within the field. “I really enjoy interacting with the students at the 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.”
As the summer school came to a close with a school-wide poster session and a celebratory “graduation” event, Prof. Boppart commented, “We look forward to an even greater event next summer. I can’t thank all our speakers, program coordinators, and assistants enough for making this such a success this year, and I thank NIH/NIBIB for the financial support of our Center and this summer school to help educate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers in biophotonics and biomedicine.”