ECE PhD student Sarah Chowdhury awarded SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship
Purdue ECE student Sarah N. Chowdhury has been awarded a 2021 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, for her potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics or related field.
Chowdhury works as a Research Assistant in the Birck Nanotechnology Center under the supervision of Alexandra Boltasseva, the Ron and Dotty Garvin Tonjes Professor of ECE at Purdue. Her research focuses on ordered and disordered metasurfaces and harnessing light for applications ranging from color printing to nanolasing.
“My work has been applauded in conferences and events like ‘Purdue 2050: Conference of the Future’ as means of utilizing optics and photonics for real-life applications,” said Chowdhury. “I am currently the President of Purdue SPIE Student Chapter and I enjoy participating in different outreach activities and oil painting.”
In 2021, the Society is awarding $298,000 in education scholarships to 78 outstanding SPIE student members, based on their potential contribution to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. Award-winning applicants were evaluated, selected and approved by the SPIE Scholarship Committee. Through 2020, SPIE has distributed over $6 million dollars in individual scholarships. This ambitious effort reflects the Society's commitment to education and to the next generation of optical scientists and engineers around the world.