As I enter the last two months of my presidency, I’m proud of what we— the Members, constituents, and leadership of SPIE—have accomplished this year. It’s been a good one, with record-breaking attendance at Photonics West, new highs in Society membership, and the launch of Biophotonics Discovery, the Society’s 15th journal. Additionally, I’ve enjoyed forging and solidifying relationships with constituents and organizations around the globe. The optics and photonics industry overall is strong, with 2024 forecast to be another year of steady growth in almost every economic measure.
I’m also reflecting on the broader impact our community has had. It’s been five years since we first heard of the novel coronavirus. Very quickly, a pandemic swept the world, causing more than seven million deaths, work shutdowns, supply-chain disruptions, and inflicting terrible social isolation, fear, and polarization. While it is important to note that Covid-19 is still present and disrupting lives, the society-altering days of the pandemic are largely over, and we can be proud of the unique role that our community played in turning the tide. Optics and photonics technologies were instrumental in identifying the mode of transmission, developing lab- and home-based diagnostics, and enabling the fastest-deployed vaccine in history. We now have the tools and knowledge to protect ourselves and our vulnerable neighbors and to be better prepared for the next pandemic. As the virus evolves, so must we, and I urge us to keep investing in research and developing fundamental knowledge into life-saving technology.
The pandemic highlighted deep-seated divisions in our societies, with fear and social media fueling misinformation, racism, and mistrust of authority. Members of my own family believed outrageous claims (remember sterilizing your nose with a hairdryer?). Others became the subject of racial hatred. Some, having had formative years stolen, are still dealing with the effects of isolation. My family is not unique, as I see daily at my university. We can no longer assume young people have the same motivations that we did or automatically believe higher education is the path to prosperity. Our job as an optics community is to provide a positive counterbalance to fear and negativity. We must learn to explain our work and impact to neighbors and elected officials. We need to revamp our curriculum to show relevance and de-mystify STEM. As a community, we need to show solidarity with our colleagues and respect for ideas, accomplishments, and impact, not outside appearances.
I am optimistic about the role that optics and photonics have as tools and we, as the community that develops, manufactures, and deploys these tools, will play going forward. The pandemic may have eased, but we face other global challenges. 2024 brought deadly heatwaves to Southeast Asia, floods to Brazil, hurricanes in the southeast United States, and wildfires in Canada. Daily, 2.4 billion people experience moderate or severe food insecurity, and 1.6 billion have inadequate housing. Our community has the ability to create green solutions for our energy, water, and food needs. We can create cleaner manufacturing, better distribution, and improved equity. Our community is full of the ingenuity, determination, and empathy that we will need to tackle these and the next set of challenges. I look forward to seeing the solutions and future we create.
Jennifer Barton
2024 SPIE President
