The International Student Conference on Development in Optics and Photonics was held from April 29th to May 1st at the University of Latvia.
About 50 participants from different countries took an active part in it.
Represented countries were: Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Romania, Sweden, USA.
On April 29 Conference committee organized a Welcome party for all the participants and an excursion through Old Riga City on April 30. Registered participants received an abstract book, conference program, participant’s card and a few souvenirs plus they got their certificate of participation. The official part of Conference was opened at 10 o’clock April 30. Conference was subdivided into 4 parts: 3 oral presentation sessions and a poster session. We had also 3 coffee breaks between sessions and a lunch break. There were 19 oral presentations, 12 poster presentations, 6 organizers in conference committee assisted.
SPIE, University of Latvia, Latvian Council of Science, European Social Fund and Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy sponsored the activity.
Represented universities and institutes: University of Latvia; Riga Technical University; Daugavpils University; University of Tartu; Chernivtsi National University; National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics; Columbia University.
Keynote speaker was Dr. K. Svanberg, the Chief Oncologist and Physician at Lund University, Sweden, who holds her Doctor's Degree in Medical Science (Ph.D.). Dr. K. Svanberg has technical interests that include detection and treatment of malignant tumours utilizing porphyrin-containing tumor-localizing substances and laser light, and diagnostics of atherosclerotic plaques utilizing laser-induced fluorescence. The clinical research activity of Katarina Svanberg includes not only work in her home country but also in other places, such as the Baltic States and Africa. She has given over 80 invited conference talks and authored 66 original scientific publications. Dr. K. Svanberg has chaired SPIE Biomedical conferences in Europe and has served as organizer or invited speaker at numerous conferences.
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April 29th
Here is our UL SPIE
Student Chapter president Renars Erts together with Vice President Zanda Gavare
and Secretary Rita Veilande from the Conference committee waiting for the
participants to arrive.
One of the first participants Krisjanis Smits is signing his name.
The Keynote speaker Katarina Svanberg! The most smiling and sunny person.
The President is trying to convince everybody to feel free…
…here are they
trying to do so…
…having their
glasses of wine, talking about future plans and getting to know each other.
Our Faculty Advisor professor Janis
Spigulis is talking to professor Katarina Svanberg.
Prof. Katarina Svanberg is opening the
official part of the Conference with an inspiring speech about photodynamic
therapy and children of Africa.
Yes, for participants this is not so easy to speak in front of 40 pairs of eyes watching you. Uldis Rubins is not afraid.
Next time try to do it yourself!
Time for the poster session! You can see Georgijs Bakradze speaking.
If in the field of Physics you have to
know everything about computers also. It may not always be your friend if not
properly treated. Looks like our guest from Ukraine – Oleksiy Arkhelyuk is
highly skilled.
Session 2 is over! It is 5 o’clock at the afternoon. Those who are not too tired, having a nice time walking through Old Riga City together with a professional tour guide. She was very good.
May 1st
Questions and answers is also a part of
the ongoing. J. Porins and A. Vembris are discussing about nonlinear optical
properties.
We were visited by German television, which gave an additional stress to all the speakers.
Not everybody can be a celebrity!
The organizers – L. Grinberga, R. Veilande, Z. Gavare, R. Erts are having their own conference. Even the photographer doesn’t know what they were talking about.
Valedictory speech.
The most speeches giving: President is telling good-bye to everyone and conference to be round again.
The posters are being removed, and Varis Karitans is free to go.
Last moments together with some of the participants. Nobody is happy to leave.
Old Riga and the river Daugava.
Those who had some free time saw this view from the roof of St. Peter’s Church.
Many thanks goes to Linda Kere, our outstanding and beautiful photographer and text writer.
