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Schedule

Programming for Student Leadership will be announced soon.

 

7:30 – 8:30

 

Breakfast

This will be a joint breakfast between attendees of Student Leadership and Amplify

Mile High Ballroom – 2C

8:30 - 9:00

 

Welcome  by Elizabeth Nolan, Optica CEO (8:30 - 8:45)                                                           

and Olivia Wheeler-Williams, 2025 Optica Ambassador (8:45 - 9:00)

Mile High Ballroom – 2A/3A

09:00 - 10:45

Sustainable Networking by  Christina Willis, Virtuous Cycles LLC and Infleqtion    

10:45 - 11:15

Break (with Group Photo)

11:15 - 12:00

Uncharted Paths: Navigating Career Growth with Curiosity and Courage by Fae Gholami, Chief Architect for Data Center Connectivity and Principal Product Manager, IBM

12:00 - 13:00

Lunch  with Optica Foundation Board

13:15 - 14:00

Workshops Sessions I, Optica Ambassadors

 

Resonate with the Right Employer: Foundations for Well-Tuned Job Applications

Facilitator: Olivia Wheeler-Williams

Mile High Ballroom – 2A/3A

From Idea to Impact: Navigating Grants, Prizes & Project Funding

Facilitator: Andrea Pacheco

Mile High Ballroom – 1A

Write Proposals like an Engineer

Facilitator: Ben Cromey

Mile High Ballroom – 1B

 

 

14:00 - 14:10

Break

 

 

14:10- 14:55

Workshops Sessions II, Optica Ambassadors

 

Set Yourself Up for Success in Academia

Facilitator: Claire Cisowski

Mile High Ballroom – 1A

Focusing Your Future: Navigating Your Transition from Academia to Industry

Facilitators: Fabian Ruff and Isabel Allegro

Mile High Ballroom – 2A/3A

Design Your Career: Build it Through Experience

Facilitator: Milvia Alata

Mile High Ballroom – 1B

 

14:55 - 15:05

Break

 

 

15:05 - 15:50

Workshops Sessions III, Optica Ambassadors

 

Laser-Focused Speaking: Communicate with Impact

Facilitator: Justus Ndukaife

Mile High Ballroom – 2A/3A

Think Like a Leader: Unlocking Your Leadership Mindset

Facilitator: Diana Mojahed

Mile High Ballroom – 1A

Fail Forward: Nagivating Challenges in Early Career Research

Facilitator: Begum Kabagoz

Mile High Ballroom – 1B

 

 

16:00 - 17:00

Gravitational Waves: Opening a New Window to the Universe  by Nergis Mavalvala, Dean of the MIT School of Science and Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics

17:00 - 17:30

Closing by Olivia Wheeler-Williams 2025 Optica Ambassador

17:30 - 18:30

Dinner/Student Party at Rock Bottom Brewery

 

Image for keeping the session alive