Optica Foundation Establishes $2M Women's Scholarship Fund

The Optica Foundation launched the Optica Women Scholars program. The program provides visibility, community, and resources for 20 women annually via financial support of $10,000. Additionally, the scholars will receive professional development resources from Optica, including membership and mentorship.

By 2030, 200 scholarships will be awarded, creating a global network of women in the field.

The 10-year scholarship fund of more than $2 million was established with the contributions of 10 donors of $100,000 each and a match of $1 million from the Optica Foundation. Hong Liu, distinguished engineer at Google LLC, rallied industry support, Optica said, which includes contributions from II-VI Inc., Corning Inc., Google LLC, Meta Platforms Inc., Innolight Technology USA Inc., Intel Corp., NeoPhotonics Corp., and Source Photonics.

The individual contributors are Janet Fender and John Otten III and Optica CEO Elizabeth A. Rogan. Additional contributions were collected, including from Edmund Optics; Ursula Gibson, 2018 Optica president; Joseph Goodman, 1992 Optica president; Marvell Semiconductor Inc.; Eric Van Stryland, 2006 Optica president; and James Wyant, 2010 Optica president.

The scholarship is awarded based on need, academic performance, and demonstrated potential. Candidates are undergraduate and graduate-level students who identify as women. The program will accept applications from Feb. 9 to March 15. More information is available at www.optica.org/womenscholars.