Peer learning at Stanford

On Monday 22nd August I visited Stanford University. It’s an impressive campus. I loved the architecture, I really enjoyed there being palm trees, and the university has a great free shuttle bus service to transport visitors all around it.

I met with members from Stanford’s Optical Society. I presented examples from the activities that I have been running with the University of Southampton’s Optics and Photonics society and I had the opportunity to demonstrate the portable outreach workshop that I am touring. There was a lot of interest in the optics and telecommunications classes for school pupils that I and fellow PhD students have developed in Southampton; it would be amazing if these classes could be reproduced outside of the UK!

The presentation was really a 2-way discussion and I learnt a lot about their society. They have an impressive exec team, with a huge number of officers engaged in running their activities, be it social, charity, outreach, education or academic.

I found out about some of the original initiatives they have put into place to enrich the student experience of their members. Here are a few that inspired me, and that I hope can inspire others!

• Technical skills workshop. Think of something that you might want to use on a daily basis, but don’t know where to start. It can be a software package (Blender), a programming language (Python), a document preparation tool (LaTeX), etc. Next, find students or academics within the department or the wider university who use these skills on a daily basis. Ask them if they would like to run a 3-4 hour workshop, then book a conference room, throw in some refreshments and there you have it, an educational activity for your peers and colleagues at the workplace.
• Jointly run socials with other departments. The aim is to bring together researcher working with optics, such as photonics scientists with researchers in microscopy for biology applications. The key is to select your audience, and pitch it correctly.
• Student weekend retreats. This is great. Organise a weekend with lectures from academics, sponsored by companies in the industry (to make it affordable on a student budget!), and invite students, researchers and industry professionals to network and socialise in a friendly environment.
• Laser harps, as seen on Youtube. Looks amazing, I really want one!

I went to give a presentation, but at the end of the day I learnt a lot; I wish that these ideas will provide long-lasting inspiration to myself and others taking on voluntary roles in student societies. Thanks again to the Stanford Optical Society team for the warm welcome, I had a wonderful afternoon.