Over the past decade, optical technologies have become an indispensable part of daily life: fiber optics for telecoms, optical methods for medical imaging and cancer research, and optical parts in cars and computer screens are at the core of the world’s technical infrastructure. The need for more experts in this discipline — along with the desire to encourage more women to pursue careers in science and engineering in a region disrupted by violent protests from the Arab Spring — inspired two universities to organize a summer school program for young female scientists: Get Ahead with Optics.

In September, the University of Carthage School of Communication Engineering in Tunisia and Philipps-University Marburg in Germany hosted their 10-day program in Yasmine Hammamet.

The aim was to orientate young women scientists in the rapidly evolving fields of optics and photonics while giving them career skills and a deeper understanding of what is needed to succeed as a woman scientist