Dorian and Evan, two 2^nd year master students from EUR TACTIC, had the chance to participate in the “du matériau au composant photonique” days organized by the two competitiveness hubs ALPHA-RLH (Route des Lasers et Hyperfréquences), the European Ceramic Pole as well as by Photonics France at the beginning of October, in Léognan.

They share their experience with us.

• Can you briefly tell us about your background ?

Dorian: Personally, I arrived at university in the first year for a Bachelor’s degree in maths, physics, chemistry, civil engineering. Over the years I moved towards chemistry and completed a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry specializing in Materials. I then wanted to join the Master EUR Advanced Ceramics. Today I am in the 2nd year of my master’s degree.

Evan: I first did prep school, then engineering school. I then decided to come to Limoges and enroll in the IXEO Master degree and the “EUR High Frequency Electronics & Photonics” course.

• What were your motivations for joining these courses ?

Dorian: I was more interested in an engineering school at first when I finished my baccalaureat but, in the end, I decided to go to university. I found it more compatible with my pace. 

Evan: When I wanted to go to college, I had two choices. I compared the two courses that I had chosen and I decided to come to Limoges for the IXEO Master’s degree which offered many opportunities on the job market. The “EUR High Frequency Electronics & Photonics” course really attracted me because, in this course we have the possibility of choosing part of our courses. For example if you are more interested in photonics, electronics or lasers.

• Why did you participate in this event ? How did find this opportunity ?

Dorian: Our teacher for the Master of Materials Science and Engineering, Rémy Boulesteix, was invited to participate in this day to give a conference. So he asked us if we wanted to accompany him. And I have an interest in optics because I want like to keep my options open. I truly saw this event as an opportunity to discover this environment, meet professionals, business leaders, researchers, etc.

Evan: As Dorian said, we were invited by our teachers to participate in this event in Léognan. I said yes straight away because of course, it’s a real opportunity to be able to interact with professionals and get to know their activities better.

• What was the program specifically and what did you do over these 2 days ?
  • The 1st day

Dorian: The first day was first of all dedicated to networking. Each company had its own stand to talk about its technical innovations, new equipment, etc. We could chat with everyone, ask them questions both professionally and personally because it also allows us to receive advice and feedback. In the afternoon, we continued with conferences on the field of materials. It was very interesting. Afterwards, we visited the Château and tasted some great wines. In the evening, we were invited to participate in the dinner organized with everyone. It was in a very pleasant setting.

Evan: This first day allowed us to interact with many people. We were able to really make connections. We were a little afraid at the beginning that some would be more closed to discussion but in the end not at all. We were warmly welcomed.

Dorian: Yes, many told us that it was a good idea that students came to this type of event, that it allowed them to expand their network, find interns or future associates.

Evan: It really allowed us to have a plurality of opinions, to meet various profiles with different backgrounds. Moreover, each student, there were 9 of us in total, found an internship or an internship proposal and contacts during the event.

• • The 2nd day

Dorian: On the 2nd day, we started the day with conferences, this time on the photonics side. There was also networking time.

Evan: The conferences remained focused on materials around photonics…

Dorian: …And there was even a conference towards the end on quantum imaging, it was very enriching. We were able to see specialists in their field.

• Final words about this event ?

Evan: In the end, what I remember from this event is the connections we were able to create and the productive exchanges. It’s a rare opportunity as a student to be able to interact like this with business CEOs, industrialists, researchers, etc. within an event for professionals.

Dorian: It’s a type of event that would be worth repeating in the upcoming years because it really allowed us to meet a lot of people, to make an interdisciplinary connection. And also having this proximity to the speakers, being able to ask them questions directly, it gives us the opportunity to open ourselves to other thoughts, other horizons.

Evan: I would also add that thanks to the “climbing rope”*, we were able to really grasp the content of the conferences. This event allowed us to realize that “the climbing rope” are a first concrete step towards professionalization.

*supervised laboratory research projects carried out during the 1st year of the Master’s degree.

The EUR team (slide 1 & 2) attending the event “Du matériau au composant photonique” organized at Château Carbonnieux (slide 3) in Léognan.