Last year, the OSA Foundation and Corning Incorporated announced the second annual recipients of the Women in Optical Communications Scholarships and Travel Grants.

The merit-based scholarships support women graduate students studying optical communications and networking. More broadly, the program is designed to advance gender diversity in the global optical communications industry.

“Creating opportunities for women to thrive in the field of optical communications is a significant goal for the OSA Foundation and Corning Incorporated,” said Alexander Sawchuk, OSA Foundation Chair.

The OSA Foundation is a non-profit foundation established by the Optical Society (OSA) in 2002 to carry out charitable activities that support the society’s mission of promoting the generation, application, archiving, and worldwide dissemination of knowledge in optics and photonics. The foundation helps cultivate the next generation of leaders and innovators in the optics and photonics community as they move through advanced degree programs and become active members of the research, engineering, and business communities around the globe. The foundation also works to secure OSA Awards and Honors program endowments.

“At Corning, we believe that the best solutions and innovations come from bringing people with different perspectives together," said Dr. Aleksandra Boskovic, research director for optics, surfaces, and integration technologies at Corning Incorporated. "When you support gender inclusion, diversity, and open dialogue, you're supporting innovation. We are proud to join forces with The Optical Society Foundation to increase gender diversity in optical communications."

Boskovic is a member of the Optical Society of America and holds a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in physics from Imperial College, United Kingdom; an M.S. in physics from Pontificia Universidade Catolica, Brazil, and a bachelor's degree in physics from Pontificia Universidade Catolica, Brazil. She is the 2016 Women of Color Technologist of the Year.

During her early career, she made several contributions to the Optical Communications Systems effort in Corning both as an individual contributor and as a team leader. She has also held several leadership positions including manager for Optical Communications Modeling, Business Technology Director for Optical Fiber Applied Research and Development, and Director for Corning’s European Technology Center in France. Her career achievements in the field were recognized at the 2016 Women of Color STEM Conference.

In her role as research director for optics, surface, and integration technologies at Corning Incorporated, Dr. Boskovic is responsible for oversight of research programs aimed at several business groups within Corning, such as the Telecommunications Business Group, Specialty Materials, Display Technologies, and the Emerging Innovations Group.