MVS Student Earns Prestigious Physics Scholarship

MVS student Awnik Roy '26 has been awarded a 2024 Optics and Photonics Scholarship by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, for potential contributions to optics, photonics, or a related field. He is the only high school student to receive this award in 2024. 

Awnik has been working on photonics, specifically lasers, for the last two years under Dr. Paul Hsu and Dr. Naibo Jiang. His current work entails the development of high-speed (>100 kHz) optical parametric oscillators for the imaging of chemical species in hypersonic conditions. Roy plans to work on high-energy lasers in the future, for their potential applications in various fields, such as fusion energies. “I am extremely grateful to SPIE for this recognition, helping pave the way to reaching my dreams of becoming a scientist,” said Roy.

This month, the Society is awarding $303,000 in scholarships to 72 outstanding SPIE Student Members, based on their potential contribution to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. Successful applicants were evaluated, selected, and approved by the SPIE Scholarship Committee, chaired by SPIE Senior Member Brian Primeau. Since this program began in 1978, SPIE has distributed more than $7.5 million dollars in individual scholarships. This ambitious effort reflects the Society's commitment to education as well as to the future generations of optical scientists and engineers around the world.

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, SPIE has contributed more than $24 million to the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development.