Event Report | Creativity in Practice and Global Connections: 2025 Photonics Teaching Aid Competition

Adapted from the OPTIC 2025 Photonics Teaching Aid Competition Final Report (December 2025).

Members of a finalist team

Members of a finalist team

Organized by the Taiwan Photonics Society and supported by the Taiwan Women in Science and Technology Association (TWiST), the National Science and Technology Council, and other partner organizations, the Photonics Teaching Aid Competition was successfully held at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology during the OPTIC 2025 Annual Conference. Now in its fourth year, the competition encourages undergraduate and graduate students to turn photonics theory into physical teaching aids that can help bring photonics science to wider audiences.

Participation and Professional Review

This year’s competition drew 55 students, including 13 faculty advisers, from 15 departments at 11 colleges and universities. Following the preliminary review, 10 teams advanced to the on-site final. The judging panel brought together faculty members from Soochow University, Fu Jen Catholic University, and Chung Yuan Christian University, along with teachers from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, combining perspectives from higher and secondary education.

Judges speak with a finalist team

Award-Winning Projects

Following live demonstrations and questions from the judges, the awards went to:

• Gold Award: “Light and Shadow: Expedition Team No. 22” from the Department of Opto-Electronic Engineering at National Dong Hwa University. Its “Spectral Light Box” used the color-rendering properties of light sources to challenge conventional ideas about colored light.

• Silver Award: “QKD Master Training Class” from the Department of Physics at National Tsing Hua University. Its MDI Quantum Key Generation Simulator used an optical setup to demonstrate quantum-signal encryption and transmission.

• Bronze Award and People’s Choice Award: “Core Four” from the Department of Photonics at National Cheng Kung University. Its project, “SNIPER: Mirror-Realm Sharpshooter,” combined multiple optical components with game-based guidance and received 52 votes in the audience poll.

Supporting Women in Technology: TWiST’s Participation

To encourage greater participation by women students in STEM, TWiST provided dedicated travel grants. At the final, TWiST President Prof. Ray-Hua Horng presented the grants to six women students. The support helped ease the cost of long-distance travel while encouraging women students to take part in science competitions and research.

TWiST President Prof. Ray-Hua Horng with women students who received travel support

International Connections and Sustainable Development

The competition has also attracted attention from international organizations. Optica Director of Awards and Special Programs Meredith Smith attended for the second consecutive year. Organizers hope the platform will continue to strengthen connections among academic and educational institutions in Taiwan and abroad. The Photonics Teaching Aid Competition has become an anticipated annual event for participating departments and continues to incorporate emerging topics such as quantum technology, helping advance both the reach and quality of photonics education in Taiwan.