Last updated: Feb 2026
We are the joint student chapter of the SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering), Optica (formerly, Optical Society of America), and the IEEE Photonics Society at the University of California, Berkeley. The club is operated by students who are dedicated to advancing the field of optics. Our members are affiliated with several departments on campus including Electrical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Astronomy, Vision Science and Optometry. We are committed to promoting the optics community on campus. To become involved in PhotoBears, attend a PhotoBears meeting or contact the current members.
Get involved!
- Join our mailing lists to hear about upcoming events: To receive Photobears news, subscribe to our Photobears google group.
You can also subscribe to the optics mailing list at UC Berkeley (list name: “optics”) through bConnected Lists. - Attend our events. See upcoming events below or subscribe to our Google Calendar!
- Help plan events! We need more exec officers to make our events happen! Join the exec team by emailing officers@photobears.studentorg.berkeley.edu
Photobears activity highlights are featured on the IEEE Photonics Society website in 2025!
Photobears received IEEE Photonics Society’s “Most Improved Chapter” award for 2023!
IEEE Photonics Society gives five chapter awards annually, and we are honored to be recognized as one of the five chapter award recipients from an outstanding list of 190 chapters worldwide.
Upcoming events – Save the Dates!
Check our mailing list emails for additional event details.
Spring 2026
Photobears @ Exploratorium: RSVP
Thursday Feb 26, 2026 6-10pm, Exploratorium
Computational Imaging Lunch Seminar: Dr. Ahasan Ahamed
Wednesday Feb 18, 2026 12-1pm, Location TBD
Spring Welcome Lunch: RSVP
Wednesday Feb 4, 2026 12-1pm, Cory Courtyard
More events coming soon! Stay tuned
Visit the Past Events Page to see past events.
UC Berkeley students: sure to select Photobears as your student chapter in your Optica membership. This helps us maintain our status for funding these awesome events!
Our sponsors
