When
Where
Title
The World is Your Oyster: A fireside chat with Janet Fender (OSC M.S. '78, PhD '81), Susan Houde-Walter, and Imelda J. Atencio (OSC M.S. '93, PhD '03)
Talk Details
This fireside chat style seminar brings together Dr. Janet S. Fender – the 2026 Wyant College of Optical Sciences Alumna of the Year – with her longtime colleagues Dr. Susan Houde-Walter, Adjunct Professor of Optical Sciences, entrepreneur, and 2005 Optica President, and Dr. Imelda J.Atencio, OSC Ph.D.’03 and laser division chief at the USAF Research Lab. Together, they highlight the extraordinary opportunities awaiting today’s optical sciences students. Drawing on their experiences as scientists and leaders — and on the realities of balancing family with demanding careers while often serving as one of few women in senior technical roles — they will share how collaboration, competence, and resilience shape success. Their conversation moves beyond advocacy to offer concrete lessons from lab to leadership to institutional change, providing a grounded view of what has enabled their achievements and what it will take for women to thrive in STEM driven military and civilian research and industry
Bio
Dr. Janet S. Fender is a nationally recognized leader in optical science and defense technology, with major contributions to warfighting capabilities, space vehicles, and advanced imaging. She retired as Scientific Adviser and Command Chief Scientist for Air Combat Command (Langley) following a distinguished career at the AFRL. A U.S. Presidential Distinguished Service Rank Award recipient, she is a Fellow and past President of Optica and Fellow of SPIE. Dr. Fender and her husband, Dr. L. John Otten III, helped establish the Optica Women Scholars program, which has supported more than 100 women since 2021, including 11 OSC students. She will be honored at a University of Arizona ceremony on February 13 as the 2026 James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences Alumna of the Year.
Dr. Imelda Atencio is an optical engineer at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, where her work on imaging, optical design, adaptive optics and optical communications has included 19 years on the Starfire Optical Range and subsequent work in the Technology Outreach Branch. She is currently Laser Division Chief in the DIrected Energy Directorate leading ~200 military, civilian and contractor personnel conducting research in advanced laser technologies.
Dr. Susan Houde-Walter is an optical physicist, entrepreneur, and academic leader known for her work in laser physics, optoelectronics, and optical materials. An adjunct professor at the UA Wyant College of Optical Sciences and past President of Optica, she has served as a professor at the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology, co-founded and led LaserMax, now LMD Power of Light, and contributed extensively to national-security–focused science boards.
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