As her topic for the 2021 Mildred S. Dresselhaus Lecture, Stanford University professor Jelena Vučković posed a question: Are computers better than humans in designing photonics? Throughout her talk, presented on Nov. 15 in a hybrid format to more than 500 attendees, the Jensen Huang Professor in Global Leadership at Stanford’s School of Engineering offered multiple examples arguing that, yes, computer software can help identify better solutions than traditional methods, leading to smaller, more efficient devices, as well as entirely new functionalities. Photonics, the science of guiding and manipulating light,…