/  News  / Happy Holidays from LASER-TEC!

Dear Colleagues, our LASER-TEC team wishes you and your loved ones a warm holiday season and a Happy 2023!  We are humbled to be a part of such a vibrant and talented community, and it has been a true privilege to work with you all year.

As we wrap up 2022, I would like to give you a brief overview of the two most central pillars- new program developments and resources.

  1. Optics and Photonics College Network, OPCN

Here is the latest on what’s new in our community of Optics and Photonics Colleges:

  • Pasadena City College, CA, Laser Technology Program. Led by Brian Monacelli, the college program now offers the AS degree and a Certificate in Laser Technology.
  • Cañada College, CA, Photonics and Laser Technology Program. The program is led by Ramki Kalyanaraman and offers two Photonics and Laser Technology certifications.
  • Madison Area Technical College, WI, Electronics & Electrical Engineering Technology Program. Led by Grant Emmel, the program added a Photonics course to its AS program in the spring of 2023.
  • SUNY Corning Community College, NY, is working on opening the Optics Technology AAS program. Robert Koble leads the program development.
  • Valencia College, FL, is working on opening the non-credit fast-track for the Optics Technology Program. Carolyn McMorran leads the program development.
  • Indian River State College, FL, is developing a quantum photonics technician curriculum. Mo Hasanovic leads the program.
  • Rio Salado College, AZ, is working on adding a course, Introduction of Light and Lasers in Applied Technology and Engineering. Rick Vaughn leads the effort.
  • The University of Texas at Austin, TX, the Center for High Energy Density Science, is proactively working on opening a laser technology program near Austin, TX. Sandra Allison Bruce leads the effort.

The current state of training programs for optics and photonics technicians:

Please browse the OPCN page to learn more about the OPCN community or what we can do to help you and your program. Please ping me if you have any updates on the status of your program.

  1. The Library of Open Educational Resources

Our LASER-TEC website currently houses over 80 different open educational resources that support the integration of optics and photonics into K-12 and college curricula. Below is the spotlight on the most recent materials added to our LASER-TEC Open Educational Resource Library: 

  • We released complete course packages for six photonics courses: Introduction to Photonics, Geometrical and Physical Optics, Fundamentals of Fiber Optics, Quality Assurance of Precision Optics, Light and Lasers, and Optical Devices. These courses are best suited for AS and AAS programs but can also be adopted for incumbent workers’ professional development or K-12 curricula. You can view and download them here.
  • We updated three educational modules on Applications of Lasers in Biomedicine. Each module is supplemented with extensive faculty support materials.
  • We developed and released three new modules on the Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor technology. This is the first content developed for training programs for technicians and technologists. Instructor supplemental resources support each module. Similar to the rest of the materials, this package was reviewed by a strong team of peer reviewers to ensure relevancy, adaptability, and technical accuracy. I encourage you to view these modules on our website.
  • The new edition of the Fundamental of Light and Lasers textbook is in the final development phase. The targeted release time is spring 2023.

Please stay in touch, and happy holidays!

Natalia

Natalia Chekhovskaya, PI, Director LASER-TEC

nchekhov@irsc.edu  |  (772) 462-7295