I hope this newsletter finds you healthy and in good spirits.

During the month of May, the LASER-TEC team kept building and shipping the Light and Optics Experiment Kits (LOEK) to more laser/photonics students and professors throughout the country. Students and instructors are sending us notes of thanks and appreciation. We will continue building and shipping kits while students and colleges operate remotely. So please contact us if you need any assistance as you are scheduling the fall 2020 semester classes.

Last month we lost Bill Shiner, a great friend and supporter of LASER-TEC. Bill was, until recently, the Vice President of Marketing for IPG Photonics, the company that advanced and elevated the fiber laser into the workhorse it has become in industrial materials processing. Despite his very busy schedule, Bill always supported technician education never forgetting that he started at a community college himself. In November of 2016, Bill and I conducted a workshop in Alabama for instructors of CARCAM (Consortium for Alabama Regional Center for Automotive Manufacturing) on the use of fiber lasers in automotive manufacturing. For more information on Bill and his accomplishments please read this article in Industrial Laser Solutions.

In this issue, we also have a great article by Gary Beasley on outreach strategies during stay-at-home orders that work. Also, don’t miss Natalia’s article “From schooling to careers” published in BioPhotonics. Lastly, Kentek has graciously made available free laser safety training online for college instructors. Take a look at the details in the article that follows and register to reserve your seat.

Let’s continue helping each other during these difficult times and share lessons learned as we work through this pandemic. Feel free to contact me if LASER-TEC can assist you in any way or if you have suggestions for other projects.

Best wishes for health and safety,

Chrys