The fall 2022 semester brought students back on campus as the pandemic slowly subsided. The 44 members of our Optics and Photonics College Network report mixed results when it comes to enrollment figures. Some colleges report a slight increase in enrollment, while others report a decrease. It will probably take another full academic year until things are back to normal.

 

We have a variety of interesting articles in this issue: an update on the James Webb telescope, the CHIPS and Science Act, the ever-increasing demand for laser-optics technicians by the U.S. and global photonics industry, an update on the “Women in Photonics Technologies Workgroup,” the newly established scholarship program at Indian River State College funded by Jenoptik Optical Systems, and much more. Also, don’t forget the extensive collection of OER photonics books, lab manuals, educational kits, and assistance we can provide to help you expand, improve, or update your optics and photonics programs at laser-tec.org/resources.

 

We welcome the 44th college in our network: Cañada College – Redwood City, CA, led by Dr. Ramakrishnan Kalyanaraman. Please see the feature article at the end of the newsletter.

 

Looking forward to cooler temperatures and the fall Equinox on September 22.

 

Chrys Panayiotou

Fort Pierce, Florida