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Employers have relied on Monroe Community College (MCC) since 1963 to educate generations of students to become optical technicians. Offering stackable certificate and associate degree programs, MCC is the only community college awarding an Associate of Applied Science degree in optical systems technology. Since the program’s inception, more than 800 students have earned optics credentials from MCC, preparing them for a wide variety of career paths in the global industries of optics, photonics, and imaging throughout the U.S. Companies that have hired students and graduates from MCC’s program include Applied Image, Bausch + Lomb, Corning, Eastman Kodak, IDEX Health & Science, L3Harris Technologies, the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester, Lockheed Martin, Lumetrics, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Optimax Systems, OptiPro Systems, QED Optics, Rochester Precision Optics, Sydor Optics, Thorlabs, and Vertex Optics.
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Development of multidisciplinary nanotechnology undergraduate education program at the University of Rochester Integrated Nanosystems Center
Supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation a coherent educational program at the University of Rochester (UR) in nanoscience and nanoengineering, based on the Institute of Optics and Intergrated Nanosystems Center resources was created. The main achievements of this program are (1) developing curriculum and offering the Certificate for Nanoscience and Nanoengineering program (15 students were awarded the Certificate and approximately 10 other students are working in this direction), (2) creating a reproducible model of collaboration in nanotechnology between a university with state-of-the-art, expensive experimental facilities, and a nearby, two-year community college (CC) with participation of a local Monroe Community College (MCC). 52 MCC students carried out two labs at the UR on the atomic force microscopy and a photolithography at a clean room; (3) developing reproducible hand-on experiments on nanophotonics (“mini-labs”), learning materials and pedagogical methods to educate students with diverse backgrounds, including freshmen and non-STEM-major CC students. These minilabs on nanophotonics were also introduced in some Institute of Optics classes. For the Certificate program UR students must take three courses: Nanometrology Laboratory (a new course) and two other selective courses from the list of several. Students also should carry out a one-semester research or a design project in the field of nanoscience and nanoengineering.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1708008
- PAR ID:
- 10169086
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of SPIE
- Volume:
- 10452
- ISSN:
- 1996-756X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 104521O-1
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.22699786
