OPEN
Optics and Photonics Education News
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Newsletter of the Optics and Photonics College Network
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Photonics Advances Robotic Surgeries
Upcoming Events
From the Executive Director
Jobs for Graduating Students
Laser Safety Training for Educators at HI-TEC 2020
Focus on Student Placement
LASER-TEC Resources
Featured College: Niagara College Canada
OPCN Member Colleges
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Upcoming Events
01/13/20 - 03/06/20 (online)
03/16/20 - 03/18/20 (practical)
01/13/20 - 03/06/20 (online)
03/19/20 - 03/21/20 (practical)
01/29/20 - 01/31/20
Tucson, AZ
02/01/20 - 02/06/20
San Francisco, CA
02/20/20
Longmont, CO
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Photonics Advances Robotic Surgeries
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Today’s surgical robots are more precise and user-friendly, and capable of highly delicate microsurgeries, thanks to advancements in optical technology that have allowed for safe and effective intraoperative imaging. From a patient’s perspective, one of the biggest benefits of robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery is the reduced trauma, which offers quicker recovery times when compared to open surgery.
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From the Executive Director
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I hope everyone had a chance to rest during the holidays and start 2020 with energy and enthusiasm.
The spring semester is very critical for what we do as educators. It is “harvest time” so to speak for us, as our product: our graduates, will be ready for employment in industry. We need to ask ourselves these questions: Are all of our graduating students trained for today’s job search techniques? Do they have a professional resume? Do they know how to interview and present themselves professionally? Let’s help them get ready for the career they have been working so hard for. For assistance on this subject, please
visit our webpage
to schedule an online career preparedness workshop for your college.
At the same time, we need to make industry aware that this new talent is available for employment at the end of the semester. To this end, LASER-TEC has partnered with Photonics Spectra to promote all LASER-TEC colleges to the Laser-Photonics industry by featuring a member college every month. Please check the
January edition
that features Indian River State College, and make sure to send us your college’s information to feature in a future edition.
Wishing you all the best for 2020,
Chrys Panayiotou
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Jobs for Graduating Students
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Companies recently called LASER-TEC for technicians:
Panasonic Corporation
3 Laser Technician openings
CO2 and Rebuild Manager
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Companies advertising openings on Indeed.com:
Electro optics technicians
: 204 nationwide
Salary range
: $45,400 - $90,200
Companies:
ASML (15), Northrop Grumman (10), Power Grid Engineering, LLC (10), Coherent, Inc. (9), L3Harris Technologies (9), Leonardo DRS (8), General Dynamics Information Technology (7), Collins Aerospace (6), Veterans Prime, Inc. (5), Ball Aerospace (4), Dominion Energy (4), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (4), Lockheed Martin Corporation (3), IPG Photonics Corporation (3), JT4 (3)
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Location and number of jobs:
Wilton, CT (15), Santa Clara, CA (7), Danbury, CT (6), Melbourne, FL (5), Orlando, FL (5), Boulder, CO (4), Chesapeake, VA (4), Rolling Meadows, IL (4), Livermore, CA (4), Las Vegas, NV (3), Tucson, AZ (3), East Hartford, CT (3), Oxford, MA (3), Ashaway, RI (3), Norfolk, VA (3)
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NOTE:
Very few companies use photonics as a job title for technicians. When searching, use the job title electro optics to get the best results.
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Laser Safety Training for Educators at HI-TEC 2020
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In partnership with KENTEK, LASER-TEC will be offering a Laser Safety Training Class at HI-TEC 2020 in Portland Oregon on Tuesday, July 28th, 2020. This full day training will introduce educators to fundamentals of laser safety, laser safety awareness, and hazard analyses for laser systems and will include discussions of hazard conditions and control measures in college laser labs. This training is offered at no cost to all participants. You can register for this course by following this link:
https://forms.gle/YNNfVsyF5tUeFLfX8
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Focus on Student Placement
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In addition to a rigorous and relevant education in photonics, preparing students for employment and sustaining strong industry partnerships are some of the most important steps to ensuring that your students find good jobs after graduation.
January is a great month to reach out to industry, or schedule field trips or visits to your college. Prior to these events, advise your students to be prepared regardless whether interviews are scheduled or not: they need to dress professionally, show up on time, learn about the company, bring their resume, cover letter, and any other documentation that might help them stand out and be considered for the job.
To help students with getting their professional portfolio ready, consider hosting a student training session on resume and cover letter writing and adding best practices in the job application process as a part of your photonics coursework. LASER-TEC can help you with that! You can learn more and schedule our online Career Preparedness Workshop here:
www.laser-tec.org/career-preparedness-workshops
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Whether you are looking for support with your college program's outreach, curriculum design, academic-business partnerships, or student placement, LASER-TEC has resources for you. Visit the Resources tab on our website
www.laser-tec.org
to browse textbooks, kits, laboratory manuals, and informational and outreach materials. The current collection is comprised of both LASER-TEC and OP-TEC materials. Don't forget to check this page often, as we will constantly upload additional resources
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Featured College: Niagara College Canada, Ontario, Canada
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Since 2001 Niagara College has maintained a cluster of photonics programs with training in precision optics, thin film deposition, fiber optics, and electro optic technologies. Graduates of the program are employed in a wide range of industries including defense, aerospace, biomedical, communications, heavy industrial, and entertainment. After 18 years of training students in the field of Photonics, the College is undertaking a renewal of both facilities and program curriculum.
As part of this initiative, Niagara College is establishing a new dedicated precision optics lab facility for optical manufacturing and lens testing, expanding the current thin film deposition curriculum and improving capabilities to train students in optical system testing and alignment.
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Photonics Engineering Technician (2yr) & Technology (3yr)
The Photonics Department currently provides a laddered program offering students an exit point after two years with a Photonics Engineering Technician Diploma or after three years with a Photonics Engineering Technology Advanced Diploma. Students train in a dedicated teaching cleanroom, class IV laser lab, spectroscopy lab, manufacturing space, and photonics flex-lab facility to emulate the advanced manufacturing industry environments that graduates will transition into.
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Skills & Experiences of Graduates
- Thin-Film Deposition
- Test and Align Lasers
- Optical System Alignment
- Optical testing
- Clean and Maintain Precision Optics
- Fiber Optics
- Preparation
- Fusion & Mechanical Splicing
- Testing (OTDR, OSA, OPM)
- Electronics test instrumentation experience
- SMT and Through Hole Soldering
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- Experience with 2D & 3D modeling and Additive Manufacturing
- Exposure to Laser Welding and Cutting
- Optical Manufacturing
- Technologists receive an introduction to optical design
- Technologists Complete an Eight Month Capstone Applied Research Project
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Contact Information
Name: Alexander McGlashan, Program Coordinator
Telephone: (905) 735-2211 Ext. 7513
Address: 100 Niagara College Blvd. Welland, Ontario, Canada L3C7L3
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How can I recruit from this college?
Please contact the person below to make arrangements for a recruiting visit. Graduates are available at the start of each May although it is recommended to recruit early as graduates are in short supply!
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OPCN Member Colleges
The Optics and Photonics College Network (OPCN) is an association of postsecondary photonics technician educators operated by LASER-TEC. To learn more about the OPCN and to view the list of member institutions, please visit
www.laser-tec.org/opcn
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Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone who may find it's contents valuable.
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Join the Conversation
We hope you enjoyed this edition of the OPEN newsletter. We would really like to hear from you. If there is some subject that you would like us to discuss or look into, please let us know at
info@laser-tec.org
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OPEN is published by the LASER-TEC Center for Laser and Fiber Optics Education
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-1700352. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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