OPEN Optics and Photonics Education News
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Newsletter of the Optics and Photonics College Network |
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Upcoming Events
Jobs for Graduating Students
From the Executive Director
The Role of Photonics Technologies in the COVID-19 Vaccine Development
Student Career Preparedness Resources
Supplying Light and Optics Experiment Kits to College Photonics Students
LASER-TEC Resources
Featured College: Sussex County Community College (SCCC) - Newton, NJ
OPCN Member Colleges
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Upcoming Events
Theory (Online): Open-entry, self paced
Practical Session: TBD
Indian River State College, FL
01/19/2021 - 01/22/2021
Online
03/06/2021 - 03/11/2021
San Francisco, CA
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Jobs for Graduating Students
Companies contacting
LASER-TEC for technicians:
Renesas Electronics America Inc.
FAB Tech openings
Equipment Maintenance Tech openings
Recruiter
Companies advertising openings on Indeed.com:
Electro optics technicians: 200 nationwide
Companies:
SIG SAUER, Inc. (16), Coherent, Inc. (8), Northrop Grumman (6)
Power Grid Engineering, LLC (6),
nLIGHT (6), Veterans Prime, Inc. (5), Ball Aerospace (5), HENSOLDT Inc. (4), L3Harris (4), Corning (3), ASML (3), US Department of Veterans Affairs (3), Clear Align (3), IPG Photonics Corporation (3), Moore Nanotechnology Systems, LLC (3), U.S. Air Force (3), Elbit Systems (2), IGT (2), KLA-Tencor (2), Honeywell (2), KBR Inc (2), Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (2), Crane Co. (2), SAIC (2), Dominion Energy (2), Leonardo DRS (2), Areté (2), ES Beta Inc. (2), CONMED (2), CooperVision (2), Siemens AG (2), Arthrex (2), US Department of the Treasury (2), AFL Telecommunications LLC (2), S2 Corporation (2), LLNL (2), Tyto Athene (2), Research Electro-Optics (2), Longenecker & Associates (2), University of Texas at Austin (1), Leidos (1)
Mars (1), IGT (International Gaming Technology) (1), General Dynamics Information Technology (1), Novanta (1), EOSPACE INC. (1), OPTICS 1, INC. (1), City of Hampton, VA (1), Lockheed Martin (1)
Location and number of jobs:
Jacksonville, AR (7), Boulder, CO (5), Orlando, FL (5), Wilsonville, OR (4), East Hartford, CT (4), Hillsboro, OR (4), Livermore, CA (4), Ridgecrest, CA (4), Hampton, VA (3), Exeter, NH (3), Santa Clara, CA (3), Bloomfield, CT (3), Largo, FL (3), Wilton, CT (3), Newington, NH (3), San Diego, CA (3), Merrimack, NH (2), Concord, NC (2), Oxford, MA (2), Salt Lake City, UT (2), Santa Barbara, CA (2), Durham, NC (2), Duncan, SC (2), Tulsa, OK (2), East Granby, CT (2), Hebron, KY (2), Bozeman, MT (2), Washington, DC (2), Clear, AK (2), Ronkonkoma, NY (2), Westminster, CO (2)
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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From the Executive Director |
What a year 2020 was! COVID-19 turned our world upside down and affected everyone on our planet. The good news is that vaccines are now starting to be delivered and hopefully 2021 will be a happier and more relaxing year for everyone.
In this issue, we have an article on how laser-photonics technologies were used in vaccine development, a reminder and resources for better student engagement, job search guidance, industry tours, and professional development workshops. Get your students ready and invite industry to visit and recruit from your classes.
During 2020, LASER-TEC was able to make and distribute free of charge 220 Light and Optics Experiment Kits to students from 14 different colleges that allowed them to perform 23 experiments at home. We express our thanks to NSF and Dr. Celeste Carter for the supplemental funding that made this possible.
Looking forward to 2021, LASER-TEC is working on updating many resources we have available on our website. In January, we will release the first edition of the educational module “Fundamentals of Laser Diodes and Applications”. We will follow with additional modules during 2021.
We would like to express our sincerest appreciation for your collaboration and support during this very difficult year. Looking forward to a better future, we send our wishes for a Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays and a Normal New Year!
Chrys Panayiotou and the LASER-TEC team
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The Role of Photonics Technologies in the COVID-19 Vaccine Development |
On December 10, 2020, the Pfizer’s mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine designed to fight COVID-19 passed a critical milestone when an FDA advisory panel of experts formally recommended that the FDA authorize the vaccine.
From gene-sequencing to vaccine assessment and packaging, photonics forms the essential technology in the development of a safe and efficient vaccine to fight COVID-19.
The high-throughput sequencing of the virus genome determines the proteins in the virus and identifies suitable targets for synthetic vaccines that safely stimulate an immune response. High-quantum-efficiency, very-high-resolution multispectral cameras map the sequences of hundreds of millions of target DNA molecules simultaneously and can sequence the complete genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in just a few hours.
Assays are fundamental in immunogenicity and evaluation of the protection of any vaccine. Multiple assay technologies such as ELISA, ELISpot, viral-neutralization assay, heavily rely on optics and photonics. Inverted optical microscopes, spectrometers, as well as optical and lasers systems that are used in flow cytometers play a critical role in the understanding of immune response to the exposure to the specific antigen.
The vast majority of all COVID-19 vaccines will be stored in and applied from Borosilicate glass vials that will be delivered by Schott, the global leader in glass and optics products. The company has been working round the clock to meet the unprecedented demand. Chemically inert borosilicate glass can safely handle a wide temperature range from -80C to 500C, which is handy considering the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at -70C degrees.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, photonics technologies have provided effective, low-cost, high-speed solutions for screening, testing, treatment, tracking disease progression, sterilization, and vaccination.
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Student Career Preparedness Resources |
The beginning of the spring term is a good time to start focusing on helping students with their job search and application process. From developing a professional resume to the final stages of the interview, we have gathered and systemized web-based resources on our LASER-TEC webpage.
In this web portal, you and your students can find resources on how to create a resume, write a cover letter, search and apply for jobs with tips on how many applicant tracking systems work. You also can learn about the most frequently asked questions during interviews, tackle general etiquette, leverage your e-portfolios, and more.
LASER-TEC also offers assistance with career resources specific to laser, photonics, optics, and fiber optics technical professionals. We offer a virtual “Career Preparedness Workshop” for all OPCN colleges, hosted via Zoom or Skype. During this workshop, we will go over how to showcase and bring connections between job-specific requirements and skills/knowledge acquired during their time in college, employer expectations, specific strategies, and technical interviews. Visit our Career Preparedness Workshop page to learn more and schedule a session.
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Supplying Light and Optics Experiment Kits to College Photonics Students |
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By April 2020, due to the spread of COVID-19, almost all OPCN colleges had transferred to a remote operation to ensure the safety of their students and co-workers. From multiple discussions with our instructors from many colleges, we learned that they all had one common challenge – there were no solutions for hands-on practice, which is traditionally facilitated in college laboratories with specialized parts, devices, and instrumentation.
LASER-TEC partnered with the NSF ATE Program to provide a free Light and Optics Experiment Kit (LOEK) to all OPCN students for home use. To provide financial support for this project, the Center has applied for and received a supplemental award from the NSF ATE Program.
We have assembled and distributed 220 kits to 14 educational institutions to sustain hands-on student learning when face-to-face lab work became unavailable. Read more about this project here.
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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 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: Sussex County Community College (SCCC) - Newton, NJ |
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New Jersey is home to some of the fastest-growing optics and photonics companies in the nation and is nearby a multitude of well-established corporations throughout New York. Inspired by the incredible need for optics technicians, Sussex County Community College (SCCC) has developed a quartet of programs aimed to provide students with the knowledge, training, and experience required to excel in the field. Whether pursuing the two-year Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) or one of three one-year certificate programs, graduates can expect to learn from experts in the field while expanding their network in the industry. Partnerships with local optics manufacturers allow students to learn on industry-standard machines in the conditions they would expect to see daily while working as an optics technician. |
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Programs
All Optics Technology programs at SCCC are geared towards hands-on and experiential learning, giving the students a large amount of time on industry-standard machinery. Each of these programs are designed to lead the student to a successful career within the optics industry, often with one of our partner organizations such as Thorlabs, Inrad Optics, or Esco Optics.
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Associate of Applied Science in Optics Technology
The A.A.S Optics Technology program gives students an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in the field of optical manufacturing, and complete integrated general education courses needed for the industry. Students will develop advanced skills in the comprehension of technical drawings, material handling, conventional grinding and polishing, optomechanical assembly, metrology, and quality control. Additionally, students receive training in programming, setting up and operating CNC grinding and polishing machines.
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Optics Technology Certification: CNC Manufacturing
This program is designed to provide students with theoretical and hands on knowledge of the art and science of conventional manufacturing techniques and training in Computer Numeral Control Programing.
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Optics Technology Certification: Conventional Manufacturing
This program is designed to provide students with a theoretical and hands on knowledge of the art and science of conventional manufacturing techniques.
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Optics Technology Certification: Metrology
This program is designed to provide students with theoretical and hands on knowledge of the science of optical metrology.
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Notable Skills of SCCC Optics Technology Graduates |
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- Employment of safety skills in industrial settings including – but not limited to – conventional machinery, CNC machinery, coating materials, and lasers
- Knowledge and skills for both conventional and CNC polishing and grinding of optics
- Production of parts meeting technical drawing specifications by utilizing both conventional and CNC methods
- Experience on industry-standard machinery and with industry-standard manufacturing techniques and processes
- Application of metrology skills for the purpose of first article inspection reports
- Performance of setup procedures on CNC grinding and polishing systems
- Performing assembly of multiple optical elements
- Applying proper handing and cleaning skills of various optical elements
- Utilizing military and ISO specifications to execute inspection plans
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Contact Information
Name: Brian Lake
Title: Optics Technology Supervisor
Telephone: 908-914-7556
Address: 1 College Hill Rd, Newton, NJ 07860
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How can I recruit from this college?
If you are interested in recruiting students from SCCC, please reach out to our program supervisor. Arrangements for in-person meetings can be made and virtual meetings are available. Internships for current students are always welcome and graduates are available each May.
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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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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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