By Sandy Cutshall, Techniques Contributing Writer
Photonics is the study, research and development of equipment and concepts used in the transmission of information through light, including fiber optics and experimental laser technologies.
Optics, the use of glass and high-tech materials to create lenses to filter light and transform images, is an important part of the photonics industry. In a high-tech communications system, for example, photonics would be the lasers, optics, fiber-optic cable, switches and computers that interpret, alter and move light signals. Optics is a small part of that whole.
A recent study by the National Academies of Science and Engineering points to the expected growth explosion in the fields of optics and photonics. The study, entitled "Harnessing Light, Optical Science and Engineering for the Twenty-First Century," predicts that photonics will be the next major technology to drive the economy and dramatically improve our quality of life.
Optics is pervasive, having an impact on the fields of biomedicine, information technology, defense, manufacturing, energy and the environment, as well as supporting educational research activities, according to the report.
Not surprisingly, there is a national shortage of Laser Electro-Optical Technicians (LEOTs) in the manufacturing industry today. It is estimated that there will be a shortfall of more than 25,000 technicians by the year 2005 in the photonics field alone.
Many believe that the new supply of photonics experts will be taught not just in the college and community college programs, but must be nurtured beginning at the secondary level. Programs in Missouri, New Mexico and northern California are opening the world of optics to high school students?in exciting and innovative ways.
According to Pearl John, laser instructor at the Columbia Area Career Center (CACC) in Columbia, Missouri, the fact that the technology of lasers and fiber optics is largely invisible to the public has led to some difficulty for the photonics industry in attracting promising students and their parents.
Unlike old radio and television sets that once enticed the curious to take off the back and look inside, the size and integration of photonic components places the technology beyond the tinkering of young people.
A hands-on approach to teaching the subject, then, is designed to spark the creativity and motivation of the high school student, says John. She is an integral part of the first high school program in the country?as well as the only three-year program of its kind?teaching students about photonics.
Because of the uniqueness of the program, John and her colleague Rick Shanks, also a photonics instructor at CACC, presented a paper on the effort to the International Society for Optics Engineering in Singapore last November. In "Photonics Classes in High School," they detailed the pros and cons of having a high school photonics program.
The most successful aspects of the CACC program are the use of problem-based learning (PBL) techniques, working with student projects, a faculty team approach, a strong advisory committee, support from industry, an emphasis on safety and community outreach.
PBL is an innovative educational approach being used to encourage independent research, teamwork and greater student motivation through the solving of real-world problems. The photonics program uses this approach to develop problem-solving skills and increase student motivation.
"I really do think that we are world leaders in terms of the fact we have three years of the course at the high school level," says John. "Plus we had the first high school program in the country."
Under the guidance of Director Dr. Don Bristow, an "Introduction to Laser Technology" course was launched as a practical arts class at CACC in 1997. Sixty high school students completed the course, based on the 1995 CORD?s National Photonics Skill Standards for Technicians. In 1998, adult education classes were developed. The following year the Photonics I course was introduced, followed by Photonics II in 2000. Today, the CACC photonics program has more than 100 students following the three-year curriculum.
Students begin the program in 10th grade and continue through their senior year. All along, courses are constantly being revised to meet the changing needs of the students and industry.
Holography?the creation of holograms with lasers?is a cornerstone of the photonics program because, says John, of the great benefits it provides for students. Students make both single and split beam holograms using sand and vibration-free engineering tables. One class project is the design and manufacture of key chains with holograms, allowing students not only to learn the latest holographic techniques?but also to have the opportunity to operate a small business by selling the key chains to family and friends.
Other projects include creating Mother?s Day gifts using a laser pattern, building a bridge made of laser light, and constructing a security system made of laser beams.
"I stand in awe of them," says John of the students. "Lots of students are doing independent research projects that are just inspiring. The only difference between them and university students is the number of years of education."
In a program using lasers and other dangerous equipment, safety is a primary concern and a daily challenge. At CACC, students undergo regular testing to ensure their understanding of safety issues. In addition, students compete in a safety competition for prizes?encouraging both fun and personal responsibility.
A special partnership between West Mesa High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is a shining example of how the development of CTE is enhanced by the support of industry and government.
The West Mesa Photonics Academy, begun this fall, is teaching the skills students will need to do high-tech work in the growing fields of optics and photonics. The program is modeled after the successful Advanced Manufacturing Academy, begun five years ago at West Mesa.
Both academies have just received endorsement by the National Coalition of Advanced Manufacturing, a distinction that recognizes the academies? high quality. The coalition believes the academies are suitable national models for other schools.
Dominique Foley Wilson, a program coordinator at SNL, says, "The academy concept is known as a critical skills program, which means students are graduating prepared with the skills necessary to the economic health and security of our country.
"Students get the science and math education they need for a good career with the labs, our suppliers or vendors," she says. The concept for the close partnership stems from the lab?s need for new, younger workers trained in high-tech fields, and Sandia programs are funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy Defense Programs.
The economy of New Mexico, and especially Albuquerque, is highly dependent on technology?in large part because of the national laboratories, defense facilities and supporting industrial base.
In defense, for example, optics is used in everything from precision-guided munitions to infrared viewing devices. Traditional reconnaissance cameras are now being digitized and their images displayed optically.
The West Mesa program is designed to follow the employability standards published by Sandia, a strategy that allows significant flexibility in the students? curriculum choices.
One of the most unique aspects of the program at West Mesa is the effort to recruit students at the mid-school level. A career path may begin in the eighth grade and continue through to the doctorate level if students choose. The school has partnerships with both the Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute (TVI) and the University of New Mexico (UNM).
The depth of relationship with SNL and other businesses is a unique aspect of the academies, says West Mesa Principal Milton Baca. Mentoring relationships and internships at Sandia help students develop an understanding of the relevance of what they are studying in class in the workplace. An SNL internship available to seniors with a grade point average of 3.0 or better helps develop positive relationships between lab employees and students.
According to Foley Wilson, "We?ve seen the average GPA of internship applicants go from 2.5 to 3.85?that?s the average. We?re getting very high caliber individuals, and we?ve found a way to keep them from getting lost in the system."
After graduation, academy students who pursue their high-tech associate?s degree from TVI may work at Sandia as they continue their education. When finished, the students can move into a probationary period at the lab, eventually becoming fully employed in the manufacturing area. These highly-sought-after technicians capture salaries of $45K a year.
Following successes such as those at CACC in Missouri, other areas of the country are pursuing laser technology coursework at the secondary level. Primarily this can be seen in high-tech-focused areas, as in the case of Albuquerque. Another good example is in the Tri-Valley region of northern California near Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).
The "Fundamentals of Photonics" program, begun last year by Brian Bauman and now being taught by Rich Combs, is administered by the Tri-Valley Regional Occupational Program (TVROP). TVROP offers classes at seven regional high schools, as well as training programs in hospitals and other workplaces.
Their photonics course is currently a one-year program similar, says Bauman, to the final year of the CACC Photonics Program. It can be used as a lead-in to the LEOT program at Las Positas Community College in Livermore.
"The idea at first was to have a course at the high-school level to get students ready for Las Positas," Bauman says. "It just grew from there."
The course offers 10 modules: nature and properties of light, light sources and laser safety, basic geometrical optics, basic physical optics, lasers, optical detectors and human vision, optical waveguides and fibers, fiber optic telecommunications, photonic devices for imaging and display, and basic principles and applications of holography.
It is based closely on the CORD curriculum, as is the Las Positas program.
According to Bauman, there was a wide range of student ability coming into the program?with some students at the top of their class, some in the middle and some struggling academically.
Because one of the biggest challenges of teaching this program to this level of student is the math, teachers may have to find different ways to communicate the complicated concepts. At this level of learning, students tend to be very concrete in their thinking, and using math creatively can be a great challenge.
"One of the more unique approaches we took in teaching this class" says Bauman, "was to put a heavy emphasis on the graphical techniques and eliminate a lot of the ?grinding? of the math." He says he found a way to teach Snell?s Law of Refraction, with and without trigonometry.
"A lot of people would ask, ?how can you do that without trig??" Bauman remarks, "But I believe many of these students ended up with a more intuitive notion of trigonometry as a result."
Whether in Missouri, New Mexico, California?or anywhere else where photonics education may pop up next?it continues to be new thinking, creative methods and innovative ideas that keep CTE at the forefront of technological education.
