Consortium for Optics and Imaging Education

美国迫切需要增加光学技术人员的数量，以保持在国际市场上至关重要的竞争优势。该项目正在开发新的教育资源，既强调这条职业道路对学生的吸引力，又支持继续教育。这些工具基于对真实数据的探索，以培养必要的技术技能。这是通过建立在现有资源和团队展示的专门知识基础上的新的协同努力来实现的。纽约州罗切斯特市门罗社区学院光学技术和通信系的两年制大学课程正在开发新的教育工具进行测试。这些新工具包括由学术合作伙伴共同开发的教学材料，并基于以前由教育图像处理中心开发的ATE资助工作。这些材料也正在与高中教师合作编写，供大学预科使用。学院的教师正在为K-12教师举办讲习班，展示成像技术在科学和技术教育中的应用。特别强调的是那些有大量少数民族人口的学校和那些在典型的中学环境中处理学习困难学生的学校。正在为那些没有必要资源的机构建立一个K-12教育成像工具借阅库。为了满足对现有光学/成像技术人员继续教育的迫切需求，在先进精密光学制造协会（APOMA）和成像科学与技术协会（IS&amp；T）成员的指导下，部分计划正在适应工业环境。这些行业成员也参与了该项目的招募和传播工作。

There is an urgent need to increase the number of optical technicians in U.S. industry to maintain a vital competitive advantage in international markets. This project is developing new educational resources that will both emphasize the appeal of this career path to students and support continuing education. These tools are based upon exploration of real data to develop the necessary technical skills. This is being accomplished by a new synergistic effort that builds upon existing resources and the demonstrated expertise of the team. New educational tools are being developed for testing in the two-year college curriculum in optics technology and the communications department at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. These new tools include instructional materials co-developed by the academic partners and based upon previous ATE grant work developed by the Center for Image Processing in Education. The materials are also being developed for use in pre-college settings in collaboration with high school teachers. Faculty of the colleges are conducting workshops for K-12 teachers that demonstrate the use of imaging technologies for science and technology education. Particular emphasis is being placed on those schools that have a large minority population and those who deal with students who have difficulty in learning in a typical secondary school setting. A lending library of imaging tools is being established for K-12 education for those institutions that do not have the necessary resources.In order to meet the pressing need for continuing education for established optical/imaging technicians, portions of the programs are being adapted for use in the industrial environments under the guidance of members of the Advanced Precision Optics Manufacturing Association (APOMA) and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T). These industrial members are also participating in recruitment and dissemination efforts of this project.