Resource Center for Laser, Photonics, and Fiber Optics Education, LASER-TEC

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Lasers, optics, photonics, and fiber optics (LOPFO) are used in many advanced technologies including medical instrumentation, photonics-integrated circuits, telecommunications, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology. The US Department of Labor projects that, between 2016 and 2026, at least 1,700 LOPFO technicians will be needed to fill open positions. These jobs have a median annual salary of more than $63,000. However, the annual output of LOPFO technicians from all US colleges is not enough to meet the growing need. This project intends to sustain and expand efforts to meet the national shortage of qualified LOPFO technicians. It will do so by updating, developing, and distributing LOPFA educational resources to technical college instructors and K-12 teachers, as well as to industry for use in training incumbent workers. The major goal of the project is to develop the LASER-TEC Resource Center, which will continue to support efforts to increase the LOPFO technical workforce. The Resource Center will update and maintain educational services and materials and provide open access these resources to secondary, post-secondary, and industry educational and training programs. Project aims include: 1) developing a comprehensive, high-performing, and responsive website that will house and distribute all LOPFO educational products funded by the National Science Foundation and other US government agencies; 2) updating technical content and high-impact pedagogical strategies to improve all curricular materials; 3) creating tailored content and conducting professional development events for teachers, college instructors, counselors, advisors, administrators, incumbent industry members, and other communities to discuss best practices and increase their technical knowledge; 4) conducting outreach to inform K-12 and college educators about the availability of LOPFO resources; and 5) supporting efforts to build or enhance bridges between industries that need LOPFO technicians and colleges that offer LOPFO programs. All resources will be structured, systemized, and available as Open Education Resources under the Creative Commons ShareAlike license. In collaboration with industry, LASER-TEC will develop new modules in the areas of Raman Spectroscopy, LiDAR, High Power Diode Lasers, Femto Second Lasers, Disk Lasers, and other LOPFO technologies. LASER-TEC will also continue its efforts in supporting historically underserved and underrepresented groups to increase diversity in this technological field. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.