OP-TEC: The National Center for Optics and Photonics Education

OP-TEC中心成立于2006年，作为NSF-ATE国家卓越中心，是由新泽西州，宾夕法尼亚州，加利福尼亚州，佛罗里达州，北卡罗来纳州，德克萨斯州，伊利诺伊州和南卡罗来纳州的八所社区和技术学院组成的联盟，由职业研究与发展中心（CORD）的OP-TEC工作人员领导。OP-TEC的使命是建立美国两年制大学的能力，以提供这一关键和新兴领域所需的技术人员的质量和数量。OP-TEC预测就业市场，维持技能标准，设计课程，测试招聘和教学策略，并通过提供研究，技术援助和教师发展来支持AAS计划和社区和技术学院的再培训工作。OP-TEC不断研究光学和光子学领域，以确定和支持与光子学相关的新兴和不断变化的技术的新教育和培训。光子学是结合光学和电子学（激光、光纤、光电等）的技术，是一个迅速发展的领域，它为技术人员提供了有价值的工作，并为经济增长提供了极好的机会。光子学也是一种应用于国防/国土安全、可再生能源、电信、制造和材料加工、诊断和治疗医疗设备、环境监测、纳米技术和固态照明的使能技术。2009年对美国雇主的一项调查估计，今年需要近2200名新的光电技术人员。对这一领域的技术人员进行教育和培训的需求也很大。在最初的三年里，OP-TEC创建并测试了它的基础设施（技能标准、课程、教材、数据库、信息交换中心、网站、展览、大学推广策略、高中招聘策略、教师培训、双学分课程和再培训课程）。它已经帮助八所合作学院增加招生，改善课程和教学。这些大学已经记录了他们的“最佳实践”，并为那些有兴趣启动或改进光子学教育的大学提供模型和技术援助。OP-TEC已经确定了需要具有类似知识和技能的技术人员的相关领域（精密光学，太阳能电力）。OP-TEC正在与240多所大学进行沟通和/或合作，这些大学表示有兴趣开设新的光子学课程，或者需要帮助重建陷入困境的课程。由于OP-TEC的努力，三所大学启动了项目，七所大学加强了他们的课程，两所大学正在恢复逐步淘汰的课程，40多所大学正在计划和启动新的课程，一所大学正在对在职工人进行再培训。在这次更新中，OP-TEC已将重点从基础设施建设转移到能力建设（大大增加了每年进入美国劳动力市场的光子学学生数量）。要达到满足雇主对光电技术人员需求的目标产能，还需要6到8年的时间。该提案的智力价值在于其对光子学、光子学技术以及影响美国安全和经济发展的新兴应用的关注。成功地建设美国生产光子技术人员的能力也为刚受过教育的学生提供了有价值的工作，并确保就业技术人员随着工作需求的变化接受额外的教育和培训。OP-TEC在扩大这一能力方面处于独特的地位，因为(1)基础设施已经发展起来，(2)240多所大学向OP-TEC寻求帮助，(3)优秀的合作大学可以作为榜样并提供技术援助。拟议的中心延续的更广泛的影响在于：(1)由于OP-TEC的有效战略，帮助大学启动新的教育产品，学生/学生增长的潜力；(2)将光子学应用扩展到太阳能和固态照明等领域，以及努力支持光子学相关领域的教育/培训，如精密光学；(3) OP-TEC积极努力，通过对教师和管理人员进行多样性意识、招聘和保留方面的教育，向代表性不足的人群敞开大门。许多大学也在采用OP-TEC制定的策略来建立高中招生渠道。因此，各大学附近的3-4所高中在科学技术课程中引入了光学和光子学。

The OP-TEC Center, established in 2006 as an NSF-ATE National Center of Excellence, is a consortium of eight community and technical colleges in NJ, PA, CA, FL, NC, TX, IA, and SC led by OP-TEC staff at the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD). OP-TEC's mission is to build the capacity of U.S. two-year colleges to provide the quality and quantity of technicians needed in this critical and emerging field. OP-TEC projects the job market, maintains skill standards, designs curricula, tests recruiting and teaching strategies, and supports AAS programs and retraining efforts at community and technical colleges by providing studies, technical assistance, and faculty development. OP-TEC continually examines the field of optics and photonics to identify and support new education and training for emerging and changing technologies related to photonics. Photonics, the technology that incorporates optics and electronics (lasers, fiber-optics, electro-optics, etc.) is a rapidly expanding field that provides rewarding jobs for technicians and excellent opportunities for economic growth. Photonics is also an enabling technology with applications in defense/homeland security, renewable energy, telecommunications, manufacturing and materials processing, diagnostic and therapeutic medical equipment, environmental monitoring, nanotechnology, and solid state lighting. A 2009 survey of U. S. employers estimated that nearly 2200 new photonics technicians are needed this year. The need is also great for education and training of employed technicians in this field. In its first three years, OP-TEC has created and tested its infrastructure (skill standards, curricula, teaching materials, databases, clearinghouse, website, exhibits, outreach strategies to colleges, high school recruitment strategies, faculty training, dual-credit courses, and retraining courses). It has helped eight Partner Colleges to increase enrollment and improve their curricula and teaching. These colleges have documented their "best practices" and are providing models and technical assistance for colleges that are interested in initiating or improving photonics education. OP-TEC has identified related fields (precision optics, solar electric energy) that require technicians with similar knowledge and skills. OP-TEC is communicating and/or working with over 240 colleges that have expressed interest in offering new programs in photonics or require assistance in rebuilding struggling programs. As a result of OP-TEC's efforts, three colleges have initiated programs, seven colleges have strengthened their offerings, two colleges are restoring phased-out programs, over 40 colleges are in the process of planning and initiating new offerings, and one college is retraining incumbent workers. In this renewal, OP-TEC has shifted its emphasis from building infrastructure to building capacity (greatly expanding the number of photonics student completers who enter the U.S. workforce annually). It will take an additional 6 to 8 years to reach the targeted capacity to meet employer needs for photonics technicians. The intellectual merit of this proposal resides in its focus on photonics, photonics-enabled technologies, and the emerging applications that impact U.S. security and economic development. Success in building U.S. capacity for producing photonics technicians also provides rewarding jobs for newly-educated students and ensures that employed technicians receive additional education and training as job requirements change. OP-TEC is uniquely positioned to expand this capacity because of (1) the infrastructure already developed, (2) the 240+ colleges that have asked OP-TEC for assistance, and (3) the excellent Partner Colleges that can serve as models and provide technical assistance. The broader impacts of the proposed Center continuation lie in (1) the potential for student/completer growth due to OP-TEC's effective strategies for assisting colleges in initiating new educational offerings, (2) the expansion of photonics applications into areas such as solar energy and solid state lighting, as well as efforts to support education/training in photonics-related fields such as precision optics, and (3) OP-TEC's aggressive efforts to open doors to underrepresented populations by educating faculty and administrators in diversity awareness, recruitment, and retention. Many colleges are also adopting OP-TEC - developed strategies for building the high school pipeline. As a result, 3-4 high schools near each college are introducing optics and photonics in their science and technology courses.