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

OP-TEC的使命是建立美国两年制学院的能力，以提供这一关键领域所需的光子技术人员的质量和数量。 迄今为止，该中心已：开发了七所示范性的合作学院，作为专业光子技术人员领域的模型，导师，测试场地和区域领导者;推出了四个雇主和学院的区域光子集群，利用合作学院的领导力;支持九所学院启动新的光子AAS学位课程;协助五所学院恢复下降或关闭的光子课程;与108所学院合作规划新课程;制定了一项战略，以增加进入光学和光子学领域的高中生人数。此外，该中心还进行了师资培训，开发了课程材料，并已开始开发精密光学课程。在该项目中，该中心沿着伙伴学院并与企业和工业合作，鼓励和开发其他光学和光子学课程或相关专业的光学和光子学专业（例如，在工程技术）在两年制大学;开发额外的方式来吸引更多的学生进入这些计划;开发课程材料在新兴领域;提供教师发展;扩大战略，招募退伍军人与相关经验的程序;增加在这些方案中代表不足的群体的成员人数;为已经在该领域工作的技术人员制定短期方案。该中心正在开发材料，并鼓励大学发展精密光学的浓度，以满足雇主的需求，该提案的智力价值在于其重点放在光子学，光子学技术，精密光学和影响美国的新兴应用安全和经济发展。扩大生产光子和精密光学技术人员的能力也保证了美国学生有回报的工作，就业的技术人员接受额外的教育和培训，以确保他们的工作和支持所需的技术创新。 更广泛的影响在于：1）由于通过OP-TEC推广/保留战略（包括区域集群/中心）增加了项目和入学人数，学生完成率有所增长，2）扩大光子学技术的光子学教育，重新培训就业技术人员和开发精密光学项目，以及3）通过教育教职员工和管理人员了解多样性意识以及招聘和保留战略，吸引归国退伍军人和代表性不足的人口的新努力。

OP-TEC's mission is to build the capacity of U.S. two-year colleges to provide the quality and quantity of photonics technicians needed in this critical field. To date the center has: Developed seven exemplary Partner Colleges that serve as models, mentors, test sites and regional leaders in specialized photonics technician areas; Launched four Regional Photonics Clusters of employers and colleges, using Partner Colleges for leadership; Supported nine colleges in initiating new photonics AAS degree programs; Assisted five colleges to restore declining or closed photonics programs; Worked with 108 colleges to plan new programs; and Developed a strategy for increasing the number of high school students who enter the optics and photonics field. In addition the center has conducted faculty development, developed curricular material, and has begun work developing a program for precision optics.In this project, the center, along with Partner Colleges and in cooperation with business and industry, is encouraging and developing additional optics and photonics programs or optics and photonics specializations within related majors (for example, in engineering technology) at two-year colleges; developing additional ways to attract more students into these program; developing course material in emerging areas; providing faculty development; enlarging strategies to recruit veterans with related experience into the programs; increasing the number of members of groups under-represented in these programs; and developing short programs for technicians already in the field. The center is developing materials and encouraging colleges to develop concentrations in precision optics to meet employer demand The Intellectual Merit of this proposal resides in its focus on photonics, photonics-enabled technologies, precision optics, and emerging applications of photonics that impact U.S. security and economic development. Expanding capacity for producing photonics and precision optics technicians also guarantees that there are rewarding jobs for US students and that employed technicians receive additional education and training to secure their jobs and support needed technical innovation. The Broader Impacts lie in 1) growth in student completers due to increase in programs and enrollment through OP-TEC outreach/retention strategies, including regional clusters/centers, 2) expansion of photonics education in photonics-enabled technologies, retraining employed technicians and developing precision optics programs, and 3) new efforts to attract returning veterans and underrepresented populations by educating faculty and administrators in diversity awareness as well as recruitment and retention strategies.