The Optics & Photonics Technology INnovation (OPT IN!) project at Monroe Community College (MCC) in Rochester, New York, was supported 2017-2021 by a grant from the National Science Foundation?s Advanced Technological Education program to strengthen the college?s regional optics and photonics workforce and provide students with employment opportunities to fill high skill, high demand positions in regional industries. 

The project successfully achieved its two overarching goals:  1) To strengthen the Optical Systems Technology program at MCC and its academic pipeline through the creation of enriched curriculum, dual enrollment opportunities, articulation agreements with four-year universities, and faculty professional development; and 2) To broaden industry and community partnerships through expansion of experiential learning opportunities, and development of marketing and outreach initiatives to strengthen the regional optics and photonics network.  

Through OPT IN! two new optics courses were created and two existing courses were revised to meet the necessary skills and competencies identified by industry partners.  Two additional courses were adapted for online instruction to better meet the needs of working students.  A new Optical Systems laboratory was created and furnished with state-of-the-art equipment.  The Optical Systems Technology AAS degree and Certificate requirements were revised to improve student success and completion.  Curriculum changes and new articulation agreements with three universities increased student interest and enrollment and retention in 2+2 transfer programs leading to baccalaureate degrees in optics fields. 

The OPT IN! project provided professional development opportunities for six MCC faculty members to participate in workshops, conferences, webinars, equipment specific training, externships, and visits to more than 25 optics companies to learn about industry needs and requirements of optics technicians.  Project faculty provided professional development and mentoring to 19 high school teachers enabling them to teach MCC optics dual enrollment courses in 13 high schools.  More than 900 high school students participated in optics dual enrollment courses during the project.  As a result of the successful integration of optics into local high school classrooms, the optics dual enrollment model will be expanded to additional optics courses and high schools across the region, state, and country. 

OPT IN! expanded experiential learning opportunities for high school and college students through site visits, virtual tours, and internships with industry partners.  The project broadened community awareness of educational and employment opportunities in the fields of optics and photonics by developing an outreach program for the general public as well as targeted audiences including low income and underrepresented racial and ethnic populations, veterans, career changers, and women.  More than 25,500 people were impacted through presentations and demonstrations.  125 MCC optics lab tours were conducted for more than 740 people.  Outreach videos created during the project were viewed by more than 560,000 people and an informational pamphlet was distributed to approximately 50,000 schools across seven countries potentially reaching 30 million young adults and a million teachers.  

The OPT IN! project used a multi-faceted strategy that strengthened its regional optics technician education pipeline and broadened industry and community partnerships.  Broader impacts of OPT IN! extend across the U.S. and the world through a highly skilled, mobile technician workforce, to industry partners with operations in multiple locations, and to a vast number of research and advanced manufacturing fields in which optics and photonics components and technicians are essential. 

Last Modified: 07/13/2021
Modified by: Alexis K Vogt