
LASER-TEC Students Attend SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing Conference - April 17, 2018
Fort Pierce, FL. Students and faculty from the Robotics and Photonics Institute at IRSC and the Laser and Photonics Technology Program at CCCC had a great and rare opportunity to attend the SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing Conference in Orlando, Florida on April 17, 2018. The trip was sponsored and organized by the Center for Laser and Fiber Optics Education, LASER-TEC.
Every year, the SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing Conference brings together over 4,500 attendees. It is a major event for the photonics industry focused on sensors, infrared technology, laser systems, spectral imaging, radar, LIDAR, and other photonics technologies specific for defense and commercial applications.
Together with 400 vendors, LASER-TEC exhibited at the conference. The group networked with researchers, engineers, and products developers who specialize in optics and photonics. The students attended technical sessions as well as the job fair hosted by the conference. The next day, April 18th, they joined the open house event of CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics at the University Central Florida.
“It was an eye-opening experience”, says Heather Hunt-Gonzalez, a student of the IRSC Robotics and Photonics Institute. “It was exciting to see and learn about the latest photonics technologies serving multiple industry sectors. It was extremely helpful for me to be exposed to it while I am still in college."
LASER-TEC is a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence in Lasers and Fiber Optics and is headquartered at Indian River State College, in Fort Pierce, Florida. It is an association of community and state colleges, universities, K-12 schools and technical centers, trade associations, and laser and fiber optic (LFO) companies. The Center’s mission is to develop a sustainable pipeline of qualified laser and fiber optic technicians to meet industry needs.
Every year, the SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing Conference brings together over 4,500 attendees. It is a major event for the photonics industry focused on sensors, infrared technology, laser systems, spectral imaging, radar, LIDAR, and other photonics technologies specific for defense and commercial applications.
Together with 400 vendors, LASER-TEC exhibited at the conference. The group networked with researchers, engineers, and products developers who specialize in optics and photonics. The students attended technical sessions as well as the job fair hosted by the conference. The next day, April 18th, they joined the open house event of CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics at the University Central Florida.
“It was an eye-opening experience”, says Heather Hunt-Gonzalez, a student of the IRSC Robotics and Photonics Institute. “It was exciting to see and learn about the latest photonics technologies serving multiple industry sectors. It was extremely helpful for me to be exposed to it while I am still in college."
LASER-TEC is a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence in Lasers and Fiber Optics and is headquartered at Indian River State College, in Fort Pierce, Florida. It is an association of community and state colleges, universities, K-12 schools and technical centers, trade associations, and laser and fiber optic (LFO) companies. The Center’s mission is to develop a sustainable pipeline of qualified laser and fiber optic technicians to meet industry needs.