LASER-TEC Updates The Florida Photonics Cluster - September 21, 2016
On September 21st, Dr. Chrys Panayiotou, Principal Investigator of LASER-TEC, updated the members of Florida Photonics Cluster at their fall meeting, which took place at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, located in the “medical city” of the Lake Nona area of south Orlando. Dr. Panayiotou mentioned that a total of 98 laser and fiber optic technicians graduated from LASER-TEC affiliated colleges in the southeast US, with 100% employment in the photonics industry. Some of the accomplishments of LASER-TEC during its three years of operation are:
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1. Increased the number of laser and fiber optics (LFO) students from 95 to 153, an increase of 61%
2. Increased the number of program graduates from 23 to 98, an increase of 426%, with 100% placement. 3. Delivered LFO professional development to over 350 high school teachers, advisors, counselors and administrators, thereby impacting nearly 20,000 students 4. Organized 250 outreach events to 22,500 students, parents, teachers, and members of the general public. 5. Developed, built, and distributed 560 Light and Optics Exploration kits to secondary school teachers 6. Developed and built the Light and Optics Experiment kits 7. Authored and published the “Light and Optics Demonstration Lesson Plans” book and “Light and Optics Experiments” book geared for secondary schools and colleges 8. Authored and published the college-level “Fiber Optics for Technologists” textbook and laboratory manual |
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Updates were also given by a representative of the UCF College of Medicine and School of Biomedical Sciences, by Dr. Bahaa Saleh, Dean & Director of CREOL, the UCF College of Optics and Photonics, and by a representative from Sanford Burnham Prebys. After the meeting, participants were given a tour of the research labs, and the visit ended with a networking reception.
Sanford Burnham Prebys (SBP) Medical Discovery Institute conducts world-class collaborative research dedicated to finding cures for human disease, improving quality of life, educating and training the next-generation of scientists, and thus creating a legacy for its employees, partners, donors, and community. SBP’s headquarters are located in La Holla, California, with five research centers and world-class capabilities in drug discovery, stem cells, nanomedicine and translational medicine. http://www.sbpdiscovery.org/Pages/Splash.aspx
The Florida Photonics Cluster (FPC) was formed to support the growth and profitability of the photonics industry through the strength of a unified voice, the FPC is open to companies and organizations that provide optics and photonics products or services. Based on the concept that the whole is better than the sum of its parts, the cluster focuses on the collaboration of various companies and organizations. FPC is dedicated to enhancing the industry through this collaboration by bringing together the knowledge, expertise, and service that each company or organization has to offer the cluster. http://www.floridaphotonicscluster.org/index.php
LASER-TEC is a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center serving the Southeast Region in the area of Laser and Fiber Optics Education. Its diverse membership includes community and state colleges, universities, high schools and technical centers, trade associations, and laser and fiber optic (LFO) companies. Headquartered in Fort Pierce, Florida, LASER-TEC started its operation in September 2013 with the goal of developing a sustainable pipeline of qualified laser and fiber optics technicians to meet the industry demand across the southeast region. For more information about LASER-TEC, visit our website www.laser-tec.org or contact the Director Dr. Chrys Panayiotou at cpanayio@irsc.edu or 772-462-7621.
