Reaching audiences big and small: holistic approach to optics outreach at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences

Emily Finan; Hillary Mathis; Kali Gagne; Kira Purvin; Mike Nofziger

doi:10.1117/12.2569076

28 August 2020 Reaching audiences big and small: holistic approach to optics outreach at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences

Emily Finan, Hillary Mathis, Kali Gagne, Kira Purvin, Mike Nofziger

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Proceedings Volume 11480, Optics Education and Outreach VI; 114800C (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2569076
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2020, Online Only

Abstract

The Wyant College of Optical Sciences (OSC) at The University of Arizona participates in a variety of outreach activities in all levels of the education system and the Tucson community at-large, reaching thousands of students each year. We have created immersive workshops including “D.I.Y. Optics” and “CSI: Optics – Optical Forensics”. For large audiences, we emphasize “pocket optics”, cost-effective giveaways such as pixel magnifiers, the Pepper’s ghost illusion, and Fresnel lenses. New resources and lesson plans are centralized on an online hub, which started as a UA/NASA Space Grant project in 2018 and now facilitates instructor training and acts as an on-demand resource for troubleshooting demos in the field. We share successes and lessons learned from our outreach events, culminating in 10th Annual Laser Fun Day in March 2020, the flagship student-led event supported by the Student Optics Chapter (SOCk) and Women in Optics (WiO).

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Emily Finan, Hillary Mathis, Kali Gagne, Kira Purvin, and Mike Nofziger "Reaching audiences big and small: holistic approach to optics outreach at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences", Proc. SPIE 11480, Optics Education and Outreach VI, 114800C (28 August 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2569076

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