Technician and technologist photonics teaching: an Ontario success story

Jay Yatulis; Johann Beda; Peter J. Casey; Brahim Chebbi; Steve Finnagan; Treena Grevatt; Alexander McGlashan; Marc Nantel; Leo Tiberi

doi:10.1117/12.565897

9 December 2004 Technician and technologist photonics teaching: an Ontario success story

Jay Yatulis, Johann Beda, Peter J. Casey, Brahim Chebbi, Steve Finnagan, Treena Grevatt, Alexander McGlashan, Marc Nantel, Leo Tiberi

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5578, Photonics North 2004: Photonic Applications in Astronomy, Biomedicine, Imaging, Materials Processing, and Education; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.565897
Event: Photonics North, 2004, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Launched in 2001, the Ontario Photonics Education and Training project (PET) has established an completely new Photonics Engineering Technician (2 years) and Photonics Engineering Technologist (3 years) programs at Niagara and Algonquin Colleges. The programs have now completed a full academic cycle at both colleges. This paper will review the history of the program, its collaborators, and industry climate changes. This paper will present recruitment statistics, which will include percentage uptake, student retention, and profiles of the student group. The first year’s intake was characterized by high achieving 'early adopters', including those with non-technical backgrounds and University converts. Lessons learned from recruitment and high school outreach activities will be discussed. We observe that 'photonics' is not a term recognized by the populace at large. An improved public understanding of the pervasive nature of electro-optic technologies in everyday life is desired. Curriculum highlights, recommendations; and the evolution of our facilities will be discussed. We will review employment and destination statistics of our graduates. Challenges for the future will be addressed, including the need for greater program visibility amongst regional photonics employers. In summary, the PET program has created an optics specialist with a practical skill-set that will fill the expertise gap that exists in traditional and non-traditional consumers of optical technologies.

Citation Download Citation

Jay Yatulis, Johann Beda, Peter J. Casey, Brahim Chebbi, Steve Finnagan, Treena Grevatt, Alexander McGlashan, Marc Nantel, and Leo Tiberi "Technician and technologist photonics teaching: an Ontario success story", Proc. SPIE 5578, Photonics North 2004: Photonic Applications in Astronomy, Biomedicine, Imaging, Materials Processing, and Education, (9 December 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.565897

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
9 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Photonics

Electronics

Telecommunications

Laser applications

Optics manufacturing

Education and training

Laser safety

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years