A.

High Schools Visits/Classroom Presentations

Classroom presentations provide an opportunity to speak to a large number of students in their sophomore and junior year. These presentations are arranged through a contact at the school, which is typically the physics or math instructor or school guidance counselor. Presentation style and format is dependent upon the time allotted. This can vary from 7 minutes to 1 hour in length.

Generally, the format of the presentation includes: an overview of EO engineering, potential career paths, the educational opportunities at IUP, and hands- on activities or demonstrations. Topics include:

The classroom presentation increases awareness of the EO engineering at the high-school level. During the outreach, students learn about the specific field of engineering, the job opportunities, and the salary information. These examples in our daily life such as remote controls, DVD players, and digital cameras, are used to illustrate the wide applications of the EO engineering. Electro-Optics encompasses such technologies as: lasers, holograms, night vision and thermal imaging, and optical communication. In addition to this discussion, students learn about the emerging field of EO through portable hands-on activities which promote experimental education. These might include a magic stripes kit which has a basic polariscope that allows students to view the stress and strain of various transparent objects through crossed polarizers; a magic patch kit which incorporates a thin liquid crystal film with a good sensitivity at low temperatures; diffraction-grating glasses, night-vision scopes, and Optical Take-Home Theme Packets [14]. These materials are helpful to enhance students’ understanding of EO at a variety of age levels. For example, by using the “Magic Patch”, students are able to observe thermal-optical effects and gain an understanding of how liquid crystals are used in many electro-optical devices such as calculators and flat-panel displays. Diffraction-grating glasses are also distributed to students to view the diffraction of light as well as measure the grating spacing using a laser pointer.

Because there are many appealing and challenging EO careers for young people, an emphasis is placed on the importance and benefits that EO engineering brings to both one’s quality of life and economic prosperity. A simple survey is conducted by the end of the presentation. From the survey conducted, the names of those students who indicated that they are interested in the EO program and would like to know more about the program are collected for the on-campus EO experience.

B.

The On-Campus Electro-Optics Experience

For these students who expressed their interests in the EO program, they are invited to have a half day on-campus EO experience that runs approximately from 9am -12pm. This outreach activity facilitates 30-40 high school sophomores-seniors who may come from different schools. Through funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED), the bus transportation is provided to students for their on-campus field trips, as well as the pizza lunch.

Once there, the students are divided into two groups after a short introduction. One group (about 20 students) tours the labs and engages in a variety of hands-on lab activities with two instructors, one lab technician and several students currently enrolled in the EO Program. This group of students has the opportunity to participate in such activities as diffraction and the measurement of human hair diameter, fiber optics and fusing splice of two glass fiber ends, lasers and holography, spectroscopy and forensics applications, interferometry and DVD player, laser light show, etc. These topics may vary according to the background of students and requests from the school teachers such as EO applications in forensics or biology, etc. In addition to the lab component, the other group of students stays in a classroom and learns more about the principles behind each hands-on lab experiment, and further discusses about Electro-Optics and career opportunities in the field. A typical event itinerary is listed in Table 2.

Table 2

On-Campus Electro-Optics Experience

Every student and school teacher are surveyed to determine their opinion of the visit, interest in EO, and interest in future outreach and educational opportunities in the field. For example, a total of 147 high school students attended the on-campus EO experience in 2007. Approximately 40% of them expressed an interest in a career in Electro-Optics in the survey. The authors were impressed with the immense interest in EO after the on-campus field trip, as many had not been familiar with this field at the beginning of their visit.

C.

Electro-Optics Summer Camps

For those high school students who indicated that they are interested in pursuing a career in EO, they are invited to attend a one-week day-camp free of charge during summer. The summer EO camp is also open to any students entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in the fall of the upcoming year. The summer camp is perhaps the most important and empowering par t of the outreach programs. It unifies the various aspects of the outreach activities and gives students an idea of the types of resources available for classes. The first EO summer camp was offered in June of 2006 with the funding from PA DCED. The students take part in daily lectures which involve such topics as the nature of light, wave optics, electronics, fiber optics, holography, infrared imaging technology, lasers, robotics and nanotechnology, given by each instructor. Students are then guided through hands-on activities related to these advanced topics. For example, in Electronics, they learn how to solder and complete a simple transmitter and receiver set. In Optics, students are introduced to activities using a grating spectrometer and an interferometer. Table 3 displays the activities organized for the summer camp in 2009.

Table 3

2009 Summer Camp Schedule

To enhance the students’ understanding of EO engineering and to gain in-depth information about the field, students are arranged to visit local Electro-Optics engineering companies and research laboratories specialized in the applications discussed. Some of the companies visited include II-VI Incorporated, world leader in CO₂ laser optics and laser crystal growth technology; L³ Communications, producer of complex electro-optical and electro-mechanical systems and instrumentation for the commercial and defense markets; Sabeus, designer/manufacturer of fiber optics components; and the Penn State Electro-Optics Center who are renowned for lasers, night vision and robotics imaging. During these visits, the local EO companies shared information about internship and career opportunities in electro-optics engineering, which included examples of current projects underway at their companies.

Guest speakers are also invited to take part in the Camp to provide further insight into the field and its applications to various fields. A highlight to Summer Camp, for example, was a video-teleconference arranged with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to provide insight into the significance of optical imaging. A Forensics Trooper from the PA State Police took part in Summer Camp 2008, who provided an overview of EO applications in forensics, and demonstrated alternate light sources and other techniques.

Finally, a closing dinner was held at the end of the week which invited the student-participants and parents, as well as business and educational leaders. Students presented posters of their projects on topics introduced throughout the week and competed for various prizes. The projects completed individually or in small teams give the students a sense of accomplishment for the end of the camp and make the discipline immediately accessible. Attendees were impressed with the quality of the students’ posters and had a difficult time choosing a winner. The winning posters were awarded such related prizes as Deflexion, an innovative laser board game that the students played during Camp. The informal interactions with faculty and staff during at meal time may be an additional advantage for students and parents.

These camps have displayed a steady growth of interest in Electro-Optics. Due to the large attendance at the Electro-Optics Summer Camp in 2007, two Camps were offered during the summer of 2008 to provide more individualized attention to students and possible interaction throughout the activities. In 2009, the two camps were full, plus about 16 students in the waiting list. The average scores of the camp pre-test and post-test were 42% and 85%, respectively, for the past three years. Also the students were asked to complete a survey at the end of the week. They were asked such questions as “How has this camp changed your understanding of Electro-Optics?” One student responded that it “greatly improved” his/her “understanding”. Another student wrote, “I learned a lot more and this went beyond my expectations of Electro-Optics.” Students were also asked how this Camp helped them make a decision about their future career. Some students wrote that this Camp helped them to decide on EO as their future career choice. Those students who attended the Summer Camps have formed the main pipeline for the EO program.

D.

EO Workshop for Teachers and Guidance Counselors

As part of our long-term strategy, professional development activities such as workshops for local high-school personnel are also provided. Area math and science teachers and guidance counselors have been invited to take part in the “Electro-Optics Workshop” where they participate in hands-on EO activities that could be used in their classrooms. An overview of Electro-Optics, career and educational opportunities are also introduced. The workshop provides lecture components integrated with hands-on activities to gain insight into the field, as well as tours of local electro-optics companies and opportunities to meet IUP EO graduates currently working in the field. To promote further investigation, teachers/counselors also received kits with a curriculum guide to take back to their schools to teach their students about the exciting field of EO. The teacher/guidance counselor may earn Act 48 credit. Table 4 details the typical schedule of such a workshop.

Table 4

The Agenda of the EO Workshop for Teachers.

The survey results from 18 participants who attended this workshop in 2006 showed that 97% were satisfied with the workshop and 15 indicated that this workshop should be offered again. In addition, the teachers are told that the advanced EO lab facilities and diagnostic equipment on-campus are open to high-school classes for lab experiments. This may be especially beneficial to local high schools with poor science facilities. As the result, local school teachers have bought their students to experience advanced topics such as laser holography and nuclear radiation lab experiments by utilizing the state-of-the-art EO laboratories on-campus.

E.

Other Outreach Activities

Apart from the outreach activities provided for the students, school teachers and guidance counselors, other outreach activities are launched for parents and more general audiences, such as Information Sessions for parents and Open Houses for the public. Area parents have been invited to attend an information session on Electro-Optics and tour the teaching facility and campus. Focus groups are invited to attend special topics such as “Women in Forensics”, etc., with the hope that the number of female students in the program will increase. Over all, by holding these outreach activities, the area at large will be introduced to this emerging field and learns more about its career opportunities.