We encourage primary school students in the grades 4-6 to challenge themselves on exploring light in everyday life. At the beginning, we bring in the critical-thinking approach where we use open-ended questions in applications of photonics around them. Later on, we engage them to our photonics lessons via our “Long Len” photonics kit. With our educational kit, we observe that most students in 21 schools from different parts of Thailand are amazed about photonics. They try to play with our kit in their ways, enjoy learning with their friends, and give us back many interesting questions. Based on their evaluations on our approach, 90-98% of them understand more about topics they already know. They also gain new knowledge and can see how it is applied to everyday life. The remaining percentage relates to students who are shy to interact with us.

Photonics is an upcoming field that offers immense possibilities in frontier science, technology, and industry. The topic needs to be introduced among the young students to motivate their interest and passion for light. However, the potential of optics and photonics as a very exciting part of science is not always fully explored in high school education. With the motivation to contribute an initiative along these lines, a two-hour program was developed and successfully implemented at ICFO-The institute of photonics sciences. Further recent efforts were directed towards the improvement of this program which resulted in the advanced version. This improved version focuses on explaining the ray and wave nature of light, as well as the demonstration of the conservation of energy in relation to optics. The event was organized and the demonstrations were carried out by ICFO PhD students enrolled in the ICFO Optical Society of America (OSA) and SPIE student chapters.

The University for Children is a very successful event aiming to spark children’s interest in science, in this particular lecture in Optics and Photonics. It is from brain research that we know about the signifi-cant dependence of successful learning on the fun factor. Researchers in this field have shown that knowledge acquired with fun is stored for a longer time in the long-term memory and can be used both more efficiently and more creatively [1], [2]. Such an opportunity to inspire the young generation for science must not be wasted. The world of Photonics and Optics provides us with a nearly inexhaustible source of opportunities of this kind.

The introduction to our school’ students of the wonders of light and optics and its understanding can and should be made as extensively as possible. As soon as at kindergarten level! A hands-on approach leading the students to observe experiment and discover themselves in a critical committed and active way the different aspects of light and optics should be employed at all school levels and must be the main driving pedagogical practice of all learning process of science and technology. In this communication we present a series of experiments and support material designed in this hands-on perspective to be used to introduce the study of optics to kindergarten and early basic school students. A critical evaluation of the first results of the application of these material with students aged 4 to 10 years will be presented.

There are few Optics contents along the primary and secondary studies in Spain. So, the relation between Optics and Technology is usually poorly known by the students. As a consequence, the number of students in Physics in general, and Optics in particular is low. In this paper we explain a project to show some topics in Optics Technology in a primary-secondary school. This project involves some Optics teachers in the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and a group of teachers and students of a primary-secondary school also in Barcelona (I.E.S. Costa i Llobera). Several Optics posters (made by the SPIE) were shown during one week. More than 200 students from 8 to 17 years old visited the Optics exhibition during this week. A group of 4 students (17 years old) were trained to show the posters to younger students. For this study we chose three age levels. For each level, a 50% of the students attended the exhibition and the rest didn’t attend the poster session. So, it was possible to realize a survey to check whether some knowledge differences appeared between the two groups. A questionnaire was fulfilled by these groups. The results of this survey show that a significant new knowledge in Optics was learned by the students.

The education problem in optics and photonics is to draw young generation on the side of light, optical science and technology. The main goal is to prove the slogan that “physics is a small part of optics”: during the thousand years optics formulated the clear worldview for humanity. In fact optics is itself presents multidisciplinary collection of independent scientific arias from one hand and was a generator of new fields of knowledge from the other hand. Optics and photonics are the regions where the fundamental problems of our reality have to be solved. The mentioned functions belonged to optics during the period of civilizations development. This is a basic idea of books serial by S. Stafeev and M. Tomilin “Five Millennium of Optics” including 3 volumes. The first volume devoted to optics prehistory was edit in 2006 in Russian. Its main chapters devoted to relations between Sun and Life, the beginnings of human intelligence, megalithic viewfinders, gnomons and ancient temples orientation, archaic optical materials and elements. It also consist the optical riddles of that period. The volume II is devoted to Greek and Roman antiquity and is in the process of publishing. It consist the chapters on the beginning of optics, mathematical fundaments and applied optics evolution. Volume III would be devoted to Medieval and Renaissance optics history. The materials are used at our university in a course “The Modern Natural Science Conceptions” for students and graduate students. In our paper the possibilities of optics history as effective instrument for education in optics and photonics are discussed.

Natural optical phenomena enjoy a level of interest sufficiently high among a wide array of people to provide ideal education and outreach opportunities. The aurora promotes particularly high interest, perhaps because of its relative rarity in the areas of the world where most people live. A project is being conducted at Montana State University to use common interest and curiosity about auroras to motivate learning and outreach through the design and deployment of optical sensor systems that detect the presence of an auroral display and send cell phone messages to alert interested people. Project participants learn about the physics and optics of the aurora, basic principles of optical system design, radiometric calculations and calibrations, electro-optical detectors, electronics, embedded computer systems, and computer software. The project is moving into a stage where it will provide greatly expanded outreach and education opportunities as optical aurora detector kits are created and disbursed to colleges around our region.

Professional societies sponsor student chapters in order to foster scholarship and training in photonics at the college and graduate level, but they are also an excellent resource for disseminating photonics knowledge to pre-college students and teachers. Starting in 2006, we tracked the involvement of SPIE student chapter volunteers in informal pre-college education settings. Chapter students reached 2800, 4900 and 11800 pre-college students respectively from 2006-2008 with some form of informal instruction in optics and photonics. As a case study, the EduKit, a self-contained instruction module featuring refractive and diffractive micro-optics developed by the European Network of Excellence on Micro-Optics (NEMO), was disseminated through student chapters in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, India, Latvia, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States. We tracked the movement of this material through the network, up to the student-teacher feedback stage. The student chapter network provided rapid dissemination of the material, translation of the material into the local language, and leveraged existing chapter contacts in schools to provide an audience. We describe the student chapter network and its impact on the development of the EduKit teaching module.

Nowadays the educational problem of teaching optics and photonics is to attract the young generation to the wonderful and magic world of light, optical science, technology and systems. The main issue is to explain that in the course of last several hundred years optics has been representing the most clear world view for humanity. In fact, the optics itself is a multidisciplinary complex of independent scientific directions, and, moreover, it has always been a generator of new fields of knowledge. Besides, optics and photonics are the fields within which the most fundamental problems of today’s reality are to be resolved. It is absolutely necessary to encourage our scholars in getting optics and photonics education as an alternative physical basis to gaining solely computer knowledge. The main obstacle is the poor connection between program of optical education and the real optical researches, disintegration of different branches of the optical science, the demographic situation, some problems with teaching mathematics and physics at schools, and the collision between traditional educational methods and the mentality of the new generation. In Russia the Saint-Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics offers partial solution to these problems: the organization of a real place for interactive optical science in a form of a new museum of optics, intended for education and training, seems to be the most effective way. This was the main reason for establishing such a museum in Saint-Petersburg at the end of 2008.

The Applied Optics Group, National University of Ireland Galway is a research centre involved in programmes that cover a wide variety of topics in applied optics and imaging science, including smart optics, adaptive optics, optical scattering and propagation, and engineering optics. The Group have also developed significant outreach programmes both in Primary and Post-Primary schools. It is recognised that there is a need for innovation in Science Education in Ireland and we are committed to working extensively with schools. The main aim of these outreach programmes is to increase awareness and interest in science with students and enhance the communication skills of the researchers working in the Group. The education outreach team works closely with the relevant teachers in both Primary and Post-Primary schools to design and develop learning initiatives to match the needs of the target group of students. The learning programmes are usually delivered in the participating schools during normal class time by a team of Applied Optics specialists. We are involved in running these programmes in both Primary and Post-Primary schools where the programmes are tailored to the curriculum and concentrating on optics and light. The students may also visit the Groups research centre where presentations and laboratory tours are arranged.

The competitive cluster "Route des Lasers" has been labeled by the French Government in July 2005. In this context, it has launched in September 2005, in cooperation with Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA) and Regional Council a project involving scientific exhibitions, called "Terre des Lasers ®", in order to create an exhibition and an area of communication and science discovery or a very large target (public, school, industry) in the fields of optics, lasers, optronics and imaging. This initiative is part of the strategy of the "Route des Lasers" center which aims to promote technologies developed in the areas of photonics, targeting in particular children and teenagers and their awareness for this particular industrial and scientific topic.

We initiate a pilot project of photonics education outreach to Thai society in order to heighten public awareness and to inspire new generations of science and technology in photonics. Our target groups are students, teachers and public people. In our first state, we focus on students and teachers especially in the rural area. Learning-by-playing and critical-thinking-by-doing approaches are selected to nurture and reinforce students. For secondary and high school students, we provide a two-hour seminar on applications of photonics in daily life in order to motivate them to do science or engineering projects related to photonics. Specifically, our technical workshop with hands-on experiments provides a practical way for teachers to inspire their students about optics and photonics. Based on our phase I work with 1044 students from 21 primary schools, we find that 90% of them have fun and gain new asset in photonics. With our approach for secondary and high school levels, there are three projects accepted for the first round in the 2009 Young Scientist Competition. In addition, 90% of 85 teachers from 59 schools recognize and understand more about optics and photonics. In our further work, we will focus on the involvement of public people in order to create a new momentum that fulfills our mission.

In India, the pedagogy of science education is “believe what text book says”. Providing schools with appropriate teaching materials to enhance teaching has always been a challenge in a developing country like India. Generally it is not possible for a normal school in India to afford the expensive teaching materials to teach through demonstrations and experiments. Thus students are forced to believe what text book says rather than learning concepts through experiments. The International School of Photonics SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering) student chapter came up with ‘Optics kit’ to supplement the teaching of optics in school level. ‘Optics kit’, developed with indigenously procured components, could be sold at an affordable prize for an average Indian School. The chapter is currently selling the kit for less than $20. The content of the kit is at par with many kits already available commercially in developed countries, and the price is just 10% compared to those kits. The kit is aimed to higher secondary level students in India, where students are taught Ray optics and basics of Wave Optics. The content of the kit is developed based on this syllabus. The Optics Kit contains simple optical elements like lens, grating, polarizer, mirror, diode laser etc. The kit can be used to demonstrate optics phenomena like interference, diffraction, polarization etc. The kit was developed based on the feedback gathered by the chapter through its outreach activities. The syllabus for the kit was developed through thorough discussion with educational experts in the field of Physics. The student community welcomed the optics kit with overwhelming enthusiasm and hence the project proved to be successful in giving an opportunity for students to “See and Believe” what they are learning.

The education system of developing countries like India lack infrastructure for teaching science through demonstrations and experiments. The teaching of optics is generally based on factual data given in text books. Students are forced to believe natural phenomena without actually getting convinced themselves through observations. This imparts a big flaw in the way students understand and experience science. The International School of Photonics SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering) Student chapter, in Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) in India comes up with their outreach activities, which is mainly aimed at giving hands on experience for school students with Optics. The pedagogy is completely in tune with the syllabus of Indian schools. This activity is being conducted by the students who are studying Photonics in University level. This gives the students a teaching experience as well. The outreach activity has been designed in two modes – Optics Fair & Optics to School. Optics Fair is a massive outreach program which has being conducted yearly since 2006. The two day event attracts more than 1500 school students as well as general public every year. The event is divided into three sections;-Primary, Secondary & Higher Secondary and the experiments are carefully chosen that the students will be able to appreciate them with their prior knowledge in optics. The basic idea put forward is “See and Believe”. In three years this event has become very popular attracting more and more students each year. The response received for these outreach activities is overwhelming. Program is successful in its mission to invoke curiosity and interest in students towards optics. Also within the given time constraint the program is able to give an insight of subject to students.

The National Center for Optics and Photonics Education (OP-TEC) is dedicated to meeting the U.S.’s demand for photonics technicians. A key to meeting this demand is assisting two-year colleges in providing flexible and effective means for preparing these technicians. To this end, OP-TEC has developed a hybrid online course that can be used for multiple purposes, including faculty development, student enrichment, and employee retraining. The online delivery mode and multipurpose capability of this course provide two-year colleges an educational delivery platform that can reach well beyond their local service areas and provide undergraduate students and already employed technicians an opportunity to engage in this technical area. This paper will focus on the use of this course as a tool for retraining technicians who are already employed (“incumbent workers”) by photonics and photonics-related companies. It will explain why these workers are important to meeting the technician demand of U.S photonics employers, present the structure of the course and its components, and describe a recent implementation of the course by Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa, in retraining employees at Mound Laser and Photonics Center in Miamisburg, Ohio.

The mission of the National Center for Optics and Photonics Education (OP-TEC) is to create a secondary-to-postsecondary “pipeline” of highly qualified and strongly motivated students and to empower high schools and community colleges to meet the urgent need for technicians in optics and photonics. This paper describes the methodologies and processes OP-TEC has developed to carry out that mission. A recently completed assessment of the need for optics and photonics technicians in American industry concluded that U.S. colleges lack the capacity to produce an adequate supply. OP-TEC’s challenge is to close the gap between the supply of and demand for photonics technicians. To help increase college capacity, OP-TEC has developed and implemented a recruitment process for initiating photonics programs in U.S. colleges. This paper describes the recruitment process and its results, along with the relevant support services provided by OP-TEC. In support of its mission, OP-TEC has developed curriculum and instructional materials that prepare students for the photonics workforce. To help ensure that completers of U.S. photonics programs are workforce ready, OP-TEC uses a skill-standards-based process for developing curriculum and instructional materials. This paper reviews the foundational skill standards and explains the process for integrating them into the materials development process. The curriculum and instructional materials that result from this process are also described.¹

The Laser Institute of Technology for Education and Research (LITER), nationally and internationally recognized in the field of Photonics, is a state of the art facility built in 1989 on the campus of Camden County College, Blackwood, NJ. This building consists of six high power laser labs, five low power laser labs and four fiber-optic laboratories. It also contains classrooms and research labs and the facility houses over $5,000,000 in equipment. This paper will discuss the evolution of this facility in regards to enrollment in its photonics programs, funding for new equipment purchases and maintaining and updating the facility in laser safety requirements as required by the ANSI Z-136.5 Standard for Educational Institutions. The paper will also discuss how OP-TEC (The National Center for Optics and Photonics Education) has helped to keep this Laser Institute at the cutting edge of photonics education.

We have been modifying our intermediate optics class and laboratory with a focus on improving student learning through the use of active engagement. To facilitate this process we developed a two pronged solution. For the classroom we created a series of tutorials to help the students use the mathematics and techniques of derivations, apply these solutions to other problems, and develop a stronger conceptual foundation in intermediate optics class. In the optics laboratories we developed an approach that relies upon direct confrontation of misconceptions, predictions, collection of data to support or refute the predictions, reconciliation, discussion, and leading questions rather than a series of detailed, cookbook-like instructions as might be found in a traditional laboratory. Through the class and laboratory we build conceptual understanding in subjects like image formation by lenses and mirrors, ray optics, and ultimately elliptical polarization while fostering laboratory independence and helping students erect a new paradigm for learning.

Information Optics (i.e. Fourier Optics) is a compulsory professional course in the teaching program for juniors in the field of applied physics at Beijing University of Technology. Various methods are applied to information optics teaching in order to obtain satisfying teaching effect. Active and interactive teaching method based on exploring forefront topics was proposed and put into practice, especially for teaching “holography and holographic technology application” section of the course􀀀in which the teaching activity was not restricted to classroom any more. A visiting to the exhibit of forefront production of holographic display was introduced as an episode in the teaching. The process of teaching was designed elaborately to an interactive activity between the teacher and students, and to stimulate students to cooperate. The teaching practice proves that the active and interactive teaching method is much favorable by students and successful in information optics teaching.

Laboratory works on holograms recording, reconstruction and interpretation are useful for two reasons. Firstly, holography is widely used in science and engineering. Secondly, training labs in holography require complex applying of knowledge on interference, diffraction, coherency and other domains of optics. Educational kit and methodological instructions for optical experiments were presented in the previous paper 1. The desktop holographic camera described in this paper is one of the additional functional units of the kit. The desktop holographic camera does not require additional protection against vibrations even if the exposure time is several minutes. This is a compact holographic installation for recording Denisyuk holograms. Two experiments are described in the paper to illustrate the usefulness of holographic laboratory works. The first one is a recording and reconstruction of a Denisyuk hologram. The second one is a recording and interpretation of a double-exposure interferogram when the holoplate is sagged due to loading between exposures. Also included in the paper are holographic setup and laboratory works on digital holography. These experiments require, in addition, complex applying of knowledge on photo receivers, CCD and other domains of photonics.

For long time optics’ scientists all around the world realised the importance to the development of optics of providing our school students a good effective education in optics. A large range of quality educational support materials was developed and is readily available. Fortunately this is also true in what concerns materials to be used in hands-on experiments based learning covering virtually all fields of optics and also intended or adapted for use at all school levels. Recent trends in educational policies are given science education an increasing importance within school’ curricula. Furthers efforts must be developed in order to increase the importance of optics in school syllabus and generalize it throughout all school levels, while guaranteeing a quality effective education. This demands a strong focus on an active investigative hands-on experiments based study of the different subjects of light and optics by the students at the classroom in formal context but also in different informal activities. In this process the role of the teacher is of crucial importance. Quite often, however, teachers are not adequately trained in this type of pedagogic approach and frequently feel the need of further training in these issues but also on the recent advances of optics and photonics. In other to tackle this need a number of different training courses for school teachers, from pre-school to highschool and vocational training schools, were designed and will be presented and discussed in this communication.

A surface mount typed multi-coloured Light-Emitting Diode (LED) is used as a light source for the hands-on coloured light mixer. The LED consists of red, green and blue tiny sources but the mixer is designed to have four switches corresponding to red, green, blue and yellow light. These colours correspond to students’ misconceptions of primary coloured lights; they realize that the primary colours and the rules for lights mixing are the same as those of paints. To generate a yellow light, a microcontroller placed between four input switches and the LED operates both a red and green tiny sources. In addition, the microcontroller is employed to eliminate some combinations of coloured light mixing to simplify the experiment (basic mode) for non advanced students. If the mixer is used with more advanced students, a number of combinations will increase and students need more analytical skills to find out the primary coloured lights (the coloured lights that can not be produced by the mixing of any other coloured lights). Therefore, the mixer is able to use with more advanced and non advanced students depending on the program in the microcontroller and some modifications of the circuit. Furthermore, to introduce students an idea that other hues or shades can be generated by mixing of these three primary coloured lights of different intensities, a tuning circuit is integrated to vary an intensity of the green light source.

This paper describes our approach to introducing the basic principles of experimental Biophotonics to undergraduates. We have centered on optical microscopy since this is fundamental to most experimental activity associated with Biophotonics whether as a research, diagnostic or therapeutic tool. The major issues associated with imaging include spatial resolution, image enhancement and image interpretation. We have elected to guide students through the principles underlying these concepts by using three linked experimental investigations. The first deals with Fourier Optics and imaging at the fundamental level including the impact of such factors as numerical aperture, illumination wavelength and spatial filtering. The second is an introduction to optical microscopy including the use of digital image capture and basic image manipulation, whilst the third investigates image enhancement techniques such as the use of fluorescent labels and specifically tailored illumination techniques.

In close collaboration with four German universities, we have developed tutorials for experiments based on a transmissive liquid-crystal spatial light modulator (SLM). The experimental tutorials are grouped in six project modules, which cover a wide range of phenomena and have different levels of difficulty. At a basic level, students can investigate the SLM in its probably most well-known application as an image-generating element in a simple optical projector setup. At more advanced levels, the application as an adaptive optical element can be investigated in three different projects covering wave-optical phenomena. The fields covered include Fourier Optics using the SLM as a dynamic fan-out beam-splitter or kinoform, Computer-Generated Holography and basic Interferometry. For the support of these projects, software was developed which permits the generation of adaptive optical structures by the student with a user-friendly interface, while the underlying algorithms are explained in the theoretical tutorial. The modulation of the light by the twisted-neumatic liquid crystal cells of the SLM can be investigated in the two most advanced projects. In the first one, the parameters of the cell and the components of its Jones matrix can be derived from transmission measurements with rotatable polarizers at a number of different wavelengths. This project gives insight to the Jones matrix calculus at the level required for the analysis. In the second one, the complex-valued transmission of the SLM is determined by measuring the diffraction efficiency of dynamically addressed Ronchi gratings.

Polarization is a concept most students readily understand in terms of the preferential direction of electric field vectors. The visualization of the electric field component of an electromagnetic wave facilitates the understanding of a large body of knowledge concerning propagation and measurement of completely and partially polarized light. Little known to undergraduate students, however, is the Stokes parameters and students typically receive a cursory treatment regarding their usefulness in describing and measuring polarized light in a laboratory or astronomical setting. We present laboratory exercises where students use Stokes parameters when measuring and describing the polarization of electromagnetic radiation and in the statistical analysis of polarized light.

Through a partnership between EASTCONN, a regional educational service center, and Three Rivers Community College, both located in eastern Connecticut, students from 5th grade through college have been learning about optics and photonics. Using innovative approaches including hands-on workshops on selected topics in light, vision and optics/photonics, field trips to local photonics industries, and authentic learning opportunities at a college campus, students and their teachers are learning about light and optics with age-appropriate activities and are also being introduced to the potential career opportunities.

The purpose of this paper is to explain in more detail some of the ideas first presented at earlier Institute of Physics and S.P.I.E. conferences, and to give an update on the work that has been done by the authors and others to develop online tutorial materials, particularly for those who do not intend to specialise in optical design. The latest additions to these courses, involving real lens design and analysis tasks, are now available on the Ancient and Modern Optics web site in unrestricted download format.

It is important to improve the technological skills and scientific understanding of students who are not pursuing scientific and technological degrees because they are indirectly asked to support science. To be supportive, they need to be able to evaluate scientific information as portrayed by the media. The difficulty is to find a topic which will stimulate and hold their interest in science. One such topic is LASERs. LASERs hold a fascination for students. LASERs are used in a wide array of technological devices and procedures. To understand LASERs requires an understanding of light and optics; of how light interacts with matter and with the structure of matter. Therefore, a course about LASERs can entice students who typically avoid science classes, and in particular physics classes, into taking a physics class, thereby giving us the opportunity to improve their understanding of science, their critical thinking skills and developing their appreciation of basic physics. Such a course can establish a sense of confidence in these students’ ability to understand.

In the “real world”, Photonics is somewhat invisible to those who rely upon it worldwide. We would like students to connect their everyday experiences of communications with the underlying ideas in Photonics. To do this, we have developed the Photonics Simulator to illustrate to high school students how text or information is coded into binary optical signals which are relayed through photonic communications networks from sender to receiver. Using our simulator, students construct a virtual network, and then test it by sending messages. The messages are coded using ASCII binary code as digital signals in data packets with address headers, which need to be switched, combined, amplified, or delayed to get to their designated address. The students must manage their power budget, correctly target each message address, and avoid collisions of data packets to send their messages uncorrupted and error-free. We tested an early version of the simulator with five Year 9 and 10 classes. The students provided many constructive comments and their feedback was used to improve the graphical interface of the simulator. We subsequently tested the simulator with 80 Year 9 students in short workshops. Overall we had a very positive response - it was more fun than a normal class, and interactivity helped students retain information. Students enjoy the visual aspects– they see how messages are delivered, and learn the function of each network component by experiment. Tests of the simulator at the Macquarie Siemens Science Experience were also encouraging, with one student even sneaking back to class to complete his challenges!

In recent years there have been some proposals to develop educational tools using multimedia and interactive resources, however, most of them just transpose the traditional materials to the computer screen. The reason for this work is the gap of didactic materials to explore important subjects about photonics and optical communication systems, specially the lack of tools related to Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) learning. The aim of this research is to provide at the LCMS MOODLE open platform an Intelligent Learning Resource to support EDFA study, providing a set of Learning Objects more suitable for the study of the base concepts needed to optimize the use of the computer simulation tool. The learning resource developed can stimulate the students to understand how amplifiers are designed for a practical application, and the parameters that should be considered in a project. The Artificial Intelligence techniques used for the development of the learning resource consider the learner differences in a way to adapt the system actions according to each student background.

To deduce the wave nature of light, explain its behavior when it interacts with material obstacles (diffraction) or its behavior when light from two coherent sources interfere with each other (interference), we need to explain what are waves and what are their properties (wavelength, frequency, mathematical relationship between wavelength and frequency, superposition principle, …). Two principal approaches are generally used to introduce waves:
1/ An experimental approach (the example commonly used approach): to observe the water waves pattern obtained when drops of water (with an eye dropper, two eye droppers, or equivalent) fall -at a steady rate- on a calm pool of water surface.
2/ A theoretical approach: Wave coming from one source is represented by a sinusoidal function; Superposition of waves coming from two coherent sources is done by a sum of two sinusoidal functions with constant phase difference. In Tunisia, different workshops on “wave nature of light based on interference and diffraction” using Active Learning process have been organized for about 150 secondary school teachers in 2009. These workshops are based on UNESCO Active Learning in Optics and Photonics (ALOP) project. This paper will show how taking water wave’s pattern using some participant’s mobile camera helps to make some misconceptions resolved and includes at the same time other more complex phenomena.

Paper deals with cooperation between companies and university, especially with interactions companies and students, companies and pedagogues. At present it is possible to observe insufficient level of practical skills and knowledge among students and their pedagogues, there is no articulation for companies’ demands. We try to solve this situation with the help of pilot compartment. Its main task is to associate university teachers, graduate students and companies‘ specialists. Within the scope activities of the compartment is to prepare one or two day’s long special courses. Their mass point is focused to practical training; prepare conditions for trainee-ships dedicated to teachers and students on one side and special courses for technicians, dealers and companies’ management on the other. The main goal of this compartment is an interconnection between university education and requirements out coming from praxis. There are many ways of how to fulfill such cooperation.

A means of facilitating the transfer of precision engineering knowledge and skills from academic institutions and their research partners into UK optics and optical engineering companies is described. The process involves the creation of an Integrated Knowledge Centre (IKC), a partnership led by Cranfield University with the support of the University of Cambridge, University College London, and the OpTIC technium. This paper describes the development of the three main vehicles for knowledge transfer. These are a Masters level postgraduate degree course (the Cranfield University led MSc in “Ultra Precision Technologies”), a portfolio of industrial short courses which are designed to address key skills shortages in the fields of precision engineering for optical applications, and an e-learning package in precision engineering. The main issues encountered during the development of the knowledge transfer teaching and learning packages are discussed, and the outcomes from the first year of knowledge transfer activities are described. In overall summary, the results demonstrate how the Integrated Knowledge Centre in Ultra Precision and Structured Surfaces’ approach to knowledge transfer has been effective in addressing the engineering skills gap in precision optics based industries.

Technicians in Opto-Electronics Project (TOP) has five targets: one, to develop and pilot train with at least 10 learners; two, to implement a marketing plan; three, to raise awareness of the sector with young people to increase new entrants into the sector; four, to engage employers in development; and five, to provide information on leadership and management.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational approach whereby students learn course content by actively and collaboratively solving real-world problems presented in a context similar to that in which the learning is to be applied. Project PHOTON PBL, in collaboration with photonics industry and research university partners, created eight interdisciplinary multi-media Challenges to be used in high school and community college math, science and technology courses. Each Challenge was recorded on location and features the scientists, engineers and technicians who originally solved the problem engaged in authentic problem solving. In this paper we describe the evolution of the development of the Challenges and we provide instructions on creating a Challenge and using it in the classroom to enhance student learning.

Polarimetric techniques are widespread employed in many research fields as optics, medicine or biology. In this sense, the use of polarimeters has significantly increased, being a tool with huge perspectives of future. As a consequence, the spreading of the basic knowledge of this topic becomes interesting for many professionals and a master studies is an excellent environment to this aim. We are participating in a mandatory laboratory subject (Laboratory of Optics, LO) of a Master degree in Photonics with an experiment on polarization. In particular, the main structure of the experiment has been built around of a polarimeter set-up. Basically, we use a He-Ne laser beam, a polarization state generator and a polarization state detector. The experimental measurements are acquired by means of a photometer connected to a computer and processed by an own developed software. It allows us to obtain a complete description of any polarizing element tested. In combination with the laboratory work, it is provided a mathematical description of the polarization theory, the Stokes-Mueller formalism, which gives us the base required for a fully understand of the experiment. Throughout this work, we explain the polarimeter experiment structure and the achievements reached by students. We want to emphasize that a different degree of expertise and knowledge in function of the specific background of every student is provided. However, a minimum knowledge level is reached for all students, including among others, the improvement in the scientific, communicative or interdisciplinary competences.

The main objective is to establish the first transatlantic Graduate School, proposing a truly international education, training and research platform in the field of Photonics and Material sciences. The wide scope of Photonics encompasses many application fields that will be mostly covered by various curricula involving Laser Optics and Material Sciences and Interactions. This cooperation will build a very efficient scientific international community able to address the 21 century challenges in Photonics and applications. Indeed, the highest level of education, namely Master and PhD , will address the so called “Skill shortage” that impact on our economy. The truly interdisciplinary theme of this graduate school is also a guarantee for the insertion of the graduate into the workforce.

The traditional approach to undergraduate engineering course design is to first present underlying theoretical concepts in the course curriculum and then subsequently apply these theoretical concepts to system-level applications. A traditional photonics engineering course, for example, first reviews electromagnetic field theory, addressing essential concepts from geometrical and wave optics followed by an investigation of the interaction of photons with materials. Building upon these fundamental principles, the students then study the operating principles and design considerations of photoemitters, photodetectors, optical waveguides, and optical modulators. Individual devices are then combined in the design, construction and testing of a system – an example being a fiber optic communication link. This approach is often frustrating for the students because it is the applications that motivated them to study the subject and in many cases they have lost focus and interest well-before the applications are covered. This challenge can be overcome by deliberate course design where relevant thematic applications are introduced early in the course and routinely revisited as a referent. This approach has been shown to effectively motivate student-centric, inquiry-based learning. This thematic course design framework was applied to an undergraduate photonics engineering course,1,2 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where an emphasis was placed on inquiry-based investigation of a wavelength division multiplexing communication system introduced during the first lesson of the course and subsequently revisited throughout the remainder of the course. The underlying theory necessary to understand foundational concepts, device behavior and subsystem operation was presented in a just-in-time fashion.

This paper tracks the evolution of photonics education and training at the Australian National University (ANU) from its tentative beginnings in 1971 in the doctoral and masters postgraduate research arena and in 1989 in the undergraduate teaching arena through to its substantive role in 2009 and onwards. In addition it addresses various offshoots to national and international outreach activities and support for emerging photonics qualifications at other institutions, as well as photonics conference evolution.

Though developed out of physics and optics, the optometric profile in the UK has shifted towards a healthcare professional. As a result, optometry students are now stretched between numerous courses as diverse as microbiology, legal aspects related to practice, mathematics, vision or pharmacology. The importance of optics is still affirmed by regulating bodies and universities worldwide, but many students, particularly those with a relatively weak background in mathematics and physics, question the relevance of this teaching and engage reluctantly with this topic. In order to evaluate the importance of optics as part of the optometry curriculum, to improve the satisfaction of our students and to best suit their needs as future Optometrists, we first reviewed the place of optics in the optometry curricula across Europe. It appears that there are two main divisions: some have adopted a biomedical focus, well illustrated by UK universities while others have adopted a more optics/physics emphasis as in some German program. In addition to this review, we carried out a survey among Manchester Optometry alumni asking them how relevant they consider the classic teaching in optics (geometrical, physical and visual optics) to be to their subsequent career. The results of this survey will be discussed in detail. It appears that though predominantly favourable and against a reduction in the amount of optics taught, a relatively large percentage is in favour of a reduction and consider that what they learnt during their studies has not been useful to them professionally (over 20% for geometrical optics). In this context, a solution could be to increase the profile of the different professional opportunities available to graduates (optics, marketing, customer service, etc.). The simplest solution is however to take advantage of the wonderful potential of relevant optometric situations for the teaching of the fundamental optical principles. To conclude this presentation, we give a number of examples of how optometric applications can be used to introduce all the main optical phenomena.

We report here the development of an automated modern optics laboratory for undergraduate students. This developed modern optics laboratory have automated experiments on optoelectronic device characterisation, optical instrumentation, CCD based optical experiments and advanced applications in optics. In the device characterisation section, Voltage-Current (V-I) and Optical Power-Current (P-I) characteristics of various optoelectronic devices like LEDs, Laser diodes and photo diodes have been automated. In the optical instrumentation section, development of PC based optical power meter have been reported whose functionality can be tailored as per the need of the designed experiment. In the CCD based optical experiments section, CCD has been integrated for fringe capture and analysis by studying the diffraction pattern of a pinhole. In the advanced applications in optics section, molar absorbivity of NiSO4 has been calculated. Further work is in progress to develop heart rate monitoring system, non-evasive jaundice studies from the skin, CCD based real time spectrometers as well as elaborate studies on interference, diffraction and polarisation. The automation of this laboratory has been done by integrating various sensors (photodetectors, CCDs, Current and others) with data acquisition cards connected to PC and one of the most widely used world wide scientific graphical programming software LabVIEW. The purpose of the laboratory is to invoke student interest by exposing them to various modern tools in comparison to very conventional as well as boring existing optics laboratories. The use of this scientific graphical programming software will help in performing various real time measurements and calculations with ease. The automation of the experiments will also save great amount of experimentation time and procurement of costly equipments dedicated to each experiment thus providing an efficient way to carry out studies with reduced financial constraints and better manoeuvrability.

For many years, there was no stand alone course in optics at Millersville University (MU). In the fall of 2007, the Physics Department offered for the first time PHYS 331: Fundamentals in Optics, a discovery based lab course in geometrical, physical and modern optics. This 300-level, 2 credits course consists of four contact hours per week including one-hour lecture and three hours laboratory. This course is required for BS in physics majors, but is open also to other science majors, who have the appropriate background and have met the prerequisites. This course deals with fundamental optics and optical techniques in greater depth so that the student is abreast of the activities in the forefront of the field. The goal of the course is to provide hands-on experience and in-depth preparation of our students for graduate programs in optics or as a workforce for new emerging high-tech local industries. Students learn applied optics through sequence of discovery based laboratory experiments chosen from a broad range of topics in optics and lasers, as the emphasis is on geometrical optics, geometrical aberrations in optical systems, wave optics, microscopy, spectroscopy, polarization, birefringence, laser generation, laser properties and applications, and optical standards. The peer-guided but open-ended approach provides excellent practice for the academic model of science research. Solving problems is embedded in the laboratory part as an introduction to or a conclusion of the experiment performed during the lab period. The homework problems are carefully chosen to reflect the most important relations from the covered material. Important part of the student learning strategy is the individual work on a final mini project which is presented in the class and is included in the final grading. This new course also impacted the department’s undergraduate research and training programs. Some of the individual projects were extended to senior research projects in optics as part of the senior research and seminar courses, PHYS 492 and PHYS 498, which are required for graduation for all physics majors. The optics course also provides basic resources for both research and training in the classical and modern optics of high-school students and K-12 teachers. The successful implementation of the optics course was secured by a budget of about $60,000.

The Institute for Optical Sciences at the University of Toronto is an association of faculty members from various departments with research interests in optics. The institute has an extensive program of academic activities, for graduate and undergraduate students, as well as public outreach. For undergraduate students, we have a course on holography. We provide opportunities for students to gain optics experience through research by providing access to summer research positions and by enrolling them in the Research Skills Program, a summer course teaching the basic skills needed in research. For graduate students, we offer the Distinguished Visiting Scientists program, where world-renowned researchers come for a week, giving a series of 3 lectures and interacting closely with students and professors. The extended stay allows the program to run like a mini-course. We launched a Collaborative Master’s Program in Optics, where students earn a degree from their home department, along with a certification of participation in the collaborative program. Physics, Chemistry and Engineering students attending together are exposed to the various points of view on optics, ranging from the pure to the applied sciences. For the general public, we offer the Stoicheff Lecture, a yearly public lecture on optics, organized with the Royal Canadian Institute. Our institute also initiated Science Rendezvous, a yearly public celebration of science across the Greater Toronto Area, with lab tours, demonstrations, and other opportunities to learn about science and those who are actively advancing it. This year, this event attracted over 20,000 attendees.

Holography is one of the most intuitive methods to teach optics, covering many concepts of introductory optics courses, in a visual manner. At the same time it provides a bridge between sciences and art. For these reasons, the Institute for Optical Sciences at the University of Toronto in collaboration with the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) has started an undergraduate course on holography. This course is unique from a number of perspectives. It is a collaboration between two Toronto post secondary education institutions. Also, it enrolls both science and art students, and teaches both the artistic and scientific aspects of holography. Besides the direct learning outcome of the course material, an equally important gain is for art and science students to work together on projects, learning from each others’ strengths. The course is completely hands-on, with students given individual access to the holography studio (under the supervision of a teaching assistant) to complete the required projects in the course. The projects are complemented with lectures that cover the necessary concepts in holography, such as wave propagation, interference and diffraction. The students also receive an introduction to other uses of interference and diffraction. Since the course is taken by art as well as science students, the lectures are delivered very conceptually. Students produced some stunning holograms as part of their projects and rated the course very positively with enthusiastic reviews.

In the area of Photonics Research as to what can be achieved with Low Power Photonics Sources, such as a Class 2 HeNe Laser, a Laser Diode, or an ultra high intensity LED, the Photonics Academy at OpTIC possesses a highly impressive array of functional Prototype Designs. Each of these visually attractive Prototype Designs illustrates the Ingenuity in Design that has been achieved by students, in the range of 15 - 25 years of age, who have been engaged in personal opportunities to Investigate the potential application of Photonics concepts to, and within, a whole range of highly Innovative outcomes, that are clear demonstrations of many students’ individual Originality and Ingenuity in creating new ideas for the application of Low Power Photonics Concepts. This Paper will highlight some of the highly Perceptive Prototype Design achievements of students in the application of Photonics principles, with these applications ranging from the Use of a Laser to identify the Letters of a Word in an ordinary book before translating them into Braille for a Visually Handicapped person, to the transmission of audio information over a distance; from a Book Page turning device for a paralysed person, to a pair of Laser Activated Mobile Feet; from a Mobile Guide Robot for a Blind person, to a five-Laser beam Combination Lock for a high Security application; from a Laser Birefringent Seismograph, to a Laser Speckle Activated Robotic Hand; and many, many more. All of the many functioning Prototype Design ideas that will be demonstrated have one characteristic that is common, namely, they are all designed with the intention to help improve the day-to-day experiences of other people, especially those who are impaired in some way. One of the most interesting challenges that can be presented to students is to apply Low Power Laser Photonics to help any visually impaired person within a whole range of activities, and several of the Prototype Designs will illustrate that particular type of student Ingenuity and Achievement via Perceptive Knowledge in Photonics.

In devising an effective approach for the Presentation of Information Data to any group of students, it has to be anticipated that the particular Style of Presentation that is chosen for conveying the new Information Data will influence the ensuing level of stimulation of the Response from each student. New Information Data forms the foundations for new Knowledge, but the ideal purpose of any Presentation is to promote the acquisition of Perceptive Knowledge. Any endeavour to promote Perceptive Knowledge involves considerably more cognitive processing procedures than just the initial delivery and reception of new Information Data. It always is necessary to activate the Awareness of a student as to the Usefulness of any Information Data which is being drawn to their attention for the first time. The Style of Presentation needs to bring into sharp Focus specific characteristics in the communication procedures that illustrate the Significance, the Relevance, and the Intrinsic Value of the new Information Data. However, the real importance of new Information Data lies less in the actual content of the Data itself, and much more in the Implications which are consequential to the existence of that Information Data. This Paper will highlight an approach for the Presentation of Photonics Information Data in such a way as to augment a student’s acquisition of Perceptive Knowledge, by the provision of a coincident forum for Photonics Investigations, with the student’s own Imagination, Insight, and Ingenuity then being integrated with the Empirical Evidence to arrive at a proposal to create a new Prototype Design Idea. In providing opportunities for a student to create a highly Innovative Prototype Design, such a student’s attention is focused on the Usefulness of the original Information Data, challenged by the potential applications of the Information Data within an Investigative environment, and made aware of the impressive outcomes that are the result of Ingenuity that is prompted by a Design encounter. In such a Learning approach, a student is certain to acquire Perceptive Knowledge.

The human eye treated as an optical system is an excellent model to teach various aspects of Optics. The range of topics treated can start from simple refraction upto quantum optics including detection of single photons. In particular, concepts and methods such as ray tracing, apertures and stops, field of view calculations, gradient index systems, non-centered systems, Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction, scattering, Fourier optics as well as aberrations (both Seidel and wavefront aberrations) and adaptive optics can be illustrated using various properties of the human visual system. A course such as this will be of interest to students from biological sciences as well natural science and engineering students who desire some “real world” applications. I have taught these aspects and will describe my experiences and a model curriculum utilizing this ansatz.

Diffraction gratings play a very important educational role in describing wave properties of light. In this work we present a simple phasor technique to fully describe binary amplitude diffraction gratings with different slit widths relative to the grating period, as well as binary phase gratings with different phase shift. This analysis, which is directly derived from the Huygens principle, introduces a slit phasor to account for the diffracted orders relative intensity, and a grating phasor that accounts for the grating’s resolving power. The proposed phasor technique is mathematically equivalent to the Fourier transform calculation of the diffraction orders amplitude, and it can be useful to explain binary diffraction gratings in a simple manner in introductory physics courses. Experimental results probing this theoretical analysis are included with the use of a liquid crystal display.

Physics education research has shown that students have difficulties in learning essential optics concepts. Therefore, in this present work we deal with student’s conceptions in geometrical optics field. Our objective is to show the Algerian students misconceptions. We proposed to 246 students in first year university (aged 18–21) a closed questionnaire where most of its questions were already used by other researchers. The misunderstandings identified were compared with those in literature. The results show that our students have the same misconceptions, related to the propagation of the light, the vision, the refraction and the reflexion, as the students in other countries (Andersson, Çiğdem ŞAHİN, Galili, Goldberg, Viennot). We investigate new students “misconception” concerning the propagation of the light in the vacuum.

In undergraduate optics laboratory, one thing that is not easily achieved is quantitative measurement of optical phase. The reason is that optical phase measurement usually requires expensive interferometers. We demonstrate measurement of relative optical phase shift upon total internal reflection. Total internal reflection, though known by every student of optics, is remembered by 100% reflection at an interface when angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, that is, it seems all the same beyond the critical angle. This is not entirely true if one considers the optical phase, which keeps changing upon total internal reflection as the angle of incidence is varied. Furthermore, for linear polarization states perpendicular to or in the plane of incidence (s- and p- polarization), optical phase changes differently upon total internal reflection. Therefore, a linearly polarized beam composed of both s- and p- polarization undergoing total internal reflection becomes elliptically polarized. We show how to determine relative optical phase change between s- and p- polarization states through analysis of the outgoing elliptically polarized beam. Such optical phase change can also be theoretically calculated using Fresnel equations.

A case study is described of the redesign of an assessment task – the writing of an Optoelectronic Technology profile – to achieve improved outcomes in student education and capability development, in particular, research skills. Attention is drawn to the value of a formally scheduled discussion between teacher and student around controlling the scope of the profile via an appropriately constructed “brief”, and the selection and evaluation of the reference resources to be used in completing the task. Student motivation is improved through “student publishing” and encouraging students to regard their technology profile as an example of their work that can be shown to potential employers, possibly as part of a portfolio. Students have the choice as to whether they will also use the technology profile task as a vehicle to develop teamwork experience and skills.

Observations from teaching and learning over a 50 year span in various venues are made. The emphasis is on optics/photonics, but excursions are made into lower frequency electro-magnetic waves. Night-school students have priorities and necessities that are different from full-time students, visiting foreign students have another goal, graduate students (and their supervisors!) have a focus on research, contractual programs and short-course participants have specific interests in equipment and projects. The requirements place different demands on timing, assignments, emphasis, etc, for the lecture/ teaching/ laboratory aspects of the programs. Lessons that have been learned over the years are outlined.

The unification of the new European studies under the framework of the Bologna process creates a new adaptation within the field of Physics this academic year 08/09 and in the coming years until 2010. An adjustment to the programs is required in order to migrate to the new European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), changing the credit from 10 to 25 hours. This adaptation is mandatory for the new students. However, the current students under the previous program have the opportunity to avoid these changes and to finish the degree with the old curricula. One of the characteristics of the Image Processing Laboratory (IPL) is the feedback between the laboratory researchers and the students. From this mutual collaboration several students have participated in various scientific research studies. In general, when a student is introduced into the research group routine, they found some differences between the degree laboratory courses and the research laboratory dynamics. This paper provides an overview of the experiences acquired and the results obtained by undergraduate students in recent works related to liquid crystal display (LCD) characterization and optimization, LCD uniformity analysis, polarimeter design, LCD temporal fluctuation effects or diffractive optics and surface metrology.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach whereby students learn course content by collaboratively solving complex real-world problems and reflecting on their experience. Research shows that PBL improves student knowledge and retention, motivation, problem-solving skills, and the ability to skillfully apply knowledge in new situations. One of the challenges with PBL, however, is that real-world problems are typically open-ended with more than one possible solution, which poses a challenge to educators with regard to assessing student performance. In this paper, we describe an approach to assessing student performance in PBL developed by the Photon PBL Project, a three-year National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) project in which eight interdisciplinary multimedia PBL “Challenges” were created in collaboration with photonics industry and university partners for use in high school and college math, science and technology courses. Assessment included measures of content knowledge, conceptual knowledge, problem-solving skills, motivation, self-efficacy, and metacognitive ability. Results from pilot testing at four community college photonics technology programs are presented.

ABET's outcomes-based assessment and evaluation requirements for engineering school accreditation has been a catalyst for curricular reform for engineering programs across the U.S. and around the world. Norfolk State University launched programs in Electronics and Optical Engineering in 2003. In 2007, Norfolk State became one of only six accredited Optical Engineering programs in the United States. In preparation for their first ABET evaluation in fall 2007, the faculty initiated an embedded-assessment program to insure continuous improvement toward the desired learning outcomes. The initial program design includes embedded assessments that have been generated using a practical framework for the creation of course activities based on Bloom's Learning Taxonomy. The framework includes specific performance criteria for each ABET-defined learning outcome. The embedded assessments are generated by individual faculty for courses that they are assigned to teach, and the performance criteria provide sufficient information to guide the faculty as they generate the embedded assignments. The assignments are typically administered through course exams, projects, electronic portfolio assignments, and other structured educational activities. The effectiveness of the assessment design is being evaluated through faculty surveys, faculty group discussions, and student performance. This paper outlines the assessment and evaluation plan, and the integrated processes that have been used to support the evaluation of learning outcomes using embedded assessment instruments.

Writing high quality, formal laboratory reports about optical physics experiments is a key learning outcome for physics and optical technology graduates. Improved learning outcomes are achieved by a process of draft reports which receive feedback. Student engagement is discussed.

The relations between radiometric magnitudes and quantities associated to optical properties of materials (processes of reflection, transmission and emission of radiant flux by or through material media) have been analyzed. By studying some particular examples, we illustrate the dependence of optical properties of materials on the radiometric magnitude chosen and it is shown that quantities obtained from a radiometric point of view differ mathematically and physically from the corresponding Optics expressions.

Nature of light is a fascinating subject of education and training for children. However, it is not easy to demonstrate and explain fundamental properties of the light to the primary & secondary school students. In this paper, we will present a new technique to teach concept of refraction, reflection, and total internal reflection of light in glasses by utilizing deviation angles of a prism for various surrounding index-matching oils.

Thin films are an important and sometimes essential component in many optical and electrical devices. As part of their studies in optics, students receive a basic grounding in the propagation of light through thin films of various configurations. Knowing how to calculate the transmission and reflection of light of various wavelengths through thin film layers is essential training that students should have. We present exercises where students use Mathcad to numerically model the transmission and reflection of light from various thin film configurations. By varying the number of layers and their optical parameters, students learn how to adjust the transmission curves in order to tune particular filters to suit needed applications.

The optical microscope operation is limited with illumination distribution detecting on the object surface in reflective regime and absorption object parameters detecting in transparent regime. The functions are increased by observation the objects in polarizing light. The inside tension and optical activity in transparent materials becomes visible. Optical polarizing microscopy is powerful tool for investigations in many fields of science and technology. But it is helpless in detecting invisible physical fields’ distribution on the object surface. The combination of optical polarizing microscope with liquid crystal spatial light modulator in contact with objects’ increases its functions. The novelty of microscope consists in LC layer introduction in optical scheme to observe its local deformations in real time. LC applied as recording media has to be in contact with the surface under investigation. In this case LC detects the invisible physical fields on the object’s surface: intermolecular interactions, electrical, magnetic fields, etc. The results were obtained with high optical resolution and sensitivity. The operation with new microscope is very simple. The unique information was received in examination the surfaces of solid crystals, minerals, metals, semiconductors, polymers, glasses, optical coatings. The most valuable information was obtained in biophotonics. The simplicity of new microscopic methods made possible to recruit for serious scientific investigations the students from first to fifth year of education. Students’ participation helps to get rich statistic results and to check their reproducibility. The students also got experience in oral presentations of the results.

The active learning project consists in a series of workshops for educators, researchers and students and promotes an innovative method of teaching physics using simple, inexpensive materials that can be fabricated locally. The objective of the project is to train trainers and inspire students to learn physics. The workshops are based on the use of laboratory work and hands-on activities in the classroom. The interpretation of these experiments is challenging for some students, and the experiments can lead to a significant amount of discussion. The workshops are organized within the framework of the project ‘‘Active Learning in Optics and Photonics” (ALOP) mainly funded by UNESCO, with the support of ICTP (Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics) and SPIE. ALOP workshops offer high school, college or university physics teachers the opportunity to improve their conceptual understanding of optics. These workshops usually run for five days and cover several of the topics usually found in any introductory university physics program. Optics and photonics are used as subject matter because it is relevant as well as adaptable to research and educational conditions in many developing countries [1].

In this paper, we will mainly focus on a specific topic of the ALOP workshops, namely optical communications and Wavelength Division Multiplexing technology (WDM). This activity was originally developed by Mazzolini et al [2]. WDM is a technology used in fibre-optic communications for transmitting two or more separate signals over a single fibre optic cable by using a separate wavelength for each signal. Multiple signals are carried together as separate wavelengths of light in a multiplexed signal. Simple and inexpensive WDM system was implemented in our laboratory using light emitting diodes or diode lasers, plastic optical fibres, a set of optical filters and lenses, prism or grating, and photodiodes. Transmission of audio signals using home-made, simple, inexpensive electronic circuits was also demonstrated. The experimental set-up was used during national ALOP workshops. Results are presented and discussed in this paper. Current explorations to further develop these and other closely-related experiments will also be described.

An experimental set up for demonstration and investigation of the spin-orbit interaction of a photon under polarized light propagation through a multimode rectilinear optical fiber is proposed. The influence of the trajectory on the light polarization can be observed under linear polarized skew ray’s propagation. The angle of plane polarization rotation depends on the angle of incidence. The influence of the light polarization on the trajectory can be observed under circular polarized skew ray’s propagation. The angle of the speckle pattern rotation under circular polarization sign change depends on the angle of incidence too.

We present in this paper the detailed design, development, and implementation of two optical measurement systems that serve as teaching devices for undergraduate students. The building of both prototypes has been carried out by several students for their undergraduate thesis project. Both systems are highly modular and each of their functional blocks are clearly separated and labeled so that students can immediately identify their constituent parts. In both cases, the hardware consists of optoelectronic devices and mechanical parts that are fully automated and controlled by the corresponding Windows application developed ad hoc. Our Optical Spectrum Analyzer is, as far as we know, the first system designed for highly multimode polymer optical fibers operating in the visible region. As for the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer, it is not only suitable for educational experimental measurements, but it can also be compared with commercial systems, since it works in the second transmission window.

The State of Florida has recently established a new center of excellence in advanced core laser technologies, associated with the College of Optics & Photonics. This center, dedicated in 2007 in tribute to the pioneering work of Charles Townes, whose insight lead to the development of the maser and the laser, will invest in next generation laser technologies for applications to medicine, advanced manufacturing and defense. It joins the cluster of photonics-related centers at UCF, adding a focused national center for the education and training of scientists and engineers in laser technology. This paper describes the mission and objectives of the Townes Institute, the educational and training programs it is creating, its current investments and opportunities, and the future institutional and industrial partnerships and global reach it hopes to create.