Proceedings Article | 29 June 2004
KEYWORDS: Holography, Compact discs, Holograms, Photonics, Analytical research, Safety, Mathematics, Standards development, Physics, Data communications
The Columbia Career Center high school SPIE chapter has created an educational CD-ROM to teach holography to
students on the threshold of a career path in Photonics. This paper examines the development of the CD-ROM as an
educational project from the perspectives of both teacher and student. Holography has been used successfully in
educational institutions as a motivational tool for students and a vehicle for the teaching of a wide variety of skills. These
include problem solving, teamwork, safety, communication, research, mathematics, analysis of data, documentation,
equipment handling, and knowledge of light theory, which involves the principals of reflection, refraction, diffraction,
interference and polarization. All of these skills are essential to the photonics industry and, as a result, holography is
considered by the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD)1 to be a national photonics skill standard
for Laser Electro-optical Technicians (LEOTs). Thus, training in holography - using both simple and advanced
techniques and equipment - prepares students for a variety of vocations involving laser technology. However, the
teaching of holography can be beneficial at many different levels of education, including middle and high school students,
college students and interested adults.
The educational CD-ROM, "Making Holograms," is the first of its kind. It includes both simple, single beam holography
using a laser pointer, and more advanced split-beam setups using helium neon lasers. This paper outlines both the
benefits and challenges involved in the production of an educational CD-ROM on holography by high school students
and their advisor in an SPIE high school chapter.
