Three Rivers Community College offers two associate degree programs in optics/photonics, and graduates have their
choice of jobs in New England and across the United States. Nonetheless, students, their parents, teachers and guidance
counselors are largely unaware of the career opportunities in the photonics industry. To promote optics/photonics career
awareness, we hosted two versions of "Laser Camp" in 2007 and 2008. Hands-on activities were chosen to promote
awareness of optical science and technology careers and to provide "take home" information and souvenirs to share with
family and friends. In this paper, we discuss the logistics of funding, marketing, permissions, transportation and food
service and share our student-tested activities.
A new course for technical high school students has been developed that integrates components of technical shops into a
one-semester Introduction to Optics classroom curriculum. Hands-on activities based on the discovery model are used to
build confidence in students who are weak in mathematics. The course promotes career awareness through collaboration
with nearby community colleges and activities such as Laser Camp. In this paper we discuss the development and
implementation of the course and its relationship to the PHOTON2 and PHOTON PBL projects.
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