Thorlabs’ Mobile Lab to Stop at MCC as Part of Cross-country Tour Promoting Optics Education and Careers
September 18, 2023
A first-of-its-kind, fully-equipped, mobile optics and photonics lab is on a nationwide tour to engage high school and college students, and it is making a stop in Rochester, the Optics Capital. The Mobile Lab Experience was created by Thorlabs, a global optical equipment company headquartered in Newton, NJ, with production facilities around the world, including in Rochester. The mobile lab will stop at Monroe Community College (MCC) to visit with students, faculty and staff across all disciplines, including those in the nationally-recognized optical systems technology program. Precision optics technicians are in significant demand to support several high-tech industries, including health care, defense, transportation, communication, and more. MCC’s program is a national model for training optics technicians. Students in the program will participate in hands-on optics and photonics activities in The Mobile Lab Experience.
WHO:
- Alexis Vogt, Ph.D., chair and professor, MCC’s optical systems technology program, and executive director of workforce and higher education, AmeriCOM
- Students in MCC’s optical systems technology program
- Thorlabs Mobile Lab instructors
WHAT: The Mobile Lab Experience – a first-of-its-kind mobile photonics lab – provides students a hands-on experience to work with equipment used to measure, study, and harness the power of light. Tour the mobile lab and learn why careers in optics and photonics are vital to our country’s prosperity.
WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19
WHERE: Parking lot Q on Monroe Community College’s Brighton Campus, 1000 E. Henrietta Road (see campus map)
WHY: Precision optics technicians are in significant demand nationwide, yet many high school and college students are unaware of career opportunities in the optics industry. This mobile lab engages students through hands-on activities to introduce them to optics and photonics concepts and careers.