News
About OP-TEC
The National Center for Optics and Photonics Education, OP-TEC, is a consortium of two-year colleges, high schools, universities, national laboratories, industry partners, and professional societies funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. The participating entities of OP-TEC have joined forces to create secondary-to-postsecondary as well as returning adult “pipelines” of highly qualified and strongly motivated students and to empower two-year colleges to prepare technicians in optics and photonics.
Headquartered in Waco, Texas, OP-TEC serves secondary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs and postsecondary programs devoted to lasers, optics, and photonics technology or technologies enabled by lasers, optics and photonics. In addition, OP-TEC provides curriculum, instructional materials, workforce needs assessments, faculty development, student recruitment strategies/tools, and support for institutional reform. OP-TEC serves as a national clearinghouse for photonics teaching materials; encourages more schools and colleges to offer programs, courses, and career information; and helps high school teachers and community/technical college faculty members develop programs and labs to teach lasers, optics, and photonics technology.
Services
- Information about Photonics Technology and Technician Careers
- Technician Assistance in Program Feasibility and Planning
- Technical Assistance in Curriculum Design and Development
- Technical Assistance in Designing Laboratories
- Faculty Development and Training
Curriculum & Teaching Resources
- Laser Optics and Photonics Series
- Photonics Enabled Technology Modules
- Precision Optics Series
- Laser Electro-Optics Technology
- Math Supplements
- Teaching Resources
- Skill Standards
