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Faculty in three departments and one institute on campus have received a renewed IGERT investment to implement a new kind of graduate training through a multidisciplinary optical science and engineering program (OSEP). Optics is both a science and a technology, and it is inherently interdisciplinary-a fact that is well… more »

Faculty in three departments and one institute on campus have received a renewed IGERT investment to implement a new kind of graduate training through a multidisciplinary optical science and engineering program (OSEP). Optics is both a science and a technology, and it is inherently interdisciplinary-a fact that is well reflected by the University of Colorado’s (CU’s) own faculty and other researchers who span several departments and institutes. Indeed many technical fields are increasingly dependent on optical technology for communication, measurement, entertainment, displays and production, to name a few, hence the global motivation for a multidisciplinary training program in optics. The field of optics is furthermore a natural one for CU to cultivate. From Bose-Einstein condensation in JILA, to the development of liquid crystal displays in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), to optical information processing in Physics, to controlled chemical reactions in Chemistry, optics permeates CU’s research and technology. This strength spanning several departments has been enhanced by this coordinated effort in graduate training. The IGERT training program is designed from a bottom-up philosophy: Give students a very solid scientific and technical training in optics and they will be well prepared for subsequent employment in a wide variety of disciplines and industries.

OSEP takes students from three home departments, Chemistry, ECE, and Physics, and augments their traditional training with a rigorous foundation in optical science and engineering. OSEP encompasses three major research thrusts: (1) Optical control and manipulation, which includes, for example Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) for which CU physicists (who are also participants in this proposal) were recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics; (2) Optical metrology, which is undergoing a technical revolution thanks to advances in ultrafast lasers on the one hand and structured optical fibers on the other; and (3) Optical processing, in which combined microwave and optical holographic techniques have led to a new paradigm for processing wireless communications, astronomical, and radar signals. The intellectual merits of these research pursuits are reflected in the substantial impact that they have already had on the recent trends in science and engineering and more so in their potential impact on future technology. BEC, for example, is recognized as the atom analog of the laser. Roughly speaking we are where laser research was in the 1960’s shortly after its invention, yet research within this program has already targeted integrated atom optics as a technology that can do for atom optics what integrated optical technology has already done for conventional light optics.

OSEP seeks a broader impact with its focus on the student as national and international citizen: its goal is to provide students not only with in-depth technical training, but also to provide career awareness and a global perspective of science and society. Their training includes three laboratory rotations, one of which must not be in their home department, and they may choose to carry out a rotation in a laboratory abroad to gain an international perspective. Students also undergo a three-month industrial internship, which can be carried out locally, nationally or abroad. The program includes an Industrial Advisory Board whose members interact with the students, recruit for internships and future employment, and provide feedback to the program administration. OSEP also incorporates a weekly seminar with contributions by members of academia and industry as well as by the students themselves. Skills and technical courses are complemented by courses on ethics, communication, and business to provide a balanced training to prepare students as responsible and effective contributors to society. OSEP prepares students exceptionally well for jobs in industry; moreover, Ph.D.s with the broad education provided by OSEP are precisely the kind of individuals we hope to see as next-generation faculty. These are the individuals that can change the culture of our universities: those who see their science as part of the greater society, who raze the walls of the ivory tower and level the barriers to interdisciplinary education.

IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In this sixth year of the program, awards are being made to institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. « less