REU Site: Unleashing the Light: Building the Future of Laser Technologies

The University Of Central Florida Board Of Trustees, Orlando FL

Investigators

Abstract

This new three-year REU SITE: Unleashing the Light, Building the Future of Laser Technologies is hosted by the University of Central Florida College of Optics & Photonics (CREOL). Lasers drive modern research in physics, chemistry, and biology and are vital tools in manufacturing and medicine, and the heart of Internet communications. This project focuses on research in laser engineering and technologies. Ten undergraduate students each year will participate in ten weeks of research and other educational experiences in lasers, optics, and photonics. Students will work with internationally recognized faculty members at CREOL who will serve as research mentors. REU students will have the opportunity to conduct their own research projects in state-of-the-art optics and photonics research laboratories, while being carefully mentored to transition from close research supervision to more independent research. The program features an introductory course on fundamentals of photonics and lasers, research seminars by CREOL faculty, industrial site visits to the optics and laser companies in the Orlando area, and workshops and discussion sessions on issues of ethics in engineering research. Students will also hold weekly peer-to-peer discussion groups and workshops about transitioning to graduate school. The summer program concludes with a poster session where REU students will present their research at a campus wide REU symposium. This new three-year REU SITE: Unleashing the Light, Building the Future of Laser Technologies is hosted by the University of Central Florida College of Optics & Photonics (CREOL). The Site will contribute to preparing a workforce of young scientists in laser engineering and technology. Through experimental and theoretical research, a group of ten undergraduate students will spend the summer working in state-of-the-art facilities, researching the latest developments in lasers and their applications. The students will be involved in research projects, such as extending the field of fiber lasers into the mid-IR, studying the interaction between ultrashort laser pulses and solid materials for laser processing, designing new types of laser cavities, building an ultrasensitive and high-resolution imaging system based on weak scattering signals of subcellular structures, developing optically controlled material systems to enable adjusting their macroscopic properties, and creating the next generation of laser communications and sensing technologies for aerospace. The summer program concludes with a poster session where REU students will present their research at a campus wide REU symposium. Students will engage in professional development sessions on research ethics, and STEM careers and pathways. This Site is supported in part by funds provided to the National Science Foundation by the Semiconductor Research Corporation. This project is supported in part by the HSI Program, which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.