| The Stony Brook Laser Teaching Center |
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The Laser Teaching Center is a new permanent facilty within the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook for hands-on instructional programs in optical physics and technology. The facility is set up in a modern dedicated 1100 square foot suite of rooms in the S-level of the Physics Building, immediately downstairs from the Department Office. This location is close to research laboratories for laser and atomic physics and the Departmental machine and electronics shops. A ground-breaking ceremony for the new facility was held October 20, 1998, and the Center was in full operation during summer 1999, with 6 high school and 2 undergraduate students. Total participants in calendar year 2002 was about 50, including 18 high school and Stony Brook freshman women in the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program, and 7 graduate students in the Optics Rotation course, PHY582. During the busiest summer months 6 high school students and 6 undergraduates from Stony Brook and elsewhere worked full-time on various projects. The Center also hosts many tours and demonstrations for individual and group visitors from middle-school age children to adult professional scientists. Construction and development of the Laser Center was made possible by generous contributions from our sponsors.
The educational philosopy of the Center has been described in a recent article in the Newsletter of the Department of Physics & Astronomy. Please also visit our student projects and WISE web pages to access pictures, web journals and reports from current and past students.
While the Laser Teaching Center is relatively new, there have been programs
for optics education within the Department for many years. These include:
To learn more about the Laser Teaching Center, contact Prof. Harold Metcalf or Dr. John Noé.
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| Laser Teaching Center Homepage | Last revised 6 January 2004 |
