Introducing biophotonics to first year undergraduates in science andnon-science majors: Approaches and lessons learned

摘要

Engaging students in photonics can be challenging as the field appears lesser known compared to standard majors offered at US Colleges and Universities. At the University of California Davis we teach a well-received introductory biophotonics course that attracts 20-25 honors freshman students yearly. The 40-hour course attracts science, engineering, and humanities majors alike. The course is a basic interdisciplinary exploration of the intersection of biology, physics, medicine, optics and technology with light. In addition to an overview of biophotonics, class participants do hands-on experiments, practice peer-review, interact with biophotonics scientists, and carry out projects to communicate biophotonics to others.