Development of a company-sponsored optics educational outreach program

摘要

Public optics outreach is critical for fostering a passion for optics building the workforce that will solve the photonics challenges of tomorrow. This paper will cover the strategies and hands-on demonstrations that Edmund Optics used to build and scale a company-sponsored optics educational outreach program that now teaches over 2,000 students every year through over 60 events. The students reached through these events range from third grade to high school students. Internal promotion of the program has led to over 45 employees participating every year at local schools, museums, and local events. A system for on-site school visits allows students to take field trips to Edmund Optics' headquarters, and established shadow programs allow high school students to experience different careers in the optics industry. The program is now scaling to a global level, and best practices and strategies for scaling up a company-sponsored educational outreach program will be discussed.