New Mexico Alliance of Optics & Photonics Education

Origins: An impending shortage of photonics technicians sparked the genesis of the "Albuquerque Model."

In the early 1990s, a consortium of NM optical science and industry members recognized that a great shortage of laser and photonics technicians was imminent. Hence, the foundation to develop an adequate workforce involved teamwork among key players in the Albuquerque optics and photonics communities. The result: The Alliance for Photonics Technology, in 1991.

The alliance was comprised of the DOE/NNSA national laboratories, Sandia and Los Alamos, The Air Force Research Lab at Kirtland Air Force Base, the Center for High Technology Materials at the University of New Mexico (UNM), and New Mexico State University. The alliance was interested in "tech transfer," to enable transfer of Labs research to the local economy. It acted as a clearinghouse, identifying commercialization opportunities and making the expertise of alliance members available to the commercial sector.

A significant key player was Dr. Art Guenther, a key individual in establishing optics as a discipline in its own right in this country. Dr. Guenther's early years in optics preceded that of the laser. He was an author of the book Harnessing Light: Optical Science and Engineering for the 21st Century. The book is prescient in predicting the imminent explosive growth of optics. The committee came to three conclusions: optics is pervasive and an enabling technology, it is going to be a major technology to drive the 21st Century, and it is an orphan discipline (there are very few programs in the US where one can study it, as it is embedded within other departments).

Thanks to the formation of the Alliance, more $100M in economic development resulted, further increasing the regional growth of optics and photonics in New Mexico. A formative meeting resulted, with strong participation from the local optics community and key members from the photonics community in other states, to discuss the benefits of optics research and development. The resulting organization: New Mexico Optics Industry Association. A 1992 meeting between UNM optical science faculty and the optics industry was convened to address the needs of scientist and engineers in optics and led to the creation of a master's degree in Optical Engineering at UNM.

Next came the need to address the significant shortage of technicians. Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (TVI) stepped up to the plate with curricula to develop critical hand skills. TVI was one of the first, and very few, vocational institutes in the US to offer a Photonics Program. At critical meetings amongst TVI, UNM, and optics and photonics companies, the companies were asked what they needed to further their business, and the answer was: "We need hands-on technologists." TVI then amended its program in response.

The goal was to fill a pipeline with students interested in embarking on a career in the field of optics and photonics. This was accomplished by increasing the awareness of this important field and its multitude of applications.

Sandia National Laboratories, with the fiscal support of NNSA, initiated a Photonics Academy at West Mesa High School in Albuquerque. This program was articulated with TVI, UNM, and NM Tech to offer a seamless educational and career ladder in the areas of optics and photonics. Subsequent activities linked all of the educational rungs of the photonics education ladder and created smooth transitions up the ladder from high school, to the community college, through baccalaureate, and all the way up to UNM's PhD program—all offering ease of entry and exit to the workplace.

Over the course of several years, and step by step, the "ladder" of the New Mexico Alliance for Optics and Photonics Education also known as the "Albuquerque Model", evolved. It is the first photonics education ladder of its kind in the nation and possibly in the world. The model can be migrated and transferred; for example, Quebec has implemented something similar and the program model is now used in both Advanced Manufacturing and Microtechnology workforce development applications.

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