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Keene State College (KSC) is excited to share new pathways, curricular offerings, and outreach focused on workforce development in the areas of optics and precision manufacturing. KSC is a primarily undergraduate institution with a liberal arts focused mission, uniquely located in southern New Hampshire within a strong industrial New England network in precision optics. After collaborative identification of workforce needs, KSC created a series of courses focused on hands-on, technical, and conceptual optics education: Introduction to Optics, Thin Films, Laser Optics, and Ultra-Precision Manufacturing. The Introduction to Optics and Laser Optics courses place practical and conceptual understanding in the foreground so that mathematical representations are integrated with student understanding. The Ultra-Precision Manufacturing and Thin Films courses focus on hands-on education using diamond turning ultra-precision machining and thin film deposition techniques respectively to provide students the necessary technical skills. All courses are designed to be accessible individually or are stackable as multicourse microcredentials. The creation of educational pathways relies on the convergence, collaboration, and engagement from education, industry, and community partners. KSC is working with local industry professionals to explore tailored apprenticeship offerings and intensive bootcamp workshops to deliver key skills outcomes as alternatives to semester-based offerings. Outreach with high schools and career and technical education centers offers increased opportunities to raise awareness regarding careers in optics and the ways KSC educational pathways connect students to this rapidly growing sector. This presentation will highlight key stages of development and challenges toward future growth of optics education at KSC.
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