LILLINGTON - Second-year students in the Laser and Photonics Technology program at Central Carolina Community College's Harnett Campus experienced first-hand learning of photonics applications on a recent field trip to Charlotte.

The CCCC students toured the Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's campus on Oct. 1st. Scott Williams, Research Operations Manager, who is an advisor to the CCCC LPT program, conducted the tour. Williams showed the students through various research labs, pointing out, and discussing, some advanced photonics applications.

The next day, the students toured Synoptics, a division of Northrup Grumman. Synoptics is one of the few manufacturers in the world of crystals used in solid state lasers. Dr. Kevin Stevens, Director of Research & Development at Synoptics, who is also an advisor to the CCCC LPT program, conducted the tour. Dr. Stevens showed the students through all of the processes used to make the special crystals, explaining all of the science and technology used in each process. The laser students were excited to actually see laser crystal rods made that they had studied in classroom lectures and labs.

Touring from the laser program were students Chris Baggett, Kaitlyn Camp, Al Delong, Colt Dudley, Andreina McIver, and Carlos Salas Moreno, all from Harnett County, Shelley Parker and Alex Voytik, from Lee County, Jeremy Knoll, from Sampson County, and Chris Loehr, from Wake County, and laser program lead instructor Gary Beasley.

During the tours, students were able to observe some of the latest technology in the laser and photonics industry. In addition, students were able to get answers to some very difficult technical questions that arose during the tours - making for a great learning experience.

Central Carolina Community College has a laser club and student chapter of SPIE - the international society for optics and photonics - in its photonics curriculum. The field trip was funded through the club and student chapter. Photonics is the study of the use of light, such as lasers, for industrial and other purposes.

"It is extremely valuable for the students to see in the real world what they are studying in class," Beasley said. "Experiences such as this field trip are another approach used to provide the students a well-rounded education."

To learn more about Central Carolina Community College's Laser & Photonics Technology program, contact Beasley at 910-814-8828 or by email at gbeasley@cccc.edu. To learn more about SPIE, visit http://spie.org/.