SPIE Education Outreach Grants

Twelve more nonprofit organizations that conduct optics- and photonics-related education outreach projects have received education outreach grants from SPIE in the second round of SPIE grant funding for 2014.

Awards totaling more than $30,000 were made to SPIE Student Chapters, universities, and high schools across the globe that conduct science fairs, teacher-training, and other activities that increase awareness of optics and photonics.

• City University of New York Center for Advanced Technology in Photonic Applications and City College of New York City Light SPIE Student Chapter (USA), to partially support the “Project Light Switch” program for students in grades 4-8

• Jeux Photoniques (Canada), to support the Photonic Games activities

• Koc University SPIE Student Chapter (Turkey), to support the ninth Solar-Powered Model Vehicle Race

• Northeast Kingdom Astronomy Foundation (USA), to train teachers in optics and conduct intergenerational workshops for the public

• Norwalk High School (USA), to purchase optics and photonics materials for an annual kids’ fair event, STEAM Fest

• University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences (USA), to create an outreach program for Laser Fun Day to showcase unique challenges faced by optomechanical engineers

• Universidad Miguel Hernández (Spain), for optical materials to improve existing outreach programs

• University of Cambridge Institute of Astronomy (UK), for imaging instrumentation to add to a new telescope used for education outreach

• University of Delhi Acharya Narendra Dev College (India), to promote optics through student workshops

• University of Otago Physics Department (New Zealand), to support outreach activities conducted by postgraduate physics students

• University of West Bohemia (Czech Republic), for optics and photonics teacher-training courses and to equip teachers with the Photonics Explorer kits.

• Utsunomiya University SPIE Student Chapter (Japan), to organize an optical workshop for high-school students, to stimulate their interest in optics

With 16 organizations receiving SPIE awards totaling $59,000 in the first round of funding, SPIE has disbursed nearly $90,000 for optics and photonics education outreach grants this year.

SPIE provided more than $3.2 million in support of various education and outreach programs in 2013.

The next deadline for grant applications is 31 January 2015.

More information: spie.org/outreach.

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