Introduction
This proposal is to create a Concentration under the existing Bachelor of Science in
Electrical Engineering to be called "Photonics". Photonics differs from electronics in that
photons replace electrons as the conveyor of information. There is clearly demand for
optics and photonics education by the population of undergraduate electrical engineering
students. However, there is no formalized optics and photonics education program in our
geographical region. We propose to fill this void, and simultaneously make a richer offering
to our students through implementing a concentration in Photonics Engineering. This
program will serve two important goals: (1) it will educate students in an attractive area
where there are outstanding career opportunities; and (2) we will create yet another way
to distinguish Michigan Tech from other competing universities, helping us meet our goal
of becoming a "national university of choice".
Related Programs
There are at least 50 universities in the United States that offer courses in optics and
photonics to undergraduate electrical engineering students. Of these, at least 12 offer a
BS in Electrical Engineering with "concentration", "emphasis", "option", or "concentration"
in optics and/or photonics (Boise State, California Polytechnic, Colorado State, North
Dakota State, Oregon State, Princeton, University of Alabama-Huntsville, University of
Massachusetts-Lowell, University of Missouri-Rolla, University of New Mexico, University
of Pittsburgh, and University of Utah). Additionally, at least eight other universities offer
BS degrees in Optical Science, Optical Engineering, Photonics, or Photonics Engineering.
In some cases these programs are run from a free-standing Optics or Photonics
department, while in other cases they are run from inside another department, most
typically a physics department (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Saginaw Valley, St.
Cloud State, University of Arizona, University of California-Davis, University of Northern
California, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology). Also, Vanderbilt
University has a "curricular focus" on Biomedical Optics run out of its Biomedical
Engineering department.
If the on-line data provided by these universities is accurate, the number of undergraduates seeking education in optics and photonics in the United States is on the order of a few tens of thousands nationwide. There are also extremely active optics and photonics education programs in Canada, Australia, England, France, and New Zealand, and in some cases, these international programs benefit from aggressive government efforts to enhance optics and photonics education in these countries. Clearly, there is significant activity both in the United States and internationally in the area of optics and photonics education. These students feed a research and industrial base that will grow due to, for example, demand for higher bandwidth in the "last mile" of computer networks, and ever higher speed optical switching for the physical backbone of the Internet; demand for innovative medical imaging techniques, demand for remote sensing products for environmental and earth resource monitoring; and surveillance needs for homeland security.
Rationale
"Underpinning the explosive growth of optics are investments in education and research.
Research continues to lead to extraordinary discoveries. Although the field is growing
rapidly and its impact is both pervasive and far-reaching, it remains a "multidiscipline" with
components in many university departments and government programs. The presence of
optics in these diverse programs reflects its pervasiveness, but also reveals its Achilles'
heel. Trends and developments in optics can easily be missed in such a disaggregated
enterprise. Educational and research organizations will need to pay close attention to
ensure that the field develops in a healthy way that ensures continuing benefits to society."
(from Harnessing Light, National Research Council Report, National Academy Press, 1998,
p4)
"There are only a few formal postgraduate educational programs in optics. In most universities, optics is taught in a wide range of departments; biology, physics, materials science, electrical engineering, computer science, and others; as befits the span of the field's applications. Academic research in optics is no less diverse, and in their diversity, universities have made indispensable contributions to furthering optical technologies. In information technology, for example, academic programs are particularly strong in the basic sciences and the development of device technologies, but weak in the corresponding systems, packaging, and applications areas. Accordingly, universities are relatively ineffective in transferring technologies to U.S. industry and in keeping pace with the needs of newly developing systems." (from Harnessing Light, National Research Council Report, National Academy Press, 1998, p18)
Recent advances in electronic technology have been simply astounding. Performance at a fixed price has doubled every 18 months for almost 50 years. While this trend shows no sign of decline, a maturing light wave, or photonics technology, is causing the widespread proliferation of systems in which photons are replacing electrons. This technology is most striking in the area of wired digital communication, which is increasingly implemented with optical fibers. Other applications of photonics technology which impact the world include medical imaging technology, biometrics, environmental systems which monitor for pollution and warn against chemical and biological attacks, and military, consumer, and commercial imaging and surveillance systems.
Curriculum Design
The curriculum for this program exists already. The undergraduate courses already offered
in photonics by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering include:
Course 1: Introduction to Photonics (EE2190)
Course 2: Optical Sensing & Imaging (EE3190)
Course 3: Lightwave Devices (EE3291)Course 4: Optical Communications and Imaging Systems (Senior level course which will be taught in 2004-2005.)
Course 5: Lasers and Non-Linear Optics (EE4441)
Course 6: Digital Image Processing (EE4254)
Teaching Lab (Junior level course which will be taught in 2004-2005.)
New Course Description
None
Additional Resources Required
None
Planned Implementation Date
Fall 2004
Accreditation Requirements
None
Adopted by Senate: 7 April 2004
Approved by President: 22 April 2004