Physics Gains Optics Program Vision

The master’s program, an example of interdisciplinary cooperation with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering (EECE), began this fall with five students after receiving State Board of Finance approval last May. Physics and EECE administer the program together, as the field of optics covers both areas. Though Physics and Astronomy has offered a Ph.D. program since 1983, the master’s program offers a unique approach for students, according to the program’s founders, led by Physics Professor Sudhakar Prasad.

Joachim Zeller, a Ph.D. student from Germany, adjusts a laser amplifier, which he uss to research semiconductor spectroscopy, observing the optical properties of short laser pulses and how they behave over time.

Mastering the Science
Prasad conceived the master’s program idea in 1997, after surveying students and area businesses to confirm interest. Students wanted a shorter program, and businesses said the degree would give students training that would fit well into industry. Previously, students went straight from their bachelor’s degree to doctoral work. The master’s degree fills a gap for students who are less research-oriented and more interested in going into the industrial world. Compared to a Ph.D., Prasad says, “Businesses saw it as a more versatile degree and more valuable to them.” According to Prasad, the program came together with the support of the area’s three government laboratories—Sandia, Los Alamos and Air Force Research Laboratories. He also notes that the New Mexico Optics Industry Association has been “a great ally.”

The master’s program takes two years to complete, versus five to six years for a Ph.D. While the Ph.D. focuses on a research or teaching outcome, the master’s program is directed toward outside employment and offers students three options. Students may take a track of core classes supplemented by option-based classes or take the traditional classes followed by a thesis. The third option allows students to spend six to 12 months as interns at an industry or government laboratory. Prasad says this track allows industry to take a long look at prospective employees, or to retrain employees through the program. “This [track] impacts industry and the economy of the state,” Prasad says.

Set Up Through Sheer Will
Because the field of optics covers disciplines from physics to engineering to biomedical technology, establishing the master’s program was no small task. Prasad says the country has few programs like this, and even fewer that cross colleges. He and Physics Professor Wolfgang Rudolph, chair of the Optics Graduate Committee, felt they had to bring together many groups because “optics by nature is multidisciplinary.” Prasad says there is no “natural home” for optics within a particular department.

Now that the degree has been established, the department is creating awareness through the optics program Web site, flyers and posters mailed to schools with bachelor’s programs, and ads in optics education and trade journals. Prasad says the best recruiting method is still word-of-mouth, and that the New Mexico Optics Industry Association has helped spread the word.

Ph.D. Opened the Door
UNM’s Ph.D. program in optics, one of just five in the nation, boasts about 70 graduates since its inception 19 years ago. Most graduates held bachelor’s or master’s degrees in physics or electrical engineering, which led Prasad to anticipate the need for a cross-disciplinary program, for which UNM is now known.

While the new program is currently receiving much attention, good things are happening for doctoral students, too. The Cross-Disciplinary Optics Research and Education (CORE) project is in its second year of a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program. The IGERT program expands beyond the Physics and EECE departments to include Biology, Chemistry and Chemical and Nuclear Engineering. It provides fellowships for doctoral students in those disciplines to explore optics.

Students earn a grant-paid salary that allows them to finish their educations. Eighteen students will receive the three-year fellowships over the life of the grant. Rudolph, who heads the five-department project, says students are enrolled in specific departments, but because optics covers a broad area, current educational strategy needs to change. “It doesn’t take into account that science is now more multidisciplinary,” says Rudolph.

The CORE program addresses this concern. Typically, doctoral students take courses in their major program area and in the other four departments to fulfill optics degree requirements. They may fill credit requirements as they choose thereafter. CORE fellows, instead, fill their remaining credit hours with two internships, technical writing courses and seminars. Rudolph stresses that fellows have no extra workload, but an enhanced educational experience.

In the seminars, fellows make presentations to the entire group, which means the challenge of clearly communicating their research to students of other disciplines. “It prepares students to work together on interdisciplinary projects,” Rudolph says. “In the real world, they must be able to understand each other, independent of their educational background.”

Mastering the Possibilities
Today, the master’s and Ph.D. programs in optics can grow as knowledge of the field grows. For the master’s area, Prasad and Rudolph expect to enroll 10-15 students within two or three years. Prasad envisions a “prosperous program that meets the needs of industry.” More than that, however, cross-disciplinary education is the wave of the future, and this program is ahead of its time. “We already meet the dean’s vision of cross-disciplinary programs and strategic plan of the University,” Prasad says.

Learn more about the optics program at www.optics.unm.edu and about the IGERT/CORE program at panda.unm.edu/igert.