Photonics

Lab on Wheels

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 20:15:03 +0000

Lab on Wheels BBENSON@bridgew.edu Wed, 10/16/2024 - 16:15

Mobile lab brings photonics experience to students

October 17, 2024

Brian Benson, G'23

Photonics is revolutionizing technology, and about 150 students recently got an up-close look at an industry that could influence their careers no matter the degree they pursue.

The glimpse into cutting-edge research came when BSU hosted a mobile laboratory courtesy of Thorlabs, a prominent manufacturer of photonics equipment.

“It’s essential for people in our community to know what photonics is,” said Dr. Samuel Serna, assistant professor of physics, photonics and optical engineering. “The conversation is happening at the political level and every citizen should be aware.”

BSU is already a leader in photonics education, having launched a bachelor’s degree in the rapidly growing field several years ago. Photonics uses particles of light called photons to improve technology for consumers and industries such as telecommunications, biomedical sensing and imaging, and autonomous vehicles.

The mobile lab, housed in a 30-foot trailer, offered introductory experiences for BSU students who are not majoring in photonics as well as students from Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School and Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School.

They explored how light interacts with water and sound and studied how white light is broken down into a spectrum of colors. The high school students also toured Bridgewater's photonics labs, an experience Serna hopes encourages some of them to study at BSU.

For photonics majors, Thorlabs offered an advanced look at biomedical optics and photonics’ role in enhancing imaging of the human body. This broadened their perspectives on how the principles they study at BSU can be used in real-world applications, Serna said.

“We wanted to give our students the opportunity to see something different (than what BSU faculty and students research),” he said.

Janelle Murphy, '27, a photonics and optical engineering and finance major, appreciated the opportunity to talk with professionals in the industry and learn how they use the concepts she studies at Bridgewater State.

"The photonics program at BSU is amazing," she said. "There are so many connections to industry and academics outside of 51�Թ��. There is really a perfect balance between learning in the classroom, research, and opportunities like seeing the Thorlabs truck where you can explore your passions in what is best for your desires and goals."

Thorlabs representatives left impressed by BSU’s facilities, which they said were comparable to what they would expect to see in a graduate program. That feedback was especially meaningful, Serna said.

“Thorlabs goes to graduate and undergraduate programs all over the country,” he said. “They have a perspective on what is state of the art.”

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

The photonics program at BSU is amazing. ... There is really a perfect balance between learning in the classroom, research, and opportunities like seeing the Thorlabs truck where you can explore your passions in what is best for your desires and goals.

Janelle Murphy, '27

Green Science

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 19:22:20 +0000

Green Science BBENSON@bridgew.edu Wed, 04/12/2023 - 15:22

Scientists team up with MIT to research sustainable microchip manufacturing

April 13, 2023

Brian Benson, G'23

When he was younger, Samuel Bechtold, ’24, would often walk Cape Cod beaches picking up trash. Sometimes he’d find cell phone chargers and electronic vaping devices – items that represent the tip of the iceberg in the growing environmental problem of electronic waste.

Now majoring in photonics and optical engineering at 51�Թ��, Bechtold is a research assistant on a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and BSU seeking solutions.

“I’ve always thought about sustainability,” said Bechtold, a former chairperson of the Sierra Club’s Cape Cod chapter. “It’s nice to have a professional outlet here where I can also focus on that.”

The team, which is led by MIT and includes BSU Assistant Professor Samuel Serna as a co-principal investigator, is researching sustainable microchip manufacturing with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator program. The initiative puts interdisciplinary teams from across the country into a friendly competition to develop solutions to pressing societal problems.

As consumers seek the latest features in their electronic devices, they often throw away old models, contributing to the approximately 50 million (and growing) tons of e-waste generated in the world every year. That annual figure, according to a 2019 United Nations report, is greater than the combined weight of every commercial airplane ever built - and only 20 percent of the e-waste is recycled.

The MIT-BSU team is working with industry and government stakeholders to find ways to increase energy efficiency and reduce e-waste. Photonics, which uses particles of light called photons to improve technology, can help lower a device’s energy use. The group also aims to explore methods for swapping out chips instead of throwing away an entire phone or computer.

“We want to train engineers to design for upgrades having in mind that it’s not a one-use device,” Dr. Serna said.

Education is an important component of the project. Serna introduces the issue to high school students who visit BSU. And he will teach a first-year seminar about sustainable microchip manufacturing in the fall. He hopes the course underscores the importance of incorporating sustainability in product design and manufacturing.

“We want to start that at the very beginning so as sophomores, juniors and seniors they have that already engrained,” Serna said.

In addition to completing administrative functions for the project, Bechtold helps MIT students use photonics lab equipment at BSU to test their devices. He’s also gaining a new perspective on engineering that incorporates his longstanding passion for environmentalism.

“It helps me to have a more holistic approach when I’m designing stuff,” he said. “I’ll look at the materials used in my design and see if I can find alternatives that are more sustainable and have more equitable manufacturing processes.”

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

I’ve always thought about sustainability. It’s nice to have a professional outlet here where I can also focus on that.

Samuel Bechtold, ’24

Tech Team-Up

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 18:17:04 +0000

Tech Team-Up BBENSON@bridgew.edu Mon, 04/04/2022 - 14:17

BSU and MIT join forces for photonics ‘bootcamp’

April 5, 2022

Brian Benson

Despite being new to the BSU campus, Peyton Brown, ’24, is already collaborating with students and researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study – and teach – the cutting-edge field of photonics.

“I did not think I’d be doing that my first year at Bridgewater,” said Peyton, a transfer student from Rochester, Michigan. “I didn’t think I’d be getting involved in research and labs so quickly.”

Peyton and Samuel Bechtold, ’23, who are enrolled in 51�Թ��’s new photonics and optical engineering major, helped lead the first collaborative photonics bootcamp hosted at MIT and BSU. The three-day event brought together faculty and students from several universities and industry representatives looking to network and expand their knowledge of photonics, reputed to be the next wave in technology.

Samuel, who is from Barnstable and transferred to BSU from Cape Cod Community College because of the photonics program, appreciated the exposure to advanced applications at the bootcamp.

Coming to BSU was, “a really good opportunity to get into a developing field for engineering,” he said. “It’s been a great experience.”

Photonics uses particles of light called photons to improve technology. The ensuing devices offer advantages over conventional electronics including increased bandwidth, more energy efficiency and less excess heat. Applications span a host of industries from telecommunications to automotive to gaming.

At the bootcamp, participants learned to assemble and test chips, worked with lasers, and attended lectures by leaders in the field. They studied how photonics and electronics can work together.

“It’s really been developed jointly,” said Dr. Anu Agarwal, principal research scientist in MIT’s Materials Research Laboratory. “We had students from MIT and BSU working closely together to build the curriculum for the bootcamp and decide what experiments to do and what tools were used.”

The bootcamp showcased the state-of-the art technology and lasers that Bridgewater students can access on campus. Dr. Yasaman Sargol, a research and development engineer at Wilmington-based Seurat Technologies, was impressed with what she saw and learned.

“I think it's good to learn from experts in the field and see all the capabilities they have,” said Sargol, whose company is developing 3D printers that use lasers. “Our company is a startup company, so we’re still learning.”

Bringing industry representatives to campus helps them see what BSU students learn, said Dr. Samuel Serna, an assistant professor of physics, photonics and optical engineering.

“They know they can rely on our students,” Serna said.

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

Coming to BSU was, “a really good opportunity to get into a developing field for engineering. It’s been a great experience.”

Samuel Bechtold, ’23