This is a request for a three-year youth project entitled "Photonics Leaders" to provide 60 11th and 12th grade students with experiences that will provide them with a richer understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers as human endeavors that require hands-on skills, resourcefulness and communication skills that are not often addressed in the high school science and mathematics classroom. "Photonics Leaders" seeks to enhance access to science and science careers for all students, especially minority students, by giving the opportunities to participate in real scientific investigations making use of technological tools. The project has chosen this theme because it allows students to investigate the technology that they encounter day to day. They will engage in collaborative, hands-on activities that explore photonics technology and the science framework that supports that technology. The project will have links to the North Carolina standard course of study in chemistry, environmental/earth science, and physics. They will investigate how the physics of light and the technology of solid-state electronics meet in devices such as how optical communications are used in TV remote controls or CD players.
