The Milwaukee School of Engineering is in the process of curricular revisions and developments that will place a major new emphasis on photonics and sensors in engineering and physics. An important part of this program is the development of a Photonics and Sensors Laboratory in the Electrical Engineering Department. A new laboratory sequence for Optical Electronics and revisions of Sensors and Fiber Optic Technology are planned. The Senior Design Project sequence will now encourage more projects in sensors and photonics. This project will provide significant improvements in the education of our upper division students in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, and Manufacturing Engineering Technology. To a lesser extent this laboratory will also support the Mechanical Engineering (and Technology) curricula. The major equipment requested includes fiber optic apparatus to demonstrate a broad variety of optical and communication principles. The optical time domain reflectometer and optical power meters will support both photonic and sensor experimentation. Vibrating and optical angular rate sensors and piezo-film kits will provide the basis for studying motion- sensing systems and phenomena. The sequence and content of the experiments, as well as the instrumentation, were selected to optimize the student's advancement, building upon their prior applied optics foundation.This laboratory's impact is expected to result in undergraduates who are literate in the areas of photonics and sensors, and should serve as excellent preparation for graduate work. During off-hours, we expect to use the laboratory to teach and demonstrate photonics and sensors to middle and high school science teachers, and also during Open Houses to help attract students into science and engineering.
