Fall 2006
In This Issue:
Focus On Optical Materials
In Eastern Pennsylvania, a Penn State/Lehigh Partnership Flourishes
The Center for Optical Technologies (COT), a major industry/university partnership to advance the science and application of optical technologies, was formed in 2001 at Lehigh Univeristy with Penn State as a founding partner. With initial state funding of $1M, followed by a five-year $15M grant from DCED, the COT has leveraged its state grants into funding that approaches $70M in the first five years, according to Lehigh's Kim Trapp, the COT's Industry Liaison Officer.
The COT focuses on three research areas:
- Advanced Optical Functionality in Glases, Delectrics, and Ferroelectrics
- Semiconductor and Organic Optoelectronic Devices and Materials
- Biophotonics
Over twenty Penn State faculty participate in the work of the COT, including bioengineers, materials scientists, eleectrical engineers, and chemists. According to Penn State professor Ahmend Heikal, who is co-leader of the biophotonics group, the COT offers "a wonderful base for collaboration with talented faculty from both Penn State and Lehigh." Through invited talks, joint research papers, and postings to a member accessible website, the COT supports and develops new optical technologies and makes their research available to industry participants, which includes industry leaders such as Corning and Rohm & Haas.
"We've had a great collaboration with Penn State in research and programs," Trapp says. "Our relationship was already strong before COT was formed, and now it is even more productive. In addition to Lehigh and Penn State, our partnership includes two community colleges that participate in education and outreach, Northampton and Lehigh Carbon, as well as Ben Franklin of Northeast PA for business development."
The COT's objectiives are:
- To discover and disseminate findings through research collaboration, and teaching that advance the science of optics and optoelectronics
- To build world-class research facilities, expand faculty, and develop teaming relationships to enable substantial and sustainable advances in optical technologies
- To help industry move commercially viable science and technology to the marketplace through innovative university-industry-government partnerships
- To fucus on the growth of the optical industry in the region, as well as the state and nation
- To educate future leaders of industry and academe with knowledge and vision to move innovative optical technolgies and applications from concept to reality.
From crystal growth to novel device concepts, the COT is rapidly expanding the science and technology of optical and optoelectronic materials at Penn State and Lehigh University to the benefit of Pennsylvania and the U.S. economy.
Contacts:
Thomas Kech, Director, tlkoch@lehigh.edu
Kimberly Trapp, kdt2@psu.edu
Website: www.lehigh.edu/optics/
