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The Optics Workforce

Of all the challenges facing the photonics workforce, one of the most enduring is recruiting, training, and retaining qualified technicians to manufacture components. Optical manufacturers in Rochester, NY, which is second only to Boston in the number of U.S. optical instrument and lens manufacturing jobs, developed a model for recruitment that proved so successful that it helped inspire regional industrial workforce development ecosystems around the U.S. Contributing editor James Schlett takes a closer look at what helped Rochester succeed, and how those lessons are helping to bridge skills gaps elsewhere in the U.S. and beyond.Key Technologies: optical components (lenses, flat optics, aspheres, etc.), manufacturing equipment, CNC machinesUltrafast LasersOnce an instrument that only a physics Ph.D.'s could love (or use), ultrashort pulse lasers operating in the pico- and femtosecond domains are becoming more intuitive and robust industrial tools. Contributing editor Marie Freebody explores the current crop of ultrafast lasers and their commercial applications to determine where demand is growing, and what new capabilities are on the horizon for these sources.Key Technologies: Ultrafast (pico- and femtosecond) lasers and laser systemsQuantum Network Testbeds